Buildings account for around a third of the EU’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. This is because most of our buildings are energy inefficient, which means they use and waste too much energy for heating and cooling.
The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive from 2024 makes “zero-emission” the new standard for all new buildings, and the “gold standard” for building renovation.
New buildings owned by public bodies will have to comply with this new standard as of 1 January 2028, and all new buildings as of 1 January 2030.
A zero-emission building
- has zero on-site emissions from fossil fuels: no boilers, stoves or furnaces powered by fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil or coal
- needs very little to no energy - thanks to good insulation, smart design and efficient systems
- gets its energy from clean energy sources from on-site or nearby renewable sources, such as photovoltaic or solar thermal panels on the roof or ambient heat for heat pumps, a renewable energy community, an energy-efficient district heating and cooling system or clean energy delivered through the grids. Where this is not feasible, exceptions can be made
Thanks to its very good insulation, efficient equipment, renewable energy use, and capability to adapt to the grid, a zero-emission building consumes on average about 10 times less energy than a worst-performing building.
A zero-emission building will therefore have low energy bills and be considerably less affected by the fluctuations of the prices of fossil fuels that are largely imported and influenced by global markets and geopolitical changes.
Last but not the least, a zero-emission building provides very good indoor comfort and shields its inhabitants from heat waves and cold spells.
Existing buildings can become zero-emission buildings through thorough renovation.
While the recast directive does not contain any requirements to renovate existing buildings to zero-emission level, it establishes the zero-emission building as the “gold standard” for building renovation. It can be achieved by a so-called deep renovation, which deserves higher financial and administrative support.
A deep renovation can be planned in several steps, to spread out the required upfront investment. Such a staged renovation is supported by the building renovation passport, a new voluntary instrument introduced by the recast directive.
