Renovation Wave
Heating our homes without heating up the planet
A handful of leading manufacturers of heating systems are paving the way for clean heating, showing that ditching fossil fuel boilers is not only possible but also financially desirable, write Davide Sabbadin and Mélissa Zill.
Fit and fair: The case for a European fund for targeted renovation
The European Commission's commitment to create a "climate social fund" is very welcome but its design will be crucial if it is going to have an impact on building renovation, write Louise Sunderland and Samuel Thomas.
EU’s building renovation wave hits administrative snag
Differing views within the European Commission on how the EU's unprecedented recovery fund can be spent, and a rush to translate national spending plans from their original language, risk slowing down the EU's building renovation wave, experts say.OpinionPromoted content
Why we all need to speak the same language when assessing building sustainability
As buildings account for 36% of the European Union’s CO2 emissions, reducing the environmental impact of any new building is essential to contributing to the EU’s ambition to be the first climate neutral continent by 2050. Vincent Briard is Group...
Will the Renovation Wave leave Europe’s poorest on the shore?
Across Europe, 50 million households struggle with energy poverty stemming from low incomes, high energy bills, poor energy efficiency, as well as inadequate housing. The EU’s Renovation Wave, a ‘flagship’ of the European Green Deal, provides a unique opportunity to tackle Europe’s inadequate housing while contributing to EU climate targets, writes Anna Kompatscher.OpinionPromoted content
A green vision for a sustainable urban future
I want you to take a minute to visualise the ideal urban landscape of the future. How does it look? Full of flying cars and soaring glass skyscrapers? I doubt it. Jure Šumi is the Representative and Spokesperson of the...
The New European Bauhaus must transform beauty into public good
To realise its potential to help Europeans live "beautifully, sustainably, together," the Commission needs to prioritise beauty as a European public good supported by adequate investment, maximum societal participation and a comprehensive policy framework, argues Vadim Kononenko.OpinionPromoted content
Energy efficient renovation: the way to get ‘Fit for 55’
After months of talks and intense negotiations between Member States and the European Parliament, the European Union has agreed to cut its carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Vincent Briard is Group Sustainability Director...
Expert: Limit living space to shrink building carbon footprint
Energy efficient building renovation is not enough to lessen the climate impact of residential buildings, according to one sustainability expert who is calling for a limit on the living space allocated per person in residential homes.
Consumers will only renovate their homes if it’s easy and affordable
Consumers are willing and ready to play their part in the green housing transition, but they will need guidance and support along the way, writes Monique Goyens.
Brussels urges 27 to ‘make the most’ of energy efficiency funds
The European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, said on Thursday (22 April) that member states should take advantage of the European Union's historic €1.8 trillion budget and recovery fund to invest in energy efficiency.
EU carbon market will be extended to buildings and transport, von der Leyen confirms
Europe will apply its emissions trading scheme to buildings and transport, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a summit of world leaders on Thursday (22 April), setting the stage for the EU’s planned overhaul of its carbon market.
Energy-efficient buildings should be ‘new normal’, says EU’s Simson
The European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, on Tuesday (20 April) underlined the importance of the 'Renovation Wave' strategy in combating energy poverty in the European Union, saying that sustainable, energy-efficient buildings should be "the new normal".
Energy poverty ‘likely to increase’ once bank moratoriums are lifted
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on Tuesday (20 April) called for "coordinated action" across the European Union to tackle energy poverty, warning that poverty is "likely" to increase once bank moratoriums are lifted.
Pipe dream: alleviating energy poverty with hydrogen
Europe must not allow the push to tackle energy poverty to be derailed by the mirage of heating homes with hydrogen. Instead, the EU should focus on energy efficiency and financial support for poor households to switch to clean energy, write Jan Rosenow and Louise Sunderland.
Paris looks to citizen power to speed up energy transition
French citizens' cooperative EnerCit'if aims to install 14 solar power plants in Paris before the end of the year, a project that is being seen as an opportunity to boost citizen participation in the city's energy transition. EURACTIV France reports.
The female face of energy poverty is still invisible
Women are more likely to live in energy poverty, something that needs to be reflected in EU policy as it rolls out its renovation wave, writes Michaela Kauer.
Italy’s celebrated building renovation scheme hits a snag
Last year, Italy launched an unprecedented plan allowing homeowners to finance 110% of energy efficiency renovation works through tax deductions. Almost one year on, the widely celebrated scheme is hitting snags related to mounting costs and bureaucracy.
Green Homes Grant scheme to officially close this week, UK Government confirms
The UK Government has confirmed that it will axe its Green Homes Grant Scheme, which had £1.5bn of its £2bn funding pot withdrawn, on Wednesday (31 March).
ETS revision will include buildings and road transport, EU Commissioner says
The European Commission's upcoming June package of energy and climate laws will “propose the extension of the emission trading scheme to sectors such as building and road transport,” the EU's energy commissioner Kadri Simson said on Thursday (25 March).
UK government’s green homes grant in urgent need of rescue, MPs say
The UK government’s flagship home insulation scheme, intended to kickstart a green recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, has been botched, disastrous in administration, devastating in some of its impacts, and stands in urgent need of rescue, an influential committee of MPs has said. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
EU’s green building push risks driving homelessness, activists warn
The European Commission must ensure that plans to price carbon emissions in the building sector does not lead to growing rates of homelessness, campaigners said on Wednesday (17 March).
How carbon pricing is driving the renovation of Czech homes
Like other European countries, the Czech Republic’s buildings are in need of renovation. Unlike others, it partly funds renovation programmes with revenues generated from the emission trading scheme (ETS), an experiment that could be replicated across the EU.
Abolition of energy-saving incentives worries French building sector
The €2 billion of financial aid to boost energy renovation in France's COVID recovery plan may not be enough to compensate for the abolition of financial assistance provided to households under the so-called “energy saving incentives” – or what the French ministry has branded "coups de pouce isolation". EURACTIV France reports.Supporter
We manufacture sustainable insulation solutions For A Better World. Our products contribute to saving energy and cutting emissions. They are designed to make sure buildings are good for the environment and safe and comfortable for everyone who uses them.
Tweets by knaufinsulation