Energy performance of buildings
In a moment of urgency, put energy efficiency first
Steps can be taken to improve energy efficiency. This is the surest route to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, write Kim Fausing and Rachel Kyte.
EU ‘climate leaders’ praised on goal-setting but falling short on detail
Finland, Sweden, Portugal, France and Germany are often seen as “climate leaders” when it comes to setting ambitious carbon reduction objectives for 2050. However, they lack concrete measures to achieve them, according to fresh analysis published today (4 July).
Poland’s multi-billion-euro clean air quest in peril
A €25 billion clean air programme launched by the Polish government is in danger of losing EU support. Warsaw has until Friday (21 June) to prove its commitment, according to a letter sent by the European Commission and seen by EURACTIV.
Newer forces are altering the HVAC market
The residential heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) market could pick up the pace with advances in regulations, technology and a push for carbon fuel efficiency, writes Neil Strother.
Connecting the dots to enable climate leadership at all levels
We are running out of time to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030, and need urgent and ambitious climate leadership. Cities are central to this effort – and it is crucial that we continue to enable our cities to address and solve climate challenges, writes Lars Tveen.
European cities target net-zero carbon buildings by 2050
A coalition of eight European cities – including Madrid, Wroclaw, and Leeds – have pledged to completely decarbonise their existing building stocks by 2050. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
EU national climate plans well below par, study reveals
Of the 28 draft national energy and climate plans submitted by EU member states, not a single one is on a pathway to reach net-zero emission by 2050, according to a fresh analysis published on Thursday (16 May).
Energy saving certificates in search for better optimisation
Across Europe, there is a high degree of consensus on the importance of realising energy savings in buildings. But debate still rages on how best to organise energy certificate schemes, which have been plagued by fraud and abuse. EURACTIV France reports.
EU official: ‘Renewables could supply almost 80% of heating and cooling by 2050’
Reaching the EU's target of increasing renewable heating and cooling by 1.3% each year will require a diverse array of solutions, says the European Commission's Hans van Steen.
Price of energy saving certificates causes friction in France
Energy saving certificates, or white certificates, were meant to be the answer to France’s slow progress in reducing energy consumption. However, there is far more demand than supply, resulting in a surge in prices of certificates, which have more than doubled in a year. EURACTIV France reports.
EU official: Households will save €500 a year from existing EU energy-saving laws
The European Commission has put changes in place that are making household appliances more energy efficient and recyclable. But the key will be in implementation of these rules, says the Commission's director for Industrial transformation.
Going climate neutral: Will EU leaders give the green light?
As EU leaders prepare to debate the European Commission’s proposal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, most eyes will again be on Poland, writes Brook Riley.
Time to address Europe’s hot and cold homes crisis
Most European countries have significant energy poverty problems and are unable to keep their citizens warm during winter. In fact, that applies as much to cooling as to heating, writes Adrian Joyce.
Energy consumption continues to rise in Europe: Eurostat
Energy consumption in Europe rose for the third consecutive year in 2017, pulling the EU further away from its 2020 energy efficiency objective, according to official figures published on Thursday (7 February).
‘Energy sobriety’: A disruptive notion catching on in France
The idea of reducing – or altogether avoiding – energy consumption is starting to catch on among French local authorities. But the concept struggles at European level because it directly challenges our economic growth model. EURACTIV France reports.
EU at risk of missing 2020 energy efficiency targets: Lessons for 2030
EU energy consumption is rising despite targets to reduce demand across Europe. This should not come as a surprise and is explained mainly by GDP growth, writes Samuel Thomas.
Academic: Oil and gas boilers should be banned across Europe by 2030
Emissions from residential heating can be drastically reduced if Europe agrees a ban on new oil and gas boiler installations by 2030 at the latest, according to a Danish researcher who led an EU-wide study to decarbonise the heating and cooling sector.OpinionPromoted content
Taking buildings to the next level(s), sustainably!
Stakeholders gather today to exchange on the future use of Level(s), a European voluntary reporting framework to improve the sustainability of buildings. Level(s) could be the basis for a future European construction-sector policy, where energy regulations could be extended to cover other environmental and social criteria.
Commission must not take its eye off the ball for decarbonisation by 2050
The European Commission will need clarity, nerve and vision to chart a decarbonisation path to 2050 that addresses the nearly 40% of Europe’s emissions that currently come from buildings, writes Adrian Joyce.
Think-tank: Artificially low electricity prices ‘not good for EDF’ nor consumers
Artificially low energy prices in France are one of the reasons why former state monopoly EDF loses money, says Thomas Pellerin-Carlin. Moreover, regulated prices are useless to protect vulnerable consumers from energy poverty and “almost never leads to low energy bills,” he argues.
Europe’s path to carbon neutrality: A move to ‘sobriété énergétique’?
What is 'sobriété énergétique' and what is its role in pushing Europe towards its carbon reduction goals? Kamila Waciega explains.
Time to deliver: Putting building renovation into practice
Addressing energy poverty and developing new financial tools to boost energy savings are two things governments could do in practice to go beyond the targets outlined in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and start renovating the European building stock for real.
REDay2018: key outputs from the conference
The amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) contains a vision for 2050 for the buildings stock in the EU – it will have to be highly energy efficient and decarbonised, reaching cost-effective nearly zero energy levels.