About: energy efficiency in buildings Archives

Regional leaders have lashed out at the British government after the second green business to collapse in as many days blamed Conservative cuts to renewable energy subsidies.

Energy efficiency measures are increasingly on the frontline of war-torn Ukraine’s fight to lessen its dependence on Russian gas, after the crisis that led to the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea.

EXCLUSIVE / The European Commission is considering whether to relax VAT rules for energy efficiency in buildings, after EU judges ruled a British lower rate for materials such as insulation and solar panels illegal.

European Union rules requiring higher energy efficiency standards will apply to more public buildings from today but campaigners warned they risk being ignored unless they are backed up by a strong oversight system.

EXCLUSIVE / Stricter EU energy efficiency and performance laws will be rolled out by the European Commission next year, and enforcement of existing regulation will be further stepped up, the bloc’s energy chief today (18 June) told EURACTIV.

Investing in energy efficiency in buildings is the cheapest, fastest and most effective way to decrease our energy dependency by reducing our energy demand, writes Adrian Joyce.

European Union judges today (4 June) told the United Kingdom its lower rate of value-added tax (VAT) for home energy efficiency renovation is illegal.

National governments are failing to plan properly for energy efficiency savings in their own buildings, according to new analysis by a group of businesses, local authorities, trade unions and civil society organisations.

Socialist and Green members of the European Parliament face defeat in their efforts to ringfence up to €5 billion of Juncker Plan investor risk guarantees for energy efficiency projects.

SPECIAL REPORT / Private investment in energy-efficient buildings renovation must increase five-fold by 2030, according to a group set up by the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative.

The European Commission is on track to launch infringement procedures against member states which have not properly implement EU law about energy efficiency in buildings.

SPECIAL REPORT / EU leaders will discuss strengthening the enforcement of existing energy laws at their 19 March summit, after the European Commission signalled it would toughen its policing of efficiency rules by launching infringement procedures against recalcitrant EU member states.

SPECIAL REPORT / The European Union will not ring-fence funds from the Juncker plan to pay for renovation projects to boost the energy efficiency of buildings, the Commission Vice-President in charge of the €315 billion investment package told EURACTIV yesterday (9 March).

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.

SPECIAL REPORT / Experts are divided on whether the European Commission's proposals to foster an Energy Union are strong enough to drive forward energy efficiency measures, and in particular the renovation of existing buildings

It’s time for policymakers at both the national and European level to incentivise the renovation of homes, Ingrid Reumert said in an interview with EURACTIV.

The French government has applied for funding from the European Commission's 315 billion euro investment plan to help launch its energy transition programme. EURACTIV France reports. 

SPECIAL REPORT: The European Union institutions' buildings policy in Brussels has been “unambitious” in terms of energy efficiency, according to the European Court of Auditors.

The work must start now to build an alliance of MEPs from across the house to deliver change on energy efficiency and climate change, whilst reminding President Juncker and his new team of the commitments they made during their confirmation hearings, writes Morten Petersen, who warns that "winter is coming". 

On 23 October, EU heads of state and government will be facing a key moment in their duty to bring economic progress and social well-being to EU citizens when they attend the European Council to decide on the EU’s 2030 climate and energy framework, write Pascal Eveillard and Jan te Bos.

Ségolène Royale, the French Minister for Ecology and Energy, aspires to make every new publicly-subsidised building in the country 'energy positive'. The minister wants to include this initiative in the energy transition bill presented last June, EURACTIV France reports.