EU agreement on new energy requirements for buildings - no refurbishment obligation
According to the EU Parliament, the agreement stipulates that all new buildings should be climate-neutral from 2030, with this already applying to publicly owned buildings from 2028. The entire building stock should also be climate-neutral by 2050.
The Commission's proposal had caused quite a stir in Germany. It envisaged mandatory refurbishment for the buildings with the poorest energy performance. The German government had long been in favor of this, but backed away from it in the course of the debate on the Building Energy Act.
The agreement now only provides for the general target of reducing average energy consumption in the building sector by at least 16% by 2030 and at least 22% by 2035. Although the focus is to be on the worst renovated buildings to date, achieving the target is largely the responsibility of the respective member states.
Only for non-residential buildings does the requirement remain that the 16% of the worst renovated buildings must be renovated by 2033. There is also an obligation to install solar systems if this makes technical and economic sense.
Heating systems that run on fossil fuels are also to be replaced by 2040. From 2025, the installation of gas or oil heating systems, for example, will no longer be eligible for financial support. However, financial incentives for installing a hybrid solution are possible if the gas boiler is operated together with a solar thermal system or a heat pump, for example.
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- Despite the EU Parliament's agreement, the EU Commission holds a remediation obligation for the worst renovated non-residential buildings by 2033.
- The Federal Government in Germany had initially supported the mandatory refurbishment proposition in the EU agreement but later withdrew due to opposition during the Building Energy Act debate.
- The EU agreement, on building energy requirements, now places the responsibility of meeting the 16% energy reduction target by 2030 and 22% by 2035 on each individual member state.
- Under the EU agreement, only new member states will be obligated to meet energy requirements for buildings, as there is no refurbishment obligation stipulated.
- The EU Commission encourages member states to set up facilities to stimulate the exchange of knowledge and best practices related to energy-efficient renovation and construction.
- For reaching the EU agreement's energy reduction goals, none of the member states will receive any aid or financial support from the EU Commission.
- The installation of renewable energy sources, such as solar systems, becomes mandatory under certain conditions for new buildings in accordance with the EU agreement's energy requirements.
Source: www.stern.de
