ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS DIRECTIVE (EPBD)
Legislative framework
The European Commission proposed the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on 15 December 2021 as part of the Fit for 55 package. This proposal (COM/2021/802) established the framework for achieving a zero-emission building stock by 2050, introducing new definitions for zero-emission buildings (ZEBs) and refining existing definitions for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) and deep renovation.
Key Provisions of the Agreement:
- All new buildings must be zero-emission by 2030.
- New public buildings, or those owned by public bodies, must be zero-emission by 2028.
- Member States must reduce the average primary energy use in residential buildings by 16% by 2030 and 20-22% by 2035.
- Member States are required to renovate the worst-performing 16% of non-residential buildings by 2030 and 26% by 2033, with minimum energy performance standards.
Legislative Process and Key Milestones
On 7 December 2023, the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the revision of the EPBD. The agreement was endorsed by the ITRE Committee in January 2023. The European Parliament, led by rapporteur Ciarán Cuffe (Greens/EFA - Ireland), introduced amendments focusing on zero-emission buildings and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in June 2022, with the ITRE Committee tabling 1,526 amendments by July 2022.
In October 2022, the ITRE Committee voted on these amendments, and by November 2022, the amendments were discussed in the European Parliament's plenary session. After reaching the provisional agreement in December 2023, the final text was formally adopted by the Council of the European Union on 12 April 2024, and the directive was published in the Official Journal on 8 May 2024. The revised EPBD entered into force on 28 May 2024, and Member States must transpose the directive into national law by 29 May 2026.
