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The European Parliament and the European Council have agreed to strengthen the Directive on the energy efficiency of buildings (EPBD), with the objectives of advancing the decarbonisation of the entire building sector in the European Union and of contributing both to the fight against climate change as well as the climate neutrality of the entire community territory and the improvement of the quality of life and health of citizens. These agreements will be formalized at the beginning of this year 2024, and the member states will have to transpose them into their laws.
The agreement establishes milestones to be achieved and measures to be applied to achieve them. Thus, states will have to draw up plans to reduce the average primary energy consumption in residential buildings by 16% in 2030 and between 20% and 22% in 2035, and 26% in year 2033 in the case of non-residential. The focus is on the energy renovation of buildings with the worst performance, where a greater reduction in energy consumption can be obtained. To work in a harmonized way, energy efficiency certificates will be improved according to a common template, and measures will be established to facilitate these investments and avoid the gap generated by energy poverty.
Actions aimed at facilitating the energy renovation of buildings are also determined. The same state plans will have to define strategies to identify and eliminate the barriers that currently have building renovations - such as financing or training -, provide instruments to guide building owners in the process of making their properties buildings of zero emissions, such as the building renovation passport; put into service specialized one-stop shops in this area or the limitation of boilers powered by fossil fuels, until their elimination in 2040.
The new regulations also provide that new public buildings must have zero emissions from the year 2028, and the rest of the buildings must have zero emissions from the year 2030. The new buildings must have photovoltaic or solar thermal installations on the roof. And it also foresees that sustainable mobility is promoted, since pre-wiring must be included in new and renovated buildings; the requirements for the number of charging points in buildings will be increased and it will be necessary to ensure that there are sufficient parking spaces for bicycles.
The building, essential for the energy transition
The building sector is responsible for 28% of energy consumption in Catalonia, a percentage that grows to 42% in the EU. Acting on the energy efficiency of buildings is key to saving energy and achieving a decarbonized society and economy in 2050, with an energy model based on energy efficiency and renewable energies, and where citizens can generate and manage the their own energy and participate in decision-making.
In Catalonia, 60% of the building stock is from before 1980, the date on which the first regulations regarding insulation in construction came into force, so they have very low energy yields. In fact, almost 80% of certified buildings have the least efficient ratings, a figure that in the EU as a whole stands at 75%. According to the 2050 Energy Outlook, to achieve climate neutrality Catalonia must reduce its final energy consumption in the building sector by 34.2%.