About: building renovation
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.
More banks join EU-backed pilot scheme for green mortgages
Deutsche Hypothekenbank in Germany and Ecology Building Society in the UK were the latest to join a group of 37 pioneering banks offering an energy efficiency mortgage pilot scheme to homeowners.
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.
Croatia’s renovation projects can teach us as much as their football
What do Croatia’s football team and its energy efficiency programmes have in common? Experience, skill, tenacity and an inspiring amount of success, writes Adrian Joyce.
UK set to ‘dramatically’ miss 2030 energy efficiency targets for homes
The UK will not meet its 2030 goals to boost energy efficiency in its housing stock until the end of the century, new research from think tank IPPR has concluded. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
Theresa May unveils plan to halve building energy use by 2030
UK Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to halve energy use from new buildings by 2030, as part of a speech that championed the role science and technology will play in delivering her government's industrial strategy. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
Buildings renovation: The low hanging fruit for emissions savings
With real estate responsible for over a third of the EU’s CO2 emissions, legislating to improve energy savings in the building stock is a low hanging fruit that our governments would be mad not to pick, argues Eliot Whittington.
‘Efficiency First’ will deliver – let’s start with renovating our buildings
There is a simple truth about EU climate policy: If it does not put energy efficiency first, it will not meet its objectives cost-effectively. And if it does not try to do that, it may not meet them at all, writes Adrian Joyce.
‘Committed’ Canete ups pressure on EU buildings law
The EU Commissioner in charge of climate action, Miguel Arias Cañete, will personally attend three-way talks taking place Tuesday (5 December) on the recast energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD), in a sign of the rising political profile taken by energy saving policies in Brussels.
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.
Energy performance of buildings
Lawmakers in the European Parliament's industry committee are voting this week on the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). EURACTIV.com takes a closer look at the latest changes made to the bill before it clears this major political hurdle.
Revision of EU buildings law offers chance for ‘multiple benefits’ wins
Renovating existing buildings and making sure new builds are fit for purpose are the crucial tenets of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which is being voted in the European Parliament's industry committee this week. EURACTIV.com takes a closer look at the detail of the revised bill.
Renovation is about more than just energy savings
The multiple benefits of building renovation programmes include known advantages in terms of reduced energy bills and job creation. But less is known about other benefits like avoided healthcare costs, and even higher exam success rates for students, writes Adrian Joyce.
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.
Health activists join EU building renovation crusade
Health campaigners have called on European lawmakers to impose an EU-wide indoor air quality performance certificate for buildings to prevent mould and dampness from poisoning the air people breathe inside their homes and offices.
Brussels project shines light on muggy battle for healthy homes
A social housing project in one of Brussels' poorest neighbourhoods aimed to demonstrate that renovation doesn't have to be expensive and brings many other side benefits – a notion that resonates with what policymakers are trying to achieve on the other side of town, from the posher buildings of the EU district.
Building renovation can provide new momentum to the European project
Politicians often ignore building renovation programmes as low-level politics reserved for energy experts. This is misguided, says Oliver Rapf – as renovation stands at the crux of economic, energy, social and even health policies.
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.
Poor housing linked to rising asthma cases in Europe
One in six Europeans – equivalent to the entire population of Germany – live in a damp or mouldy building, which increases their chances of getting illnesses such as asthma, according to a new study.