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Dear reader,

I suspect that you are familiar with the challenge/know this feeling of anxiety/ where to focus your attention first? In a polycrisis world which emergency should be a priority? I don’t think it is appropriate to play one crisis against the other, but I know that the global climate and energy policy community is gathering at COP28 in Dubai during the next two weeks. It is a meeting which will take stock of the progress to align our economies with the Paris Agreement objectives. And to no one’s surprise, the result to date does not look good.

Our own
climate tracker for EU buildings states clearly that we are off track, but the optimist in me sees a small silver lining because the decarbonisation gap closed a little compared to last year. Whether this is the beginning of an improvement trend or not we will see with next year’s tracker. And at COP28, I will present the results of the Global Buildings Climate Tracker,  please join me on-site or online

Light can be found even in the darkest situation, and I am impressed to see how our Ukrainian partner Odessa Housing Union is combining efficiency upgrades in residential buildings with providing bomb shelters for the inhabitants. Together with another partner from Ukraine, DiXi Group, we produced suggestions what role energy efficiency should play in the green recovery of the country.

Moving closer to home, we have a range of recent reports which give reason to be optimistic, such as our report about the implementation of one-stop-shops in Wallonia, or the German report on life-cycle solutions for buildings produced with support from many stakeholders, and our report on overcoming market barriers to Positive Energy Neighbourhoods.

And finally, we have three webinars coming up where you can see the BPIE team and its partners live, one on the EU Building Stock Observatory, one on accelerating renovation in South-East Europe and the Western Balkans, and one on the EU Buildings Climate Tracker. Yes, it will be a busy period before the end of the year, and I hope to see many of you in person or online before we take a well-deserved break.
 
Best wishes,


Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
 
EU BUILDINGS CLIMATE TRACKER 2nd edition: 

A CALL FOR FASTER AND BOLDER ACTION
BPIE's EU Buildings Climate Tracker, now in its second edition, confirms that the EU is facing a considerable gap in its progress towards climate neutrality. To achieve its 2050 goals, the EU must rapidly accelerate the rate of building decarbonisation.

The EU Buildings Climate Tracker (EU BCT) monitors the progress of the building stock in the European Union towards the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, in the form of an index. This second edition analyses the progress of the EU building stock towards climate neutrality from 2015 until 2020.

The tracker finds that the EU building stock remains off track to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.


Compared to the previous results, the decarbonisation gap is slightly reducing, but not to the degree necessary to bring the sector on track towards climate neutrality. The tracker’s value for 2020 should be at 18.1 points but is only at 7.8, resulting in a gap of over 10 decarbonisation points. This significant gap means that the effects of policies and support programmes to decarbonise EU buildings must urgently increase in the coming years. 4.7 points of progress in the decarbonisation of the EU building stock are now required every year to get on track by 2030.
Read the second edition of the EU Buildings Climate Tracker
[Webinar] The EU Buildings Climate Tracker: A call for faster and bolder action
12 December 2023 | 14:00 - 16:00 CET 

The EU Buildings Climate Tracker (EU BCT) confirms that the EU is facing a considerable gap in its progress towards climate neutrality. Join this webinar to discover the EU BCT and understand how it works and the consequences of this year’s results: What are 5 indicators used to measure decarbonisation, and what priority measures should the EU take to get back on track?

In this webinar, you will learn:
  • What are the main results of this year’s EU BCT and what do they mean for Europe in terms of reaching its climate objectives?
  • What are the 5 indicators used in the EU BCT?
  • What are the EU BCT results for different sectors, ie: households, service sector, heating and cooling from renewables, where should we urgently pick up momentum?
  • In view of the interinstitutional negotiations on the EPBD (Europe’s Buildings Directive) what should the EU’s regulatory priorities be to get on track to climate neutrality?
Register here
UKRAINE: ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN GREEN RECOVERY
Energy efficiency in green recovery - Best practices and opportunities for Ukraine

 

Ukraine's plans for a sustainable and green recovery need to include energy efficiency standards. The DiXi Group, together with BPIE, brought together their EU expertise and best practices on energy efficiency in buildings to develop an approach for Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery.

For Ukraine, the issue of energy efficiency is cross-cutting in all reconstruction efforts to ensure that this process is sustainable. In the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian civil society developed the principles of green recovery, one of which is the development of a low-carbon, energy-efficient economy.

Ukraine is already adopting a number of EU practice of buildings that consume minimum of energy. Such as the concept of nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) were adopted. According to the Plan, in the next five years, the creation of a regulatory and legal framework is expected, and after 2025 – the transition to new requirements for construction and commissioning of facilities.

Read the report
ComAct: How Odessa is turning basements into shelters while saving on energy bills

“Energy poverty is when people do not have the financial ability to maintain a constant, comfortable temperature in their homes” says Yevhen Malnev, from OHU.

In 2019, the number of Ukrainian citizens not being able to maintain comfortable temperatures reached 30%.

By March 2023, in just 3 months, the basements of ten houses were modernised: insulation of pipelines, replacement of lamps with energy-saving ones, installation of individual heat substations with weather regulation, provision of emergency lighting for ten hours and air conditioning – benefiting over 2200 residents.

“Many elderly people are now left on their own in their apartments, and the nearest bomb shelters are usually inaccessible for most of them.” says Yevhen Malnev from Odessa Housing Union. 

“But when a safe shelter was installed in the basements of their homes, it changed people’s mood, gave them a sense of security and faith that they can survive this war too.” 
 

Read the full story
HIGHLIGHTS
Overcoming Financial and Market Barriers to Positive Energy Neighbourhoods

The opportunities offered by Positive Energy Neighbourhoods are far-reaching: the potential to achieve a climate-neutral building stock, improved comfort and public health for citizens, more climate resilient buildings, alleviating energy poverty, and contributing to our energy security. However, to make our renovation goals a reality while democratizing the just transition, Europe must first create the conditions to make the Positive Energy Neighbourhood approach thrive.

More guidance, adequate funding and policy support are critical to making this future-focused model thrive. Currently, the model is threatened by inflation and
higher borrowing costs, dissuading citizens from renovation or making it out of reach. Pilot projects rely heavily on public funding; more substantial private financing is necessary for fully develop and scale up this neighbourhood model.
Read the policy briefing
Regulation of life cycle GHG emissions from buildings - recommendations for Germany

 

The building sector is responsible for around 40 percent of GHG emissions if embodied carbon emissions are included. With the Sustainable Building Guide, which stipulated a life cycle assessment for federal buildings back in 2011, and the ÖKOBAUDAT database, which was set up as a result, Germany recognized the importance of a life cycle perspective earlier than many other countries.

However, other countries have now overtaken Germany. The Netherlands, France, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have introduced a legal framework for disclosing and limiting values ​​for life-cycle GHG emissions. The analysis of the processes and steps taken by these countries suggests that, in addition to the important basics such as availability of data and methods, there are additional building blocks required for the development and implementation of a life cycle perspective in the building sector. This includes a well-moderated process that promotes stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing, as well as additional supportive policy measures.

Read the report (German only)
Support for the Renovation Wave: A one-stop-shop for Wallonia
Over the past year, CLIMACT, BPIE, IBF International Consulting & VITO looked at the necessary conditions to trigger a Renovation Wave in Wallonia, Belgium. 

To achieve Wallonia’s Long Term Renovation Strategy, which requires all EPC F and G houses (44% of the housing stock) to be renovated by 2035, a series of key measures must be activated. Existing support schemes are fragmented and renovations too shallow. Massifying schemes that provide tailor made support and solutions for all Walloon households is therefore essential.  

