After BUILD UPON, Green Building Councils want a Stronger Vision for Renovation in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

Last month, Energy Ministers across Europe agreed their general approach for the review of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Sadly, the position of Council weakens the directive and puts the EU at risk of falling short of the commitments agreed under the Paris Agreement.

In May, Green Building Councils, buoyed by the success of the BUILD UPON project, wrote to their Energy Ministers to advocate for a stronger vision for building renovation. Sharing their expert view that renovation strategies are key to coordinating existing efforts and initiatives, GBCs urged ministers to advocate for national renovation strategies with clear targets for 2050, concrete milestones for 2030 and solid implementation plans.

GBCs also reminded governments of the 300 organisations who recently backed a call for stronger renovation strategies and outlined their willingness to support the design and implementation of the renovation strategies.

The recommendations from the BUILD UPON project are clear: the EU needs strong, robust renovation strategies that help deliver on long term goals for 2050. BUILD UPON’s collaborative process demonstrated that achieving this requires a concerted effort among public institutions, private sector organisation and civil society groups to join up and coordinate efforts.

GBCs will now focus their efforts on working with the European Parliament to ensure that their position reflects the level of ambition needed.