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) requires all new buildings to use solar roof systems by 2028 and renovated domestic buildings to use solar roof systems by 2032. You can read Maysun's "Guide to buying PV"
Background of the bill
Previously, on 15 December 2021, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal that regulates key aspects of decarbonisation 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, a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive EPBDII was adopted, aimed at mainstreaming PV and energy storage applications in building retrofit and design and accelerating the decarbonisation of existing buildings, with the updated Directive extending its scope to include reducing emissions from buildings, rather than just improving their energy performance.
The Directive's plans 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 retrofitting in inefficient buildings and improving the sharing of information on energy performance.
New buildings will be zero-emission 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, domestic 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 worst performing 15% of buildings in the 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 proposes that national renovation plans include support schemes to facilitate access to grants and funding, that a significant premium must be provided for deep refurbishment, especially for the worst performing buildings, and that targeted grants and subsidies must be provided to vulnerable households.
The deadline is 2026 for new buildings occupied, operated or owned by public bodies and 2032 for household buildings undergoing major refurbishment. Monuments are excluded from the new rules and allow EU countries to exclude buildings protected for their exceptional architectural or historical 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 decarbonisation targets for 2030 and 2050. With conventional energy prices rising rapidly and renewables becoming a larger share of energy, low-cost, high-yield rooftop PV is the cost-effective choice. Policy measures such as government subsidies, tax breaks and fee reductions, and accelerated grid connection approvals have been introduced in various places to encourage the development of distributed PV. For us, installing solar PV panels as early as possible is undoubtedly the best option. 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.