Funded by DG REFORM, the final report shares the main recommendations for policy makers to roll out a #OSS & achieve Wallonia’s energy, climate and renovation objectives.   
Read the report (French only)
BPIE AT COP28

#BuildingsPavilion #BuildingOurFuture
The decarbonisation journey of buildings & construction - how far have we come? A global perspective on progress and delays
4 December 2023 | 13:40 – 14:14 GST

This session will present latest data and analysis about the buildings sector’s alignment with the Paris Agreement from the special edition of the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. The presentation will include an update on the global Buildings Climate Tracker and will share latest analysis of key indicators which are shedding a light on the mitigation efforts implemented by government and the private sector.
Learn more

Drivers of decarbonisaton: Transformation, trends, and levers in the buildings sector  progress and delays
5 December 2023 | 11:30 – 13:00 GST

Join the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) at the COP28 Buildings Pavilion they introduce the U.S. Commercial Real Estate Market: State of Decarbonization 2023 report in partnership with Arup.

This report is the first to bring together key data on this sector and the mechanisms for reducing buildings’ carbon emissions in one place, and it offers thought-provoking data on disparities in progress pointing to the need for place-based strategies.
Learn more

Building to Paris: Near zero emission and resilient buildings for all
5 December 2023 | 18:30 – 20:00 GST

This event aims to shed light on the decarbonisation and climate adaptation of the building sector as key components of a climate policy able also to deliver future-proof living spaces, and to announce the organization of the first Buildings and Climate Global Forum and disclose its goals.
Learn more

Watch all events LIVE at this link
In this COP 28 side event, international and Ukrainian experts will discuss frameworks, technologies, policies, and practical steps toward a sustainable reconstruction of infrastructure and the built environment after conflicts and disasters. Speakers will discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during reconstruction to avoid unnecessary climate impacts and share experience in planning reconstruction on national and city levels.
Learn more
OPINIONS
EVENTS
[Webinar] Introducing the new EU Building Stock Observatory  approach
30 November 2023 | 14:00 – 15:00 CET

The European Commission has launched a new and improved version of the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO)!

The BSO now includes more reliable data for basic building stock indicators, higher quality data visualisations and a more user-friendly interface, and much more is still to come.

Join the webinar to learn about the new BSO improvements and the wider development effort to make the BSO the central EU hub for reliable data on buildings!
 
Register here
[Webinar] Accelerating building renovation in CEE and the Western Balkans
13 December | 11:00 – 11:30 CET

European policies in line with the EPBD recast aim to accelerate building renovations in Europe. The EPBD negotiations are still ongoing and the next trialogue is on 7 December. The burden of implementation on some member states will be significant to meet the ambitions.
  • How will the EPBD recast speed up building renovations? 
  • Are member states and municipalities ready to deliver?
  • What is at stake in the EPBD recast negotiations and what good practices can help?
  • Are building renovations passports a tool under consideration?
These questions and more will be discussed in a webinar organised by BPIE and B4F in context of their participation in the Renocally project.
 
Register here
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EU BUILDINGS CLIMATE TRACKER 2nd edition: 

A CALL FOR FASTER AND BOLDER ACTION
BPIE's EU Buildings Climate Tracker, now in its second edition, confirms that the EU is facing a considerable gap in its progress towards climate neutrality. To achieve its 2050 goals, the EU must rapidly accelerate the rate of building decarbonisation.
 

The EU Buildings Climate Tracker (EU BCT) monitors the progress of the building stock in the European Union towards the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, in the form of an index. This second edition analyses the progress of the EU building stock towards climate neutrality from 2015 until 2020.

The tracker finds that the EU building stock remains off track to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.


Compared to the previous results, the decarbonisation gap is slightly reducing, but not to the degree necessary to bring the sector on track towards climate neutrality. The tracker’s value for 2020 should be at 18.1 points but is only at 7.8, resulting in a gap of over 10 decarbonisation points. This significant gap means that the effects of policies and support programmes to decarbonise EU buildings must urgently increase in the coming years. 4.7 points of progress in the decarbonisation of the EU building stock are now required every year to get on track by 2030.
The analysis for the CEE countries shows an even more worrying trend: by 2020 the progress to decarbonise the building stock is 21 points off the required decarbonisation path, the largest gap since the beginning of the tracker period in 2015. This requires a significant increase of efforts to implement effective policies in the near future. Based on the current situation, 5.7 points of progress in decarbonisation are required every year in the CEE region to get on track by 2030.
Read the second edition of the EU Buildings Climate Tracker
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Dear reader,

I feel like in the movie Groundhog Day (30 years old this year!). As at the end of every summer, I think of starting my message to you with a reference to the extreme weather events of the season. But I won’t this year, as you surely haven’t missed the many news stories about disasters happening around the globe. As Groundhog Day teaches us, it is the changes we make in the present that will alter course to a better future. But enough of my philosophical meanderings, as we now need to focus on taking action.

It is now crunch time to agree legislation for our buildings which will provide healthier housing, schools and workplaces, lower energy bills, and cleaner, thriving cities. In the remaining months of this year, policymakers in national capitals and in Brussels will agree the next Buildings Directive, the EPBD. It is in their hands whether we will finally see a surge of funds flowing into renovation, or whether it will remain a trickle. We now need political vision, courage and boldness to give better buildings to all Europeans. Effective policy will not kick people out of their homes but will ensure that dedicated financial support will encourage investment to improve living conditions. It should also kick-start the growth of a successful renovation industry.

Europe needs a project with which its citizens can identify. What better project than one where citizens will experience a better living situation every day? Implementing a strong EPBD is the right way to launch the project to upgrade our buildings and homes. In our two latest publications we are making suggestions about what policymakers should agree in the coming months. Let’s make sure they don’t find excuses to ignore them. Because we really need to break the groundhog spiral.

Kind regards, 
 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: EPBD TRILOGUES
EPBD Trilogues – Crunch time for future-proof buildings legislation! 
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is entering the last phase of the EU legislative process with the start of trilogue negotiations, aiming at reaching a compromise between the positions of the two co-legislators (Council and Parliament). The trilogues represent a crunch time for EU legislation, and all efforts should be put into finding workable compromises and agreeing clear and strong provisions to future-proof buildings.

Adopting a clear, strong and future-proof EPBD is essential for the EU and Member States to close the gap in building decarbonisation and achieve the 2030 climate targets. It will also deliver massive energy and greenhouse gas savings, protecting Europe against future energy crises and providing citizens with comfortable and clean homes. 
From this assessment of the two co-legislators’ positions, it appears that on many items the Parliament’s approach is closer to delivering a strong vision and framework for the buildings sector. It should therefore be seen as the starting point for the negotiations.  

With this in mind, this briefing provides an overview of where institutions stand at the start of the negotiations (and compared to the Commission proposal) on expected impacts of key selected provisions: standard for new buildings, minimum energy performance standards for existing buildings, and the information and enabling framework. It highlights important provisions that need to be preserved, but also describes points of attention which need to be improved.
Read the report
Minimum standards, maximum impact: How to design fair and effective minimum energy performance standards
A policy instrument that effectively accelerates deep energy renovation while being fair to all citizens is urgently needed. Minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) can effectively accelerate deep energy renovation, spur innovation and construction, create demand for renovation services, and provide certainty to market players across the value chain.

The new instrument, introduced in the European Commission’s recast EPBD proposal, has been met with resistance by in a number of EU Member States. However, what some decisionmakers don’t–but should – know, is that well-designed MEPS are entirely possible, and that they can be a game changer for the economy and citizens.  

Getting MEPS right means using a differentiated approach that carefully follows a series of design principles.  
To ensure that climate targets are reached, MEPS should apply to all building typologies, with an initial focus on worst-performing buildings. In absolute figures, the floor area of the worst-performing residential buildings is more than twice that of the worst-performing non-residential buildings. Because of this energy saving potential, MEPS should be applied to both residential and non-residential buildings. 

