Energy performance of buildings

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.

Glass industry boss: Replacing old windows can bring huge energy savings

If Europe goes climate neutral, it will consume more flat glass, predicts Christian Quenett. And the benefits could be huge: simply doubling the replacement rate of windows, in line with the European Green Deal, would achieve 20% of the EU’s energy efficiency targets for 2030, he says.

Velux CEO: ‘If you want the most energy efficient home, live in a cave’

Companies and lawmakers must take more responsibility in helping to solve issues related to buildings, including reducing carbon emissions and improving health standards, according to Velux CEO David Briggs.

French MP: ‘We try to bring method to the madness of building renovation’

The Yellow Vest movement has actually boosted France's ambition to be a building renovation champion as it positioned the economy front and centre in the debate, the government's 'co-pilot' for the project told EURACTIV.

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.

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.

French MP: Building renovation needs to get everyone on board

To succeed in renovating the European building stock by 2050, all the governance levels need to be involved, from local to national, French MP Marjolaine Meynier-Millefert told EURACTIV, adding that people who cannot afford the costs of renovation must not be left behind.

Healthy buildings expert: ‘Homes cause hurricanes’

At the Healthy Buildings Day (HBD) in Brussels last week (26 September), academic experts painted a vivid picture of how the edifices we spend our days in shape our lives and the planet itself.

Bendt Bendtsen MEP: Time for EU countries to draft building strategies, ‘we’ll be watching’

Nearly half of Europe’s energy is used up by buildings but new rules adopted by the EU earlier this year wants to inject efficiency en masse into the sector and improve massively the edifices in which we live and work. EURACTIV spoke with the lawmaker behind the new legislation.

Banker: ‘Massive positive change’ underway for building renovation

The energy performance contract model can turn energy efficiency renovation of buildings into a truly popular policy objective among politicians in Central and Eastern Europe because it can be done without any use of public money and has no impact on public debt, says Ivan Lesay.

IEA analyst: A heating and cooling target ‘could make a big difference’

As talks on the EU’s renewable energy rules resume, one of the main talking points is how to decarbonise the heating sector, and deploy technologies like heat pumps and district heating. The International Energy Agency’s Ute Collier told EURACTIV in an interview that the task is complex and difficult.

Energy poverty chairman: Extreme summer heat could provide wake-up call

Two out of three EU countries do not measure energy poverty but a new observatory launched on Monday (29 January) should provide member states with the information they need to address a problem that could affect more than 100 million people in Europe, says the chair of the EU's Energy Poverty Observatory.

Finance expert: Small-scale energy efficiency loans deserve more EU attention

There are many creative ways to finance small-scale energy efficiency projects such as building renovations, but they need to be discussed more at the European Commission level, and defined more precisely, Jessica Stromback told EURACTIV Czech Republic.

Analyst: ‘Energy efficiency targets help, but they don’t go all the way’

When EU ministers discuss new energy savings objectives for 2030, they should also consider the actual policies needed to achieve them, because targets alone won’t deliver, says Phil Summerton.

Peter Liese MEP: ‘Intelligent lighting has biggest saving potential’

The EU's ban on incandescent light bulbs was the low-hanging fruit for energy savings in lighting, believes German MEP Peter Liese. Much more can be achieved now with modern lighting technology, he told EURACTIV in an interview.

Green MEP: EU member states did not learn from VW scandal

The EU has failed in sanctioning car manufacturers following the Volkswagen scandal and this means that they did not learn their lesson, Green MEP Karima Delli told EURACTIV Greece in an interview.

Stockholm mayor: ‘Fuel poverty is non-existent in Nordic countries’

Nordic countries have relegated fuel poverty to the history books by setting legal minimum standards for heating and giving house-owners a strong incentive to invest in refurbishment, says the mayor of the Swedish capital.

Think tank: Lack of EU heating and cooling laws a ‘real failure’

The lack of hard EU legislation for the decarbonisation of Europe’s heating and cooling systems is a failure that puts the bloc’s climate goals at risk, Maarten De Groote, the head of research at the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, has warned.

MEPs: Building renovation ‘isn’t sexy but it’s bloody important!’

Renovating Europe's building stock isn't just critical for meeting EU climate and energy savings targets – it will dramatically improve living conditions and health while boosting the overall economy, according to the three MEPs leading the European Parliament's work on the Energy performance of buildings directive.

Energy efficiency entrepreneur: EU targets should be higher

Ambitious European Union targets to boost energy efficiency can unlock much-needed private investment, Peter Sweatman told EURACTIV.com. But the current targets are not high enough, said the rapporteur on the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EFFIG).

Pension fund: EU should promote ‘one-stop shop’ for housing renovation

Homeowners typically don’t have the capital to invest in energy renovation solutions, despite the proven returns. Danish pension fund PKA helps bridge that gap with a one-stop-shop solution which, it believes, could be replicated across Europe.

Philippe Orliange: ‘Cities must boost borrowing to finance climate action’

Local and regional authorities are stepping up their efforts to fight climate change, but limited access to finance often holds them back, Philippe Orliange told Cécile Barbière from EURACTIV France.

Vella: Construction essential for circular economy

SPECIAL REPORT / Construction will be an essential part of the transition to a circular economy, and can also drive growth, the European Union's Environment Commissioner has said. 

EuroAce: Energy Union should push EU efficiency laws

SPECIAL REPORT / The recognition in the Energy Union of the importance of improving energy efficiency in the EU's building stock is welcome. But unless existing measures are properly implemented by national governments, the multiple benefits of renovation will not be exploited to the full, Céline Carré told EURACTIV.