Fostering energy efficiency: Innovative solutions for sustainable buildings
On 18 December 2018, the political negotiations on the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package were concluded, marking a major step towards completing the Energy Union and combatting climate change. Specifically, one of the main outcomes was the adoption of a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which has a huge potential for efficiency gains in the EU building sector, the largest single energy consumer in Europe. In addition, the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) includes an energy efficiency target of 32.5% for 2030, and therefore serves as an important link with the European Commission’s preparations for its long-term vision for a climate neutral Europe by 2050.
In the same context, the Paris Agreement boosts the EU efforts to decarbonise its building stock. Taking into account that almost 50% of our final energy consumption is used for heating and cooling, of which 80% is used in buildings, the achievement of the EU energy and climate goals is linked to its efforts to renovate its building stock by prioritizing energy efficiency. Research and innovation as well as sharing good practices should therefore play a key role in fostering energy efficiency to improve the environmental performance of buildings.
As a result, this event brings together policy-makers, the private sector and NGOs to jointly discuss how buildings can be more sustainable and energy-efficient, showcasing existing innovations and addressing potential opportunities and barriers in view of the existing EU policies.
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