The figure below gives an overview of the final energy consumption of the worst-performing 15% residential buildings in floor area in each member state, illustrating the high amount of energy used for space heating and hot water per square metre per year.
Read the report
HIGHLIGHTS
The Demo-BLog website is live - Check it out!  

Demo-BLog kicked off earlier this year with the aim of demonstrating five digital building logbooks (DBLs) in Europe. The four-year Horizon Europe project will establish DBLs as a central tool to gather all related data to drive net-zero carbon building design, construction, management and renovation.   
Check Demo-BLog’s brand new website and discover the first video of the project to understand all about data transparency in the building sector!  

Follow any updates on the project on Twitter and LinkedIn

Demo-BLog: unlocking the potential of digital building logbooks to achieve climate neutrality in Europe’s building stock.
Adaptation of the building sector to climate change: 10 principles for effective action
UN Secretary-General calls latest IPCC WG1 Climate Report a ‘Code Red for Humanity’, stressing ‘irrefutable’ evidence of human influence, and that “climate impacts will undoubtedly worsen”.
Data collected over the recent decades shows that the climate is currently changing at an unprecedented pace due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Human-induced climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.
Evidence of observed changes in extremes such as heatwaves, heavy precipitation, droughts, and tropical cyclones, and, in particular, their attribution to human influence, has strengthened since 2007, as shown in the latest IPCC report.

Climate change will have especially severe consequences all over the world for a built environment designed for steady conditions and for the communities that inhabit them. Understanding these consequences will require the use of projected climate data from RCP models on different spatial scales and several time horizons.

Therefore, the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction is proposing “10 Principles for Effective Action” to policymakers and practitioners to join forces and spread climate change adaptation actions in the building sector and willing to track annual progress.  

To support these 10 Principles please contact the GlobalABC Adaptation Working Group at globalabc.adaptationwg@o-immobilierdurable.fr  

Download the 10 principles
OPINIONS
EVENTS
[WEBINAR] Advancing Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods in Europe: drivers, barriers & policy recommendations 

September 26, 14:00 – 15:00 CET | Online

Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPENs) have strong potential to decarbonising the building stock, while providing additional benefits for residents both at building and neighbourhood level, enhancing wellbeing and a sense of community. 

Victoria Taranu, BPIE, will give an overview of existing gaps and barriers in the development and market uptake of SPENs, and share policy recommendations for Austria, the Netherlands, Spain and Norway, based on recent policy factsheets produced within the H2020 syn.ikia project.  

Register now
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Dear reader,

While we are waiting for the final negotiation phase of the new Buildings Directive to start, we are putting our eyes on delivering effective policies. In this newsletter, we are presenting our suggestion on how to ensure that a building can be considered ready for the installation of a heat pump. And we are summarizing a list of actions to support positive energy buildings and neighborhoods which we developed in the syn.ikia project for a number of European countries. Also, we are sharing with you the significant progress of projects where we work with local partners to advance renovation and the fight against energy poverty. Finally, don’t miss our recommendations for upcoming events. 

Kind regards, 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON
Introducing the Heat Pump Readiness Indicator: How to make Energy Performance Certificates fit for heat pumps
Heat pumps may have a crucial role in the decarbonisation of the building stock in the EU, the uptake of renewable heating and the reduction of our dependency on fossil fuel imports for heating. Heat pumps can support EU decarbonisation efforts to phase out fossil fuels and promote low-temperature district heating systems.

To realise their full potential, it is important to understand if residential EU buildings are fit for heat pump installation and deployment. Energy performance certificates (EPCs) have an important role in conveying this information, especially to building owners.

Commissioned by BEUC, this study:
  1. Defines an approach to measure the “heat pump readiness” of buildings, tested on 30 target buildings across the EU.
  2. Assesses how a break in heating supply may affect indoor temperature and comfort period in target buildings.
  3. Proposes the heat pump readiness indicator (HPRI) and ways to include it in national EPCs, including a list of policy recommendations.
  4. Assumes an air-water heat-pump as the reference heat pump, with a space heating capacity of 15 W per m2 of the building floor area (defined for an outside temperature of 0°C) and supplying hot water at a temperature of 45°C.
While the heat pump readiness indicator is a potential tool to safeguard delivery of a consumer-friendly Renovation Wave, there are various barriers to its deployment. This report provides a broad range of policy recommendations to realise its full potential, from assessment and communication, consistency between the HPRI and EPC calculation methodologies, to technical specifications for different building types.
Read the report
HIGHLIGHTS
Policy recommendations for sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods and buildings 
What are the drivers, potential business models and policy support measures driving the uptake of Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods?

Sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods have real potential to contribute to decarbonising the building stock, while providing additional benefits for residents both at the building and neighbourhood level. 

The factsheets, published as part of the H2020 project syn.ikia, provide an overview of existing gaps and barriers in the development and market uptake of SPENs, and provides policy
recommendations for 4 countries: Austria, Spain, Norway and the Netherlands. 
Read the factsheets
Conceptualising iBRoad2EPC: can EPCs be upgraded to include building renovation passport elements?
Can EPCs be upgraded to include building renovation passport (BRP) elements? This is the key question that H2020 project iBroad2EPC seeks to address. 

This report investigates the market maturity and potential of six countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain) to combine existing Energy Performance Certificates with future Building Renovation Passports (BRPs). 

The Energy Performance Certificate is one of the EU’s main established instruments that can facilitate the long-term decarbonisation of the building stock by informing, motivating, and inciting building owners to undertake energy renovation. To date, few countries have explored full potential of EPCs.
Building Renovation Passports (BRPs) on the other hand offer an individualised, step-wise renovation journey over time. By joining the two instruments together, EPCs can become a powerful tool to trigger deep and staged energy renovation, paving the way for future implementation of comprehensive BRPs.
Read the report
More about iBRoad2EPC
[e-SAFE project] GREEN AND SEISMIC SAFE SCHOOL FOR TIMIȘOARA
Co-designing a seismic safe and energy efficient renovation plan with students
Since last December, Liceul Sportiv Banatul students and teachers, together with the POLITEHNICA University of Timișoara, met weekly with the e-SAFE consortium, an EU-funded research project, in order to co-design actionable renovation plans for their school through a participatory process.

Students learned extensively of the health, safety and environmental benefits of building renovation, and collectively created a stepwise renovation plan, prioritizing deep energy renovations, as well as structural earthquake safety renovations that would safeguard the school from potential seismic threats. The plan, representing significant energy and financial savings, was unveiled during a public event on March 30, bringing together representatives from Liceul Sportiv Banatul, the City of Timișoara, the Romanian Association of Building Services Engineers, the West Regional Development Agency, the POLITEHNICA University of Timișoara, the University of Cantania, and BPIE.

Our youth deserve to be educated in buildings which are safe, comfortable and suitable for the educational process. Renovation is the keyword. It needs to start happening much more, much faster.’ says Dr. Eng. Ioan Silviu DOBOSI, President of the Romanian Association of Building Services Engineers and representative of POLITEHNICA University of Timișoara.
Learn more about seismic renovation
New projects
  • Renocally, a new project funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) has just launched. The two-year project will build capacity for municipalities and policymakers in Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia to decarbonize the countries’ building stock in a cost-efficient, people-centric way, taking into account legislative changes at EU level. Learn more
  • Demo-BLog, a new EU-funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework, kicked off last month in Delft, Netherlands. The 4-year project aims to unlock the potential of Digital Building Logbooks (DBLs) to accelerate decarbonization of the European building stock through further developing and demonstrating the tool and fostering its market deployment. Learn more.
  • INDICATE brings together governments, industry and academia to tackle one of the most common barriers to enacting policies which will ensure climate neutral construction: a lack of reliable and comprehensive emissions data for buildings. Learn more.
EVENTS
Energy crisis in CEE/SE region: how to make sure homeowners are better prepared for next winter
14 June 2023, 1:00PM CEST | Online

The unprecedented crisis of 2022 made countries in Europe, and in particular in the Central, Eastern and Southern European (CEE/SE) region even more vulnerable to energy poverty. According to a recent analysis by European Environmental Bureau on gas and electricity saving measures adopted by EU states, governments of CEE countries have achieved less energy demand reduction than Western European countries.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the question of energy and independence of Russian gas has amplified the need to reduce gas demand by incentivizing faster energy efficiency improvements and encouraging behavioural changes among consumers. 

