We need the revised EPBD to deliver renovations and protect vulnerable households in Central and Eastern Europe
As the process of revising the EU buildings directive comes to an end, the companies supportive of the CEE Advocacy Memorandum recall what is at stake and why they support the final adoption of the text by the European Parliament during its March Plenary session in Strasbourg. The CEE branches of the seven companies Daikin, Danfoss, Knauf Insulation, Rockwool, Saint-Gobain, Signify and Velux, all corporate sponsors of the 2023 C4E Forum, committed via the Memorandum to raise the profile of building renovation in public policies, in support of the EU Renovation Wave.
4th March 2024
Joint statement by signatories of the Energy Efficiency Advocacy Memorandum in the CEE region
As leading providers of solutions to improve energy efficiency in buildings, we are fully committed to supporting the EU’s building renovation agenda in the CEE region. Accelerating the uptake of renovation measures relies on a good and stable mix of financing, support tools and regulations. Such acceleration also very much depends on the visibility we can get, as industry players, to invest, train, and innovate. We believe that the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will help to increase this visibility, and this is why we call on all EU decision-makers for its smooth adoption in the next weeks.
The Renovation Wave agenda is particularly relevant in a region where buildings built before 1989 represent over two thirds of existing buildings, and where the gap between energy consumption in buildings and the path towards climate neutrality is increasing[1]. Through reducing energy waste and integrating renewable energy, building renovation improves the energy security, the competitiveness, and the overall resilience of our economies. It is a comprehensive solution to address the economic vulnerability of households faced by energy price hikes, helping them to regain control over energy bills while enhancing health and comfort.
Given the low rates of renovation in most CEE countries, we are aware of the challenges of delivering the Renovation Wave in the region. Representing over 42.000 employees, 100 production plants and many expansion projects in the region, our companies are fully committed to play their part in this renovation agenda. Our role is not only to deliver products, systems and services to make buildings more energy efficient, it is also to help train and upskill the workforce, develop innovative practices for renovation, and foster renovation models covering multiple technologies incl. insulation, lighting, efficient windows, heating systems such as heat pumps or district heating, and renewable energy.
Our support for the EPBD is anchored in a common understanding that transforming renovation markets goes hand in hand with a better integration of the roles and responsibilities of industry, construction SMEs, architects, one-stop-shops, banks, managers, auditors, consumers and many others. By providing a clear direction of travel for renovating the non-residential and residential segments, while leaving flexibility to national approaches as to how this will be done, the EPBD will help overcome such market fragmentation. It will also foster greater collaboration between public and private financing entities, and encourage the deployment of more support and advice on the ground, e.g. one-stop-shops.
In short, the EPBD will help align the investment perspective of industry with the involvement and planning capacity of those making the effort to renovate their building. Not least, it will provide a positive mid to long term outlook in a sector currently experiencing a slow-down. This is why we ask Members of the European Parliament to support the deal agreed last December on the EPBD during the Plenary vote to take place mid-March in Strasbourg.
[1] https://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/EU-Buildings-Climate-Tracker_2nd-edition.pdf
Pdf version of the joint statement is available here.