The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, 2012/27/EU) strongly encourages deep renovations. It requires Member States to establish long-term strategies for the renovation of its national building stock, covering all building types, including residential and non-residential buildings, whether they are in private, public or mixed ownership. Adopted in October 2012, the EED was developed to help deliver the EU’s 20% headline target on energy efficiency by 2020, as well as to pave the way for further improvements thereafter. Alongside the EED, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2010/31/EU), recast in 2010, sets out numerous requirements including energy performance certification of buildings, inspection regimes for boilers and air conditioning plants, and requirements for new buildings to be nearly zero energy. It also sets minimum energy performance standards for buildings undergoing renovation.

This guide is a template that can be used for strategy development, setting out the multiple benefits that can be achieved by improving the energy performance of buildings. It highlights the existence of numerous challenges to the achievement of the potential benefits. It argues for Member States to be visionary in setting out a long-term strategy for building stock renovation: it is vital that national renovation strategies to be ambitious in their scope and coverage, and that they take full advantage of the state of the art, in terms of technology, policy and institutional arrangements. The strategy development process is described in detail, including a description of its five key phases and a suggested list of actions MS could take to underpin the strategy.

BPIE aims to work with Member State representatives over the coming year to help ensure national renovation strategies deliver their full economic potential, as well as to create knowledge and awareness around best practices in renovation-strategy development and delivery.