This webinar will be an opportunity to look back at the past winter and discuss current risks and possible solutions to protect vulnerable groups from higher bills in the coming winter.

Register now
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Dear reader,

2023 will be a year in which we are expecting a number of policy landmark decisions for the buildings and construction sector in Europe. These decisions must ensure that our buildings will become increasingly more efficient, energy bills will be affordable and the climate impact of the sector will decrease. In early February, the European Parliament Committee ITRE managed to reach a compromise on the EPBD so that the final negotiations between all three institutions can start soon.

But while the achieved agreement strengthened the original proposal, it includes many options for member states to reduce renovation efforts and to keep fossil fuels in our heating systems. This is in stark contrast to the renovation benefits which we are highlighting in our latest analysis on insulating our buildings. 

The task of transforming our buildings has two sides: while we rightly focus on reducing their climate impact, extreme weather events are reminding us that climate change is here. Our efforts to make our buildings more resilient to the impacts of climate change must increase, as I argue in my latest opinion piece.

Innovation in how we design, plan, build and renovate is essential. In our latest publication from our Berlin office, we are presenting a roadmap for the country to tackle the full life cycle emissions of buildings and construction, designed in a co-creation process with many stakeholders in Germany. And our new project on digital building logbooks will develop innovative ways how to use data for the benefit of improving our buildings, just as our market report on Energy Performance Certificates highlights how renovation guidance could be improved with this well-established instrument. And if you are a innovation practitioner, check out the call for energy-positive neighborhood innovations of the OpenLab project.

Finally, the horrible impacts of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria give our project e-SAFE a sad urgency; in our interview we talk about how citizens should be involved to increase seismic safety in combination with energy renovation.

Enjoy the reading.

Kind regards,
 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: HOW TO STAY WARM AND SAVE ENERGY
Insulation opportunities in European homes
This study shows that improving the insulation of all existing residential buildings in the EU would significantly contribute to securing the bloc’s energy independence, and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Full renovation of EU residential buildings would result in a 44% reduction of energy demand for heating in buildings, or 777 TWh savings.

Investing in building renovation can considerably reduce the use of fossil fuels for heating in buildings, potentially reaching 46% in gas savings, 44% in heating oil savings and 48% in coal savings and can therefore contribute to addressing Europe’s climate ambitions and energy security concerns.
To fully benefit from the savings potential (777 TWh), the entire residential building stock must therefore be renovated by 2050. This means the current renovation rate of 1% must be at least doubled by 2030, reach 3% by 2035, and 4% by 2040.
The final negotiations of the EPBD in the coming months present an opportunity that Europe cannot afford to miss. 
The EPBD should define deep renovation as the standard and agree renovation requirements which deliver on this standard, are fair and backed by attractive financial support for all who need it.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) should be designed on a differentiated basis according to ownership structure, and focus on worst-performing buildings across all segments first. Even in a step-by-step approach, all renovations and especially the first step should pull the building out of the category of worst-performing buildings. 
Public funds including emergency relief, recovery funds and subsidy schemes should all be designed towards supporting deep renovations of buildings, fully phasing out fossil fuels.
Read the report
HIGHLIGHTS
A life cycle roadmap for buildings in Germany
Germany has taken important steps to reduce life cycle GHG emissions in buildings by linking financial support for new buildings to limit values on GHG emissions. However, to further reduce whole life carbon emissions, additional action must be taken.
BPIE developed a roadmap with clear milestones until 2045 to reduce whole life carbon emissions in the German building sector. Priority policy areas for successful implementation include:  
  • Setting legally binding limits for life cycle GHG emissions 
  • Ensuring financial support for circular construction  introducing digital tools to increase data transparency and support decision-making 
  • Extending producer responsibility for building products
  • Removing existing barriers to circular and sustainable construction.   
     
Read the report (DE)
Unlocking the potential of digital building logbooks to achieve climate neutrality
Demo-BLog, a new EU-funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework, kicked off last month in Delft, Netherlands. The 4-year project aims to unlock the potential of digital building logbooks (DBLs) to accelerate decarbonization of the European building stock through further developing and demonstrating the tool, and fostering its market deployment.
What is a Digital Building Logbook?

A Digital Building Logbook is an all-in-one information tool meant to encourage data transparency and availability and simplify decision-making for stakeholders across the building value chain.
This includes property owners, tenants, investors, financial institutions and public administrations. 

To date,  a lack of a common repository for all relevant building data has amounted to additional costs and inefficiencies, stifled innovation, increased risk and low investor confidence. Built environment stakeholders have widely divergent data needs and the information flow is complex. 
Digital building logbooks have the potential to help overcome these issues and accelerate Europe’s transition to a climate-neutral building stock, in line with the renovation wave and 2050 climate target.

Demo-BLog aims to establish DBLs as a central tool to drive net-zero carbon building design, construction, management and renovation.  

Be on the lookout for updates on the project and join the conversation on Digital Building Logbooks and centralized data repositories by following the hashtag: #DBLs on social media.
Learn more
How to make citizens want to renovate? Co-design process in e-SAFE pilot in Timișoara, Romania
Interview with Verena Pavone, Urban Planner at UNICT & e-SAFE partner
You will be leading e-SAFE efforts on the ground in Timișoara and Bucharest to co-design an energy efficient, seismic-safe renovation project together with building owners and occupants over a period of several months. This is a huge task! Can you tell us a bit about what the process will look like, and explain your role in all of this? 
 
Vera: The word "co-design" refers to a participatory, co-creative, and open design process where the building’s end users share their ideas, needs, and aspirations with the technical experts so that together they can identify the best solutions framed within a common background. It will be a mutual learning process that involves all the people who have a stake in the building. This kind of process requires a long time to be effective. As a result, the activities will be scheduled over a period of three months and arranged to address all issues related to the building's deep renovation (thermal systems, structure, architectural issues, etc.) in a way that is understandable to everyone.

As an expert in participatory processes, I am responsible to ensure high quality and democratic governance of the process, to build confidence and trust in decision making, to generate a greater understanding of issues, concerns, priorities, and solutions among stakeholders, to increase mutual learning through the sharing of information, data, and experiences, to reach agreements in a collaborative manner and of course, to create enthusiasm in being part of it. Yes, it is a huge task, but it is fun!
Read the full interview
Be part of something BIG – Open Call for Innovators
The oPEN Lab Open Call intends to involve European innovators interested in enhancing their innovation capacity and exploiting their innovative solutions in PENs. Within the framework of the oPEN Lab H2020 project, the cities of Genk, Tartu and Pamplona commit to making interventions and test combinations of different close-to-market ready solutions. This setting provides a chance to study the performance of technologies as a unique operating system based on eight main challenges identified by the three oPEN Living Labs.
Learn more
BPIE OPINIONS
EVENTS
'Tackling the energy crisis through data sharing’ – WSED 2023
3 March 2022, 9:00 – 11:30 | Wels, Austria

Taking place 28 February to 3 March 2023 in Wels, Austria, the World Sustainable Energy Days show the critical role of the energy transition in securing our clean energy future and concrete policies, technologies and markets to get us there.

