In mid-December, the European Commission published a new version of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The directive is part of the Commission's larger Fit For 55, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% from current levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The directive has already been updated in small steps before, but the proposed change is clearly of a completely different size.
The most familiar term from the current directive to the general public is probably NZEB (nearly zero-energy building). Next to this and even further, the new concept "zero-emission building", ZEB (zero-emission building), will now be introduced. The biggest changes concern energy demand, for which the commission has now proposed an upper limit for the first time.
The second and perhaps more challenging part concerns the energy used in the building, which in the future should come from completely renewable sources. This would mean major reform needs for district heating production. At least the ban on the use of energy obtained from the electricity grid can be seen as very challenging from the point of view of Finland's long distances and sparse population. The existing electricity network could only be utilized if the availability of renewable energy is technically impossible, regardless of how the electricity was produced.
The proposal for energy efficiency corrections is very challenging
In terms of repair construction, the basic principles would remain the same, with cost optimization guiding repair solutions. However, a major challenge would be a kind of mandatory energy efficiency correction. In terms of residential buildings, the sixth with the lowest energy efficiency should be repaired by the beginning of 2030, and in the case of other buildings three years earlier.
This will be continued for all buildings so that the second weakest sixth must be improved during the next three years. In practice, therefore, the weakest third of the building stock must be repaired by 2030 for non-residential buildings and by 2033 for residential buildings.
The price tag calculated by VTT for this entity is around 14 billion euros. As the price of energy rises, the profitability of energy efficiency repairs does improve, but it is still unlikely that repairs just for the sake of energy efficiency would really be profitable.
Negotiations on the final directive will continue until the end of next year
The reform of the directive includes many other things, such as requirements for charging points for electric cars and bicycle parking places. In the future, the automation system should also be installed in residential buildings, and SRI, which assesses the smart readiness of buildings, should be introduced for some of the buildings. Far-reaching basic improvements should be encouraged by new financial instruments, and training and information on energy efficiency should be increased in the EU member states.
The version of the building energy efficiency directive that can be seen now is by no means the final version. The member states will give their comments during this spring, and the negotiations on the final form of the directive will last at least until the end of 2023.
The biggest twists will probably come from delegated acts, which are a way for the Commission to transfer competence from the member states to themselves; this is naturally going to be opposed by the member states. As far as Finland is concerned, we will definitely take a stand on the forced repairs mentioned above, because they are problematic regarding the protection of property guaranteed by the constitution. I hope sanity prevails!
Jani Kemppainen
agent, construction development and energy efficiency
Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
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