The European Commission (EC) published a new revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on December 15, as part of the “Fit for 55” Commission Work Programme package for 2021, which aims to make the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transportation, and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The main objective of this revision is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and final energy consumption in buildings by 2030, as well as to establish a long-term strategy for buildings that would lead to EU-wide climate neutrality by 2050. In order to achieve this reduction, the initiative is focused on several specific objectives such as increasing the rate and depth of building renovations, improving the information on energy performance and building sustainability, and ensuring that all buildings satisfy the 2050 climate neutrality requirements. The levers for achieving these goals include increased financial assistance, modernization, and system integration. Hence, this proposal paves the way for heat pumps to be the most common heating system for buildings in Europe, in line with IEA’s Net-Zero by 2050 Roadmap.
The proposal is particularly important, according to the EC, because buildings account for 40% of the energy consumed and 36% of energy-related direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Heating, cooling, and domestic hot water account for 80% of household energy use in the EU, making Europe more resilient calls for renovation of EU buildings, making them more energy-efficient and less dependent on fossil fuels. Renovation is key for reducing the energy consumption of buildings, bringing down emissions, and reducing energy bills. In addition, renovations create jobs and economic growth in the area.
According to the Commission, all new buildings must be zero-emission by 2030, and according to the latest European Heat Pump Outlook 2021, heat pumps are fast becoming the standard solution for new buildings and in combination with smart renovation, heat pumps are a feasible option also in the existing buildings. To harness the potential of faster action in the public sector, all new public buildings must be zero-emission by 2027. This means that buildings must use little energy, be powered by renewables as far as possible, emit no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and must indicate their global warming potential based on their whole-life cycle emissions on their Energy Performance Certificate. Based on the Commission’s 2020 system integration strategy, the rapid growth and cost competitiveness of renewable electricity production can service a growing share of electricity demand, for instance using heat pumps for space heating or low-temperature industrial processes, electric vehicles for transport, or electric furnaces in certain industries.
When it comes to renovations, new EU-level minimum energy performance standards are proposed, requiring the worst-performing 15% of the building stock of each Member State to be upgraded from the Energy Performance Certificate’s Grade G to at least Grade F by 2027 for non-residential buildings and 2030 for residential buildings.
HPT TCP has recently approved a new international collaboration project, an annex, titled Retrofit Heat Pump Systems in Larger Non-domestic Buildings, to be started at the beginning of next year. The outcomes and learnings from this project will support stakeholders in charge of renovating their buildings to reach minimum energy performance standards.
In the news feed the last days, several stakeholders welcomed the ambitious proposal on the decarbonization of heating and cooling systems in the EU’s buildings, which drastically improves the case for heat pumps. The Commission’s clear statement on phasing out fossil fuels in heating and cooling by 2040 is, according to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), the shift needed to swiftly implement decarbonization of heating. By ending financial incentives for fossil fuel boilers as of 2027, the EC implements the polluter pays principle and enables citizens to switch to heat pumps. However, according to them, the Commission should have been more ambitious on buildings in 2050 and aimed for more positive energy buildings (enabled by heat pumps). Moreover, other voices raised claimed that Fit for 55 part II’, including the revised EPBD, doesn’t reflect a climate emergency and sends out mixed signals to the international community about how serious the EU is about phasing out fossil fuels.
Read the press release of the EC on the proposed release of the EPBD revision.