MEPs vote in favour of more energy efficient buildings
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
Today, Members of the European Parliament voted in favour of the trilogue deal of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The EPBD is an update to an existing EU law introducing new measures to deliver a climate-neutral building stock by 2050.
Ciarán Cuffe, Greens/EFA MEP and European Parliament Rapporteur on the directive, comments:
“This is the first step towards a carbon neutral building stock by 2050. It is needed now more than ever, as the recent findings of the European Environment Agency show that urgent and decisive action is essential if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.
This law has come under sustained attacks from the conservatives. Much like with the Nature Restoration Law, they would rather continue with the status quo. But this law is not only good for the planet, it is also good for people. It will lower energy bills for everyone, prioritise renovation funding for vulnerable groups and enhance renter protections. It focuses on improving the ability of buildings to harness local renewables, which, combined with social safeguards and financial support, will improve housing quality, cut import dependency, and fight energy poverty. It is also set to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the efficiency and renewable industries. This is the Just Transition in action: we have set a pathway to achieve a climate neutral building stock, and we have paved that pathway with measures to ensure that the people who can least afford to renovate are protected and prioritised along the way.”
More:
European Parliament Rapporteur Ciarán Cuffe will hold a press conference at 15:00. You can follow online here. The Council will hold its final vote on April 12th.
The EPBD will modernise Europe’s building stock by introducing Minimum Energy Performance Standards or MEPS to progressively improve energy performance over time. These standards will be applied by the Member States to buildings in the non-residential sector, like offices or hospitals, and may also be applied in the residential sector, among other measures. There are no obligations to renovate for individual homeowners. In both the residential and non-residential sectors, action will begin with the buildings that are wasting the most energy, ensuring that people living in the coldest, dampest homes in Europe will be first in line to benefit from the new standards. To support building owners with these improvements and protect vulnerable households and tenants, financing measures, information services (such as One-Stop-Shops) and social safeguards are put in place before the standards are applied.
