Agreement reached on energy performance of buildings proposal

The European Parliament and the Council have reached a political agreement on the Commission’s energy performance of buildings recast proposal. The compromise text, which was agreed on 17 November, must now be formally approved by the Council, before it is voted on by the European Parliament. This vote is scheduled for 8 March 2010.

Both the Parliament and Council agreed that all newly constructed buildings (commercial and housing) must be “nearly-zero energy” buildings as of 2020, though all new public sector buildings will have to be “nearly-zero energy” buildings by 2018. Existing buildings will have to improve their energy performance after major renovations if technically and economically feasible. The most significant improvement includes the removal of the 1,000 m2 threshold for renovation in existing buildings.

It was also agreed that Member States will have to establish a certification system to measure the energy performance of buildings. Certificates will be required for any buildings constructed, sold or rented out to a new tenant, and also for buildings where over 500 m2 will be occupied by a public authority and frequently visited by the public. Five years after the legislation takes effect, this threshold will be lowered to 250 m2.

Financial incentives will be made available to implement the recast Directive, an issue that has proved to be a barrier to the proper implementation of the current Directive. Member States must, by mid-2011, make a list of financial and other incentives for the transition, such as technical assistance, subsidies, loan schemes and low interest loans.

Rapporteur Silvia-Adriana Ticãu (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Romania) said that the political agreement should help strengthen the EU’s role in fighting climate change, most specifically at the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference. COREPER will meet on 19 November to endorse the final compromise, and Council intends to adopt a political agreement in the Energy Council on 7 December. Once adopted and published in the EU Official Journal, Member States will have two years to bring their national laws into line with the new Directive.

The original proposal for a Directive on the energy performance of buildings can be found here:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/strategies/2008/doc/2008_11_ser2/buildings_directive_proposal.pdf