Inefficient efficiency rules

17.11.2023


Source: Energy & Management Powernews

The German construction industry is struggling with the EU's plans to improve the energy efficiency of the European building stock.

The approach of the Building Efficiency Directive, which is currently emerging in the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, is simply "incomprehensible", said Alexander Tesche from the Federation of the German Construction Industry in Brussels. The orientation towards different national standards for the refurbishment of existing buildings encourages the waste of valuable resources.

According to the current status of the negotiations, which have not yet been concluded, the directive should set national reference values that are decisive for energy-efficient refurbishment. The member states would then have to ensure that the energy efficiency of the worst buildings (43 percent) is improved by 55 percent by 2030. In view of the large differences between the EU member states, this would mean that significantly more funds would have to be spent in countries with a comparatively energy-efficient building stock in order to achieve the same effect on climate protection as in countries with less efficient buildings.

Europe-wide comparison of energy efficiency not possible

On the other hand, more could be achieved for climate protection with the same amount of funds if the funds were first used to renovate the worst buildings across Europe. The German construction industry is willing and able to carry out refurbishment projects in other EU countries.

A Europe-wide comparison of the energy efficiency of buildings is currently not possible, however, because there is no data available. In order to establish a Europe-wide energy standard, data would also have to be collected across Europe. Without uniform standards, it would also not be possible to decide in individual cases whether a renovation or a new build would be more climate-friendly.

Tesche also demanded that decisions should not be based solely on price when tendering for construction contracts. The ecological footprint, in particular the CO2 emissions generated during construction work, should also be taken into account. This would make some new buildings unnecessary because it would be more advantageous to renovate the existing building.

Public buildings, not least in Germany, are sometimes in a "catastrophic state". State institutions and local authorities often fail to live up to their responsibility for climate protection when dealing with their properties. Private building owners, on the other hand, are increasingly taking the requirements of climate protection into account.

The construction industry welcomes the fact that there will probably be no individual renovation obligation for the owners of buildings and single-family homes. Instead, target quotas are to be set for the refurbishment of entire neighborhoods. This would allow refurbishment to be carried out as part of larger construction sites with considerable economies of scale. This would be much more cost-effective than the refurbishment of single-family homes.

It has not yet been clarified how the member states will ensure compliance with the target quotas. To this end, agreement must also be reached on controls and sanctions in the negotiations on the Buildings Directive.

Author: Tom Weingärtner