Energy performance of buildings
Gas boilers deserve an ‘F’, not an ‘A’
Fossil gas boilers may continue to be labelled ‘green’ for another decade or so if EU leaders fail to review energy labelling rules for heating appliances within a year. This would be very bad news for an overheating world, write...
Why national building renovation plans are key for the recovery
Renovating a country’s buildings and homes represents a massive opportunity for sustainable economic recovery, health, well-being, and CO2 reduction, writes Oliver Rapf.
LEAK: ‘Efficiency first’ is top priority of draft EU energy strategy
Efficiency must be at the core of Europe’s energy policy, the European Commission says in a draft policy document outlining its vision of a more agile, low-carbon energy system powered chiefly by renewable electricity.
Housing’s role in Europe’s green transition
What investment could be wiser than one that protects the most vulnerable and contributes to climate change mitigation by decreasing our energy consumption? The Just Transition Fund must recognise housing as a cornerstone of the green transition, argue two leading MEPs and civil society leaders.
Pushing water uphill: Putting power behind the renovation wave
Minimum energy performance standards can contribute to turning the tide on energy renovations in two ways, writes Louise Sunderland.
COVID-19 means tackling energy poverty is more urgent than ever
The COVID-19 crisis is hitting European consumers in the pocket, causing rising unemployment and falling income for those who have kept their jobs. Spending more time at home as a result of lockdown measures could make matters worse for energy...
Only ‘slight growth’ reported in energy efficiency services
Companies offering energy performance contracts to municipalities saw only moderate growth last year, despite a renewed push at EU level to boost energy savings and building renovation.
Why the EU must renovate to recover
The homes we live in are by far the world’s biggest asset class, representing worth €150 trillion, or 20 times the amount of gold ever mined. As such, they are too big to fail, writes Brook Riley.
Expert: ‘Lack of trust’ hampers energy efficiency services industry
Lack of trust and information about energy performance contracts are the most frequently cited reasons why some municipalities have become sceptical about energy service companies (ESCOs). In the future, greater standardisation should help overcome issues, says Nick Keegan.
Green building advocates ‘underwhelmed’ by EU recovery plan
When the European Commission unveiled its proposed €750 billion recovery fund two weeks ago, green activists were expecting a detailed spending programme, with billions of euros allocated to clean mobility, renewables, and an upcoming EU-wide building renovation wave.
The case for green buildings in the COVID-19 recovery
By supporting green buildings, the European Commission can simultaneously cut down energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions while improving comfort and health, and supporting Europe’s 18 million construction workers, writes Peter Sweatman.
Heating electrification amplifies need for efficient buildings, experts say
Electrification is key to decarbonising the residential heating sector, but it needs to be done smartly, by using heat pumps flexibly in houses that are efficient enough to act as “thermal batteries,” experts argue.
EU building ‘renovation wave’ set for launch in September
The European Commission’s energy chief, Kadri Simson, has flagged the upcoming building renovation wave, rooftop solar, and offshore wind as key priorities for the energy sector in the recovery phase from the coronavirus crisis.
We must invest today in the buildings of tomorrow
In the COVID-19 aftermath, making our buildings energy efficient is key to reconcile Europe’s climate objectives with rapid economic recovery. To get this done we need an ambitious policy roadmap at EU level, write Bertrand Deprez and Mohammed Chahim.
A green bailout must put Europe’s energy poor first
To weather the COVID-19 crisis, Europe’s energy poor urgently need a green bailout – providing decent, zero-carbon homes for all, writes Clémence Hutin.
Planting the seeds of a green economic recovery after COVID-19
As with all publicly-funded economic stimulus measures, conditions must be applied to the upcoming EU recovery plan, argues Peter Vis. He outlines a few ideas when it comes to the car and airline industries as well as the upcoming building renovation wave.
Building renovations can unleash future-proof jobs for a green recovery
Investing in safer, more comfortable and cleaner homes and public buildings would benefit people and the economy, writes Barbara Mariani. Barbara Mariani is senior policy officer for climate and energy at European Environmental Bureau and works as buildings expert for...
Dublin MEP pushes ‘neighbourhood’ approach to building renovation
Ciarán Cuffe, a former Irish minister now turned MEP, has urged the European Commission to take a locally integrated approach to building efficiency, saying it will be “critical” to the success of the upcoming renovation wave announced as part of the European Green Deal.
EU countries dragging their feet on building renovation plans
Only five EU member states have submitted long-term renovation strategies that were due last month under the revised energy performance of buildings directive: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands and Sweden.
EU urged to bring building ‘renovation wave’ into recovery plan
The European Commission should make its future pandemic recovery plan conditional on commitments to the green transition, says Bendt Bendtsen, a former MEP who is now leading a Danish interest group lobbying for energy efficiency.
Beyond the corona darkness: Bringing light, air and sustainability into people’s homes
The European Green Deal must be central to the recovery programme needed to transition out of the crisis caused by COVID-19, writes Oliver Rapf. And the European Commission's upcoming building renovation wave should be at the centre of it, he argues.
Enlighten the Climate Law with energy efficiency first!
Europe must take the fastest and most cost-effective route towards a carbon-neutral EU, write Adrian Joyce and Julie Kjestrup. And that means starting where the potential is biggest: buildings.
EU way off the mark on energy savings goal, latest figures show
The EU’s statistical office, Eurostat, published new figures on energy consumption for 2018 this week (4 February). As expected, they weren’t good, with the EU as a whole set to miss its 2020 energy efficiency objective by a margin of up to 5%, in what campaigners called the "biggest miss" of all EU climate targets.