BuiltHub will host its own workshop during the Energy Efficiency Conference, on 3 March 2023 from 9:00-11:30. The session will focus on how to help data sharing communities accelerate the transformation of the European building stock.

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Dear reader,
 
As 2022 is drawing to a close, I am looking back on a year which brought (un)expected (?) developments of which one could imagine that they are changing our priorities in energy and climate change policymaking. But I have to confess that I am disappointed and my optimism is sobered.

At the end of 2022, agreement on more ambitious policies still seems to be hampered by the same old arguments. Whether we look at the struggle for a higher energy saving target in the Energy Efficiency Directive (to which many member states oppose), whether we look at the watered-down compromise position of the national governments on the Buildings Directive and the opposition of the European People’s Party to renovation standards, or whether we look at the near-failure of COP27, it seems that the urgency to accelerate our efforts in securing a resilient and efficient energy system, and to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, is still not understood by all.
 
While I may sound pessimistic, I am not. We at BPIE are making every effort to advance policy thinking, and to present evidence and ideas why and how we can have better policies for the benefit of all. And this is what this final newsletter of the year is about. It gives you a selected summary of the many papers, reports, ideas and events we created this year. I am proud of the hard-working and persistent team which is behind all this, and I am grateful to the many partners and funders which allow us to make these contributions. Whatever the future will throw at us, we will continue suggesting constructive ideas and actions which provide the right answers to the crises and challenges of our time, so that our buildings will be the cornerstone of a climate-neutral and fair Europe.
 
I would like to thank you, dear reader, for the interest you are showing in our work, otherwise you would not be reading these sentences. I am looking forward to continue our exchange and collaboration in 2023.

Warm regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
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Dear reader,

Another climate conference, COP27 is behind us, and the push for an urgent acceleration in decarbonisation is still missing. However, at least the buildings sector seems willing to tackle the challenge in the context of the COPs with the launch of a Buildings Breakthrough. This initiative will now have to win many supporters so that a real commitment can be secured at the upcoming COP28 in 2023. That faster action is needed was confirmed in the annual Status Report of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction which was launched in early November. The Global Climate Buildings Tracker in the report shows a growing gap between the actual decarbonisation progress of the sector and the path on which it should be.

Closer to home, we've included a roundup of outputs from the X-tendo H2020 project, which closed this fall. The project took important strides towards advancing the EU wide energy performance certificate framework, developing and testing ten new features for energy performance certificates in the EU. And in Berlin we will present a roadmap for Germany to reduce the whole life carbon impact of buildings in an event on 2 December. Registrations are still open, the event will be held in German language.

Finally, the discussion about the best design and implementation strategy for Minimum Energy Performance Standards continues, as the documentation of the recent Renovate Europe Day summarises nicely. I am sure we will hear more about this topic in the coming weeks and months.

Warm regards
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: GLOBAL STATUS REPORT FOR BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION 2022
The global buildings and construction sector remains off track to achieve decarbonisation by 2050
Despite a substantial increase in investment and success at a global level, the 2022 edition of the UN Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction shows that the building sector’s total energy consumption and CO2 emissions increased in 2021 above pre-pandemic levels. Operational energy-related CO2 emissions were up 5 per cent over 2020, and 2 per cent over the pre-pandemic peak in 2019.
 
BPIE’s Global Buildings Climate Tracker (GBCT) indicates that the buildings and construction sector remains off track to achieve decarbonisation by 2050.

The GBCT shows a negative rebound since 2020 in the decarbonisation of the buildings sector, with increased energy intensity and higher emissions. The gap between the actual climate performance of the sector and the necessary decarbonization pathway is widening. The lack of structural or systemic decarbonisation improvement in the building sector leaves its emissions reductions vulnerable to external factors.

The report highlights that immediate action must be taken to ensure that embodied carbon in buildings does not undermine the carbon reductions achieved from energy efficiency. Materials used in the construction of buildings (i.e. concrete, steel, aluminium, glass and bricks) are estimated to represent around 9% of overall energy-related CO2 emissions, and globally, approximately 100 billion tonnes of waste is caused by construction, renovation and demolition, with about 35% sent to landfills. Raw material use is also predicted to double by 2060 – with steel, concrete and cement already major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and in fast-growing developing economies, construction materials are set to dominate resource consumption, with associated GHG emissions expected to double by 2060.


A whole-life cycle approach to construction is essential to maximise sustainability. In the EU with new building standards of zero energy buildings entering into force from 2025, accounting for embodied carbon will become increasingly important in the coming years.

Read the 2022 Global Status Report
Read the press release
HIGHLIGHTS
[Policy briefing] How to make Energy Performance Certificates catalysts for energy renovation & realise their full potential?
To strategically support Member States in meeting the requirements set up under the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) – currently under negotiation – it is crucial to realise the full potential of energy performance certificates (EPCs) as effective information tools. This means making EPCs a catalyst for energy renovations and transforming them into a reliable asset benefiting policymakers, public authorities and end-users.

Building on the main results from the X-tendo project, this briefing is targeted at policymakers at EU and Member State level, public authorities and institutions responsible for the design, implementation and management of EPCs. X-tendo partners developed and tested 10 innovative features, that can bring EPCs to the next level: (1) smart readiness, (2) comfort, (3) outdoor air pollution, (4) real energy consumption, (5) potential of district energy connection. A further group of five features is related to the better use and handling of EPC data: (6) quality assurance through EPC databases, (7) digital building logbooks, (8) enhanced recommendations for building owners, (9) advice on financing options, and (10) new and more effective one-stop-shops. 

The recommendations proposed by X-tendo emphasise that better coverage of the building stock with EPCs is a precondition for their improvement, but at the same time Member States need to ensure that they are affordable and accessible. 
Read the policy recommendations
Access the toolbox
[Report] X-tendo next generation EPCs
The go-to resource to implement and replicate X-tendo innovative features
This report presents the implementation guidelines and replicability potential of ten innovative features proposed within X-tendo: smart readiness, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption, district energy, EPC databases, building logbook, enhanced recommendations, financing options, and one-stop-shops.

The outcome of the study is a critical presentation of the barriers and drivers for each feature’s wide uptake, their impact if implemented by member states and the necessary next steps in order to implement the innovative features in certification schemes around Europe. The developed features were tested in nine countries: Austria (AT), UK-Scotland (UK), Italy (IT), Denmark (DK), Estonia (EE), Romania (RO), Portugal (PT), Poland (PL) and Greece (GR).

The experts who tested these features provided deeper insights, appropriate directions and policy perspectives which provided in turn a realistic estimation for its implementation and replicability across different Member States.
Read the report
[Blog] Testing innnovative EPC features in nine EU countries
This series of blog posts summarises the results of testing ten innovative EPC features in nine EU countries.

Depending on the feature, the X-tendo partners performed different types of tests: In-building tests apply the feature materials on concrete buildings, user tests consist of understanding the user perception related to the developed materials and ideas, system tests intend to understand the application of feature ideas and materials in related systems like EPC database systems. 
 
Read the blog posts
BPIE OPINIONS
EVENTS
[DE] Fahrplan für Deutschland – Integration einer Lebenszyklusperspektive für den Gebäudebereich

3 Dezember 2022, 9:00 – 13:00 | Hotel Aquino, Berlin
Das BPIE Berlin Office lädt Sie am 2. Dezember zur Veranstaltung „Fahrplan für Deutschland – Integration einer Lebenszyklusperspektive für den Gebäudebereich“ ein.

Die EU-Kommission erarbeitet eine Whole-Life-Carbon Roadmap für den Gebäudesektor. Wir präsentieren unsere Ideen für einen solchen Fahrplan in Deutschland und diskutieren mit Akteuren aus der Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft, Politik, und Nicht-Regierungsorganisationen über die Integration der Lebenszyklusperspektive im Gebäudebereich. Welche Maßnahmen sind zu priorisieren, um die Emissionen und den ökologischen Fußabdruck ganzheitlich und langfristig zu verringern? Diskutieren Sie mit!

 

Unsere Agenda ist gefüllt mit Beiträgen von EU-Kommission, EU-Mitgliedsstaaten, UBA und BMWK sowie einer Panel-Diskussion mit Unternehmen, NGOs, und Politik. Die Veranstaltung findet im Rahmen des Projektes „Kreisläufe konstruieren – Innovationschancen für den Gebäudesektor“ statt. 
Wir freuen uns, Sie dabei zu haben!

Für mehr Hintergrund: Bericht zu EU Rahmen sowie Bericht zu rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen in Deutschland 

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BPIE was thankful to participate in Renovate Europe's REDay2022 high level conference and hear political leaders' in the European Commission and Parliament commitment to building renovation as one of the best investments towards achieving Europe’s energy security.
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Dear reader,

Our recently launched European Buildings Climate Tracker leaves no doubt: we must accelerate the renovation of our buildings. And yes, the combined shortage of craftsmen and high prices for construction materials and efficient technologies do not make this task easier. We are now paying the bill for decades of neglect in which energy renovation could have been scaled up. But it does not help to blame inaction in the past, we should rather search for answers to get us out of the crisis we are in. One of the most promising solutions is to scale up our renovation actions to an “industrial level” as we suggest in one of our newest publications. Today, this technique is still in its infancy, but the growing serial renovation market is testimony to the promises this solution holds. To trigger more renovations, we need to set Minimum Energy Performance Standards for our buildings. This can be done in a way which is socially fair and put the renovation of worst buildings first as we argue in our latest contributions to this debate. At the same time, we must ensure to reduce the complete climate impact of buildings; in a new policy briefing we describe how the updated EPBD could support this goal.


The Renovation Wave does not only equal technology innovation but also social innovation for a just transition as we discuss in our #ClimateConversations with the global network SOLIDAR. And a new report from the ComAct project describes the design of financing instruments which fight energy poverty. ComAct was one of the finalists in the European Sustainable Energy Awards earlier this week.

All this and more below for inspired and constructive policy debates,
 
Enjoy the reading,
 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: EU BUILDINGS CLIMATE TRACKER
Member States and EU Parliament should aim at transformational EPBD revision, EU Buildings Climate Tracker shows 
Decarbonisation of the building stock is off track and much behind the path to climate neutrality by 2050, according to the EU Buildings Climate tracker, developed by BPIE this year. The Tracker is a response to the challenges of collecting and using data to monitor and assess decarbonisation in the EU building stock and will monitor progress annually.
 
Designed as a high-level index based on 6 indicators, the tracker showcases the progress of the EU building stock towards full decarbonisation by 2050 on a 0-100 scale, starting from the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, until 2019, currently the last year for which indicator data is available.

In 2019, the index has a calculated value of 0.48 on a scale between 0 (reference situation in 2015) and 100 (climate neutrality in 2050), while it should be at 14 points. Four years of potential progress towards climate objectives have been lost. The Tracker also indicates that building decarbonisation is far from progressing at the speed needed. The achieved progress between 2015 and 2019 was a 0.12 point annual improvement, while it should have been at 3.6 points.

To catch up, the annual rate of improvement as of 2019 until 2030 must now be at 5 points per year. This is strong evidence for the urgent need for additional action that should be reflected in a transformational outcome of legislative discussions on the EPBD. In the run up to Council negotiations on the EPBD, Member States should prioritise the foundational role buildings play against the backdrop of climate change and the energy crisis and this should be reflected in the most ambitious possible EPBD revision. 

Considering the strong catch-up needed in terms of decarbonisation of the building stock, there is no time to lose and no possibility to take it slow or be shy in the actions taken. This is the only way to keep the promises of the Paris Agreement alive. 

Read the report
HIGHLIGHTS
[Policy briefing] Reducing carbon emissions over the life of a building: opportunities in the 2022 EPBD recast
Deploying whole-life carbon (WLC) measures in the EPBD recast will be a win-win for energy performance and climate action at the building and industry level. A stepwise approach and a clear timeline that go beyond 2030 needs to be set out in the EPBD recast.

Most estimates suggest that embodied carbon accounts for about 10% of total yearly greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The relative importance is expected to grow as more buildings are constructed and renovated to higher efficiency standards and could account for over 50% of all emissions from the buildings sector in the near future. For the EU building sector this is estimated to be between 12 and 15 Gt CO2 – which will be used up by sometime in the 2030s unless drastic action is taken now.

Against this backdrop, this briefing is a call to action for policymakers to include a clear legislative roadmap for WLC into this revision of the EPBD. Waiting until the next revision in 2027 will not create the momentum that is urgently needed to kick-start the process, representing years of lost time.

Read the policy briefing
[Factsheet] Impact assessment of Minimum Energy Performance Standards in the context of the EPBD revision
 
Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) are under discussion in the frame of the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) as a tool to trigger renovation of buildings in the European Union and reduce GHG emissions, and if designed right, with the potential to massively reduce energy poverty.

However, governments might be massively undermining this potential by seeking to apply weakened MEPS compared to the initial proposals. This would completely negate the significant benefits for Europe’s struggling families.

To inform this discussion, Climact and BPIE modelled the impacts of MEPS schemes on the European building stock, using three main scenarios: the Commission's EPBD revision proposal, the REPower EU MEPS proposal, and a third more ambitious option. The modelling shows that both the Commission proposal and even REPowerEU are insufficient to bring the EU in line with Fit for 55 targets. 
Read the factsheet
[Policy briefing] How to take EPCs to the next level?
Recommendations to integrate new features into EPC schemes 
To strategically support Member States in meeting the requirements set up under the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), it is crucial to realise the full potential of energy performance certificates (EPCs) as effective information tools. This means making EPCs a catalyst for energy renovations and transforming them into a reliable asset benefiting policymakers, public authorities and endusers (building owners, tenants, utilities, developers, financial institutions and other users).

This briefing, built on the main results of the X-tendo project, provides recommendations on how to take EPC schemes to the next level. The project developed 10 innovative EPC features; five are new indicators that can be added to existing certificates. 
Read the policy briefing
[Report] X-tendo next generation EPCs
The go-to resource to implement and replicate X-tendo innovative features
This report presents the implementation guidelines and replicability potential of ten innovative features proposed within X-tendo: smart readiness, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption, district energy, EPC databases, building logbook, enhanced recommendations, financing options, and one-stop-shops.

The outcome of this final X-tendo report is a critical presentation of the barriers and drivers for each feature’s wide uptake, their impact if implemented by Member States and the necessary next steps in order to implement the innovative features in certification schemes around Europe. The developed features were tested in nine countries: Austria (AT), UK-Scotland (UK), Italy (IT), Denmark (DK), Estonia (EE), Romania (RO), Portugal (PT), Poland (PL) and Greece (GR).

