Building Renovation for Energy Savings
About 75% of Europe's housing stock is energy inefficient and 85-95% of today's buildings will still be in use in 2050.
Almost 50% of Union’s final energy consumption is used for heating and cooling, of which 80% is used in buildings. Modernising the heating and cooling systems of buildings is essential to decarbonise the EU building stock, to deploy local renewable energy potential and to reduce the EU’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.
This is why the EU believes that the renovation of public and private buildings is a key measure to reduce energy consumption and has been identified as a key initiative by the European Green Deal.
In addition, a refurbished building stock will help achieve decarbonisation and environmental emission reduction targets, as the construction sector is one of the largest consumers of energy in Europe. It is responsible for over a third of EU emissions, but only 1% of buildings undergo energy-efficient renovations each year.
Considering the labor-intensive nature of the construction sector and largely dominated by local businesses, the EU Commission's post-COVID 19 recovery plan identified doubling the restructuring rate as a specific goal to revive the European recovery.
Considering the labor-intensive nature of the construction sector and largely dominated by local businesses, the EU Commission's post-COVID 19 recovery plan identified doubling the restructuring rate as a specific goal to revive the European recovery.
EU Strategy
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To achieve the 55% emission reduction target, by 2030 the EU wants to reduce buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions by 60%, their final energy consumption by 14% and energy consumption for heating and cooling by 18%.
It is therefore urgent for the EU to focus on how to make the buildings more energy-efficient, less carbon-intensive over their full life-cycle and more sustainable. Applying circularity principles to building renovation will reduce materials-related greenhouse gas emissions for buildings. On 14 October 2020, European Commission launches a new renovation wave, by publishing a Communication (2020) 662 final "A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives", saying that this wave "has now a unique chance to make renovation a win-win for climate neutrality and recovery". The EU’s recovery instrument NextGenerationEU, alongside the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, will make available an unprecedented volume of resources that can also be used to kick-start renovation for recovery, resilience and greater social inclusion. Tackling energy efficiency together with accessibility makes buildings more usable and sustainable in the context of an ageing population. |
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On this basis, the Commission Communication presents a strategy to trigger a Renovation Wave for Europe, breaking down long-standing barriers to energy and resource-efficient renovation, supporting fresh investment over a sustained period starting from public and less efficient buildings, spurring digitalisation and creating employment and growth opportunities across the renovation supply chain.
EU key principles
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In its Communication, the European Commission indicate the key principles for the new wave of building renovation. These principles will be the guide for the future financial and legislative interventions:
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