Tag: energy efficiency in buildings

Green housing campaigners are excited by a new sustainable buildings debate the EU has kick-started, which aims to move certification schemes beyond the energy efficiency paradigm.

Europe’s rules on the energy performance of buildings are beginning to affect the investment decisions of pension funds and other financial institutions, said Tatiana Bosteels, the head of Responsible Property Investments at Hermes Funds Managers.

Banking officials at a conference in New York City have reportedly admitted that despite their statements about the importance of energy savings, they are reluctant to lend money in practice.

The long recession is increasing the attractiveness of energy saving investments in buildings, according to a new survey of construction and real estate players by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE).

The European Parliament voted for an 80% cut in energy used by buildings today [14 March], a move that will require a massive ramping up of the EU’s renovation targets. 

EXCLUSIVE / More than 70% of EU states could face court action over defiance of building efficiency measures which are slated to account for up to a quarter of the EU’s planned energy savings by 2020, EurActiv has learned.

The GLA's retrofitting scheme is set to save the public sector £6m and 36,000 tonnes of carbon by 2015.

Buildings account for over 40% of the EU's final energy demand and are a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions, making energy savings there a key element of European climate change objectives. However, it remains to be seen whether Europeans will be able to tap into the area with the single biggest potential – the existing building stock.