The experts who tested these features provided deeper insights, appropriate directions and policy perspectives which provided in turn a realistic estimation for its implementation and replicability across different Member States.
Read the report
[Policy briefing] Innovation in construction
Recommendations for industrialised renovation
Innovation in construction is urgently required to increase the rate and depth of renovations, as progress on the ground has been slow despite a flurry of policy initiatives. Using prefabricated building components produced at an industrial scale (a process known as industrial prefabrication) is one promising solution. Beyond delivering carbon emission savings, industrial prefabrication has the potential to drive innovation in the construction sector. It prepares actors across the value chain to integrate digital solutions and optimise the renovation process.
Nevertheless, the regulatory and incentive framework does not yet enable successful industrialised renovation at scale, and existing policy gaps must be addressed to realise its potential. In our latest policy briefing we present concrete policy levers for four key themes, and details how EU, national and local policymakers can accelerate the uptake of industrially prefabricated renovation solutions.
Read the report
Share your views! How can we quantify and monetise the multiple-benefits of Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods? 

The syn.ikia H2020 project seeks to quantify the multiple-benefits (or non-energy benefits) of Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods. For this, it will determine social, economic and environmental benefits that they bring to stakeholders.

Syn.ikia seeks to capture how these benefits can be monetised to support decision-makers through the development of a calculation tool.


‘How do you see multiple benefits generating value for you, your businesses or policies? What do you need to make decisions on innovative investments or policies?’

Your response to this survey (about 10 mins) is valuable to understand the relevant multiple benefits to you (e.g. better access to energy services, reduced GHG emissions, impact on health, etc.) at the neighbourhood level.
  
For any questions regarding the survey, please contact us here.
Take the survey
[Report] Financing schemes to increase renovation rates
Access of energy poor households to financing for building renovation 
Totally contradictory approaches to financing deep renovation of multifamily residential buildings, exist across the ComAct H2020 project's five pilot countries - Bulgaria, Republic of North Macedonia, Hungary, Lithuania and Ukraine, - according its latest analysis

These range from a 100% renovation grant in Bulgaria, to market-based schemes supporting only preparation of project documentation and interest rates for solvent households in Lithuania.
Among the reasons for this are certainly the different legal and institutional frameworks and the varying access of financial resources, but most importantly, the distinct development trajectories that have been followed by the countries in the transition from the communist heritage.


The analysis additionally reveals that 'energy poverty' as a concept is still not widely understood as distinct from social vulnerability. This would require higher advocacy efforts and collaborative engagement with public and private financing institutions to help those households who, burdened with excessive energy costs, experience difficulties to provide resources to secure their share in renovation programmes.
The proposed financing schemes are expected to steer the local dialogues in this direction, building on the new requirements of the proposal for a new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive promoting the common EU definition for energy poverty and the minimum renovation standards. 
Read the report
#BPIEClimateConversations
What is a 'Just Transition' and what should the key priorities be to ensure this transition takes place? 
In this Climate Conversation, BPIE connected with Andrea Casamenti, Policy officer for Just Transition at SOLIDAR, a European and worldwide network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). The aim of the discussion was to dig into the concept of ‘Just Transition’, a concept that is linked to energy transition and climate crisis. In this interview, SOLIDAR not only suggests how to define a ‘Just Tranistion’ but also what the key priorities for Europe should be to ensure this transition takes place.
Read BPIE's Climate Conversation with SOLIDAR
[Report] How to operationalise Energy Efficiency First in the EU?Recommendations to Member States
There is no one-size-fits all recipe for EU Member States to ensure correct and ambitious execution of the Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle on the ground. Likewise, implementation is not necessarily about adopting new policies: it is firstly about ensuring that the existing policies and regulations are in line with the EE1st principle.

Against this background, this report provides a set of recommendations applicable for all Member States to support implementation of EE1st in their national policies.  Adjustments to decision-making, governance structures and the right incentives in investment frameworks need to be introduced across all areas, including in building policies, the power sector, climate action, and governance.

Whatever the governance structure in the country, a clear definition of the main roles according to the jurisdiction levels is essential to enable cooperation, and thereby bring about integrated approaches.
Read the report
BPIE OPINIONS
RECENT EVENTS
EU Buildings Climate Tracker - first edition
How can the EPBD close the rapidly growing decarbonisation gap?
The first edition of the EU Buildings Climate Tracker shows that the buildings sector is not advancing at the required pace to meet the EU's climate objectives for 2030 and 2050, suggesting a need for a transformational outcome of the legislative discussions on the EPBD.

This event brought together policymakers from the EU Council, the Commission, the Parliament and leading policy expert Eurocities, with a view to anticipating bottlenecks and solutions to ensuring an EPBD revision with maximum ambition.

Watch the recording
Activate finance against energy poverty: suitable financial schemes to mitigate energy poverty  
ComAct @ EUSEW22
Organised as part the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) extended programme, this interactive session targeted all stakeholders working on developing new financial schemes to finance energy transition and also those protecting the rights of vulnerable consumers.

In the H2020 ComAct project, a special focus is set on the energy poverty issue in multi-apartment buildings, which is often not considered in designing new financial schemes and subsidy programs. While co-financing for middle- and high-income owners can be provided through various financial instruments, for low-income owners and those suffering from energy poverty, national schemes should provide a different type of support so that they can be efficiently involved in the programs. 

Watch the recording
Positive energy neighbourhoods for Europe's fair, effective and resilient energy transition 
OpenLAB @ EUSEW22
Led by OpenLAB with contributing speakers from the IEA and the H2020 projects ARV and PRONOBO, this session highlighted the importance of Positive Energy Neighbourhoods (PEN) enabling community driven decarbonisation.
A fast roll-out of Sustainable and Positive Energy Neighbourhoods (PEN) is essential to enable a full decarbonisation of our cities, including both social and technological innovations. For the EU to become energy independent, a reduction of the energy demand of the existing building stock is required. A key priority is thus the redesign and retrofit of existing buildings and neighbourhoods, making them future proof. 
Watch the recording
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Dear reader,

As the weather is heating up, most of us are slowing down and preparing for a much needed break after a busy first half of 2022. However, we cannot give up attention, as the disappointing results of the Energy Council on the 27th of June are showing us. Energy ministers rejected the European Parliament’s higher energy efficiency target of 15% a year instead of 9% in the EED. As confirmed by our new EU Buildings Climate Tracker, this was not the right move:  building decarbonisation since the Paris Agreement entered into force in 2015 has barely moved, and we have calculated that four years of potential progress towards climate neutrality have been lost. It’s not time to slow down, it’s time to speed up.

That said, the EPBD revision remains a crucial opportunity to catch up, if the Member States are willing to make an effort in agreeing futureproof policies which will increase Europe’s energy security, while protecting us from the most severe climate change impacts. What we heard about the ongoing discussions by member states regarding the EPBD is not encouraging. I hope that a group of governments will ensure that we will have an EPBD agreement which is living up to the threats of our times, and not one which equals a race to the bottom. The fact that so many Europeans are now suffering from high energy prices is a direct consequence of the years lost in improving energy efficiency. It is therefore high time to change tack and agree policies which safeguard all Europeans.

This newsletter is full of ideas. Our OpenLab briefing provides concrete recommendations how to scale positive energy neighbourhoods through a citizen-driven approach;  e-SAFE suggests how to implement seismic safety renovations into the EPBD as a way to ensure integrated energy efficiency renovations; ComACT is providing cost-optimal solutions to increase energy efficiency in places where energy poverty is particularly severe.

As this (very dense!) mail shows, there is no lack of solutions. Implementation will be a keyword in the coming months and years. To do so, it’s also necessary to recharge our batteries. With that in mind, we wish you a refreshing summer break.

 
Enjoy the reading,
 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: EU BUILDINGS CLIMATE TRACKER 
Urgency to close the buildings decarbonisation gap
BPIE’s newly developed EU Buildings Climate Tracker finds that the EU is facing a growing gap in advancing towards climate neutrality in the sector. This first edition provides evidence for the urgent need for additional action that should be reflected in a transformational outcome of legislative discussions on the EPBD.

