The European Buildings Performance Directive from 2002 (2002/91/EC) and its recast (2010/31/EU) strengthen the role of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) as an instrument to create awareness for greater energy performance of buildings. This report analyses the current status of implementation of EPCs in 12 selected Member States and draws attention to success factors as well as to market barriers and failures. It illustrates that the situation varies strongly among Member States and that – despite some best practice examples – it is still a challenge to leverage the benefits of EPCs due to different national backgrounds and circumstances.

The report proposes different ways of increasing the implementation effectiveness and enhancing public acceptance of EPCs, not by offering one universal solution, but by providing good-practice examples from which policy-makers and practitioners may take inspiration. Therefore, the main objective of our report is to help Member States in designing and optimising EPC schemes under the Directives and to support the European Commission to guide them in this process.