Last Tuesday, members of the European Parliament voted 343 to 216, with 78 abstentions, to adopt a draft measure aimed at increasing refurbishment rates and reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Members of the Parliament will now negotiate with the Council to agree on the final form of the bill.
The proposed revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBDII: Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) requires solar rooftop systems for all new buildings by 2028 and for renovated domestic buildings by 2032. You can read Maysun’s “Guide to Buying PV”
Background of the bill
Previously, on December 15, 2021, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal to regulate key aspects of decarbonization in the building sector as part of the so-called “Fit for 55” package. The new European Climate Law (July 2021) incorporates the 2030 and 2050 targets into binding European law.
In 2022 the Commission launched the Solar Roofs Initiative, which requires all new public, commercial and residential buildings to install photovoltaics in a phased manner.
Until now, the adoption of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBDII, which aims to mainstream PV and energy storage applications in building retrofit and design and accelerate the decarbonization of existing buildings, the updated version of the Directive expands its scope to include reducing emissions from buildings, not just improving their energy performance.
The Directive's Plan and Impact
The Directive aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption in the EU building sector by 2030, and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It also focuses on increasing the rate of energy retrofits in inefficient buildings and improving the sharing of energy performance information.
New buildings will be zero-emissions from 2028
Measures to help reduce energy costs and combat climate change
Support measures for vulnerable households
Buildings account for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions
The Directive states that by 2030, household residential buildings must achieve at least Energy Performance Class E, and Class D by 2033. Grades range from A to G, with G corresponding to the 15% of buildings that perform the worst in member states. Non-household and public buildings will be mandated to achieve the same rating by 2027 and 2030, respectively. At the same time the directive recommends that national renovation plans include support programs that facilitate access to grants and funding, must provide a significant premium for deep renovations, especially for the worst performing buildings, and must provide targeted grants and subsidies to vulnerable households.
The deadline is 2026 for new construction occupied, operated or owned by public agencies and 2032 for household buildings undergoing major renovations. Monuments are excluded from the new rules and allow EU countries to exclude buildings protected for their exceptional architectural or historic value, technical buildings, buildings in temporary use, and churches and places of worship.
When sold, leased, contracted under new agreements or undergoing major renovations, buildings will be required to improve their energy efficiency through insulation works, heating system improvements and other measures.
What we should do
Against the backdrop of the energy crisis, Europe is striving to meet its decarbonization targets for 2030 and 2050. Traditional energy prices are rising rapidly, renewable energy sources are becoming a larger share of energy, and low-cost, high-yield rooftop PV has become the cost-effective choice. Various places have launched government subsidies, tax breaks and fee reductions, grid connection approval acceleration and other policy measures to encourage the development of distributed PV. For us, the early installation of solar PV panels is undoubtedly the best choice. Read Maysun’s “Payback period for PV installation”
Maysun Solar, as a PV module manufacturer with 15 years of professional experience, can provide you with high quality solar panels, click the button below to contact us for a product quote.