BPIE’s newly developed EU Buildings Climate Tracker is a high-level index showcasing the progress of the EU building stock towards full decarbonisation by 2050 on a 0-100 scale, starting from the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, until 2019, currently the last year for which indicator data is available.

The results show that the buildings sector is not on track to achieve climate neutrality in 2050.
In 2019, the index has a calculated value of 0.48 on a scale between 0 (reference situation in 2015) and 100 (climate neutrality in 2050), while it should be at 14 points. The Tracker also indicates that building decarbonisation is far from progressing at the speed needed. The achieved progress between 2015 and 2019 was a 0.12 point annual improvement, while it should have been at 3.6 points.

This means that building decarbonisation is off track and much behind the path to climate neutrality by 2050. While the index should have been at 14 points in 2019, it is barely above 0, thus at almost the same level in 2019 as in 2015. Put differently, four years of potential progress towards climate neutrality by 2050 have been lost.

Besides a tracked progress of building decarbonisation in Europe, this briefing outlines a few recommendations to be considered for the EPBD revision.
 

Read the briefing
FOCUS ON: BPIE BIENNIAL REPORT 

In the past two years, our ambition and commitment to advance change led to achieving major advances in analysing and promoting buildings and energy demand policies, in new research on building sector policies and business models.

Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and soaring energy prices in Europe, have led to a fundamental rethinking in the area in which we focus our work. These developments, in combination with the ever-starker warnings of the climate science community allow only one conclusion: We need to accelerate positive change and be bold, in both our thinking and our actions.

What underpins our strategic decisions and daily work is the will and desire to ask the hard questions: How can Europe become the climate champion it committed itself to be? And how can the built environment support and encourage a truly sustainable – and affordable – lifestyle for all?

With this biennial report, we are sharing our story and achievements of the years 2020-2021 and intend to provide a window into who we are as an organisation, how we are delivering positive impact and how we are moving towards bigger thinking and bolder action so we can achieve truly climate-neutral buildings.
 

Read the biennial report
HIGHLIGHTS
#BPIEClimateConversations
Housing affordability: Who's responsible? 
BPIE's Climate Conversations series aims to shine light on a diverse range of perspectives on buildings and climate policies, engaging stakeholders from various backgrounds. We seek to identify solutions and blind spots to key challenges related to reducing the climate impact of building and to a jut transition to a climate-neutral society.

In this Climate Conversation, BPIE connected with Barbara Steenbergen, Head of the EU liaison office at IUT, the International Union of Tenants.  The aim of the discussion was to dig into some of the common – and less common – questions on building renovation and social justice from the perspective of those who are not in the driver’s seat when it comes to renovation investments – renters. In this interview, IUT suggests ways how the EED and EPBD can better contribute to housing cost neutrality, how Minimum Energy Performance Standards can be designed in a socially just (and climate ambitious) way, tenure-neutral housing policies and questions of affordability.

 
Read BPIE's Climate Conversation with IUT
Postitve Energy Neighbourhoods
Drivers of Transformational Change
Successful decarbonisation of the building stock calls for an integrated, participatory and neighbourhood-based approach. The aggregation of projects enables industrialised renovation processes, which are achieved at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe.  A neighbourhood approach empowers local communities to take an active role in their energy use, while accelerating the market uptake of novel technologies and business services at scale.

In order to scale up the rollout of positive energy neighbourhoods, BPIE, under the H2020 project oPENLab, provides four policy recommendations:
  • Endorse Member States to identify appropriate neighbourhoods to implement integrated renovation programmes.
  • Establish a harmonised definition of positive energy neighbourhoods (PENs), which should clarify the boundaries of the built environment, covering aspects related to use of renewables, energy communities, mobility, density and social cohesion.
  • Reinforce existing policies with PEN solutions, including forthcoming national building renovation strategies.
  • Redesign energy efficiency solutions as a dynamic concept.
Read the report
New e-SAFE briefing
How to integrate seismic safety with energy renovations in the EPBD
Amidst the urgency to rapidly upscale deep energy renovations, the European building stock faces another significant challenge. About 50% of European territory is earthquake-prone. In the last 50 years, earthquakes in Europe have caused over 36,000 deaths and around 1.4 million people becoming homeless. In highly seismic countries, such as Greece, Italy, Croatia and Romania, a destructive earthquake would render investments in energy-efficient renovations unsustainable from a social, economic and environmental point of view.

Seismic safety has traditionally been treated separately from energy performance and has not entered into the decarbonisation narrative. The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive can strategically support the uptake of seismic renovations alongside energy efficiency in the EU.
This means ensuring a robust policy framework that prioritises renovation of worst-performing buildings in terms of both energy performance and seismic safety. This framework should be combined together with reliable and accessible technical and financial solutions.
 
This briefing, presented by the e-SAFE H2020 consortium, suggests practical ways that the EPBD recast can strategically support the uptake of seismic renovations alongside energy efficiency in the EU, in order to ensure concrete implementation of seismic safety measures where it is needed most.  
Read the briefing
New Compendium on GHG Emissions Baselines & Monitoring
Building and Construction Sector

Besides giving an overview of the different sources of GHG emissions from the building and construction sector, this volume on the building and construction sector also provides methodologies for quantifying these emissions to feed into the preparation and reporting of national GHG inventories.

By better understanding the sources of emissions over the whole life cycle of buildings, it thus provides guidance on the most appropriate and effective mitigation strategies and policies for decarbonizing the building and construction sector based on national circumstances.

Read the compendium
Optimal cost-effective technical solution scenarios 
New report from ComAct outlines the measures for increasing the enegry efficiency of then multi-appartment buildings in its pilot countries 

This report briefly presents information about the current state and analyses all feasible measures leading to the increased energy efficiency of ten multi-apartment buildings in the five ComAct pilot countries, that are Hungary, Lithuania, Republic of North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. 

The buildings are different by age, size, climate and type. For all of them, the renovation measures are divided in two large groups, that are reduction of energy consumption and introduction of renewables.  

The first part of this document contains a description of the methodology and approach to savings calculation for every proposed measure. The second part contains information for the ten buildings in five pilot countries, as well as overview tables with savings, required for the development of scenarios. 

This document will be used by community staff, energy managers in utility companies, and it should be easily understandable for non-engineering people.  

Read the report
The ComAct guidance giving evidence-based information on energy poverty is now available in six languages
The guidebook published by the H2020 project ComAct provides evidence-based information on the nature of energy poverty in urban multi-family apartment buildings in three post-socialist regions in the Eastern part of Europe: Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet republics, and the Balkan region. In addition to English, the guidebook is now available in all the languages of the focus countries of ComAct: Macedonian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Hungarian and Lithuanian.
The results are primarily based on a household survey conducted in the autumn of 2021 with 1,025 respondents in the five ComAct pilot sites: Burgas in Bulgaria, Budapest in Hungary, Karposh (Skopje) and Kavadarci in North Macedonia, Odessa in Ukraine, and Kaišiadorys and Tauragė in Lithuania. The survey research is complemented by scientific literature and national and local data on the survey sites.
Check all the language versions
X-tendo publishes new guidelines to test innovative EPC features against relevant criteria

The new report published by the H2020 project X-tendo describes how the project applied four cross-cutting criteria to develop its 10 innovative features. The four criteria are: quality and reliability, user friendliness, economic feasibility and consistency with internal standards. This criteria was assessed and evaluated for all 10 features during the phases of development and testing. 

This paper presents the workflow and gives final guidelines based on the X-tendo experience for future work and replicability. The report starts with the conditions set by the developers before starting with the development of actual features. It then presents the results and main conclusions from the testing activities in the project and proposes a final workflow to support the feature’s development through a cross-cutting-criteria approach. 

Read the report
Bausteine einer Lebenