About: building renovation
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Buildings must be at the heart of the European Green Deal. Here’s why
Making our buildings climate-proof is not only about reducing the 36% of CO2 emissions they are responsible for, but about doing so while caring for the people that live in them, writes Oliver Rapf.
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.
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.
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.
135 French MPs lobby hard for the ecological transition
A parliamentary group, bringing together 135 French MPs from across the political spectrum, wants to collectively carry the issues of the ecological transition, particularly during the debate on the 2019 finance bill. EURACTIV France’s media partner the Journal de l’environnement reports.
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.
How building renovation and electrification of transport can help us reach the Paris goals
At first glance, buildings and transport may look like two unrelated subjects. But with the mass deployment of electric vehicles, managing the electricity consumption of cars when they recharge becomes critical to ensure grid stability, writes Harry Verhaar.
Energy efficiency: ‘Tough legislation means tough enforcement’
New EU rules on buildings and energy efficiency standards, adopted earlier this year, are “tough but fair” and will need to be implemented and enforced correctly, according to the architects of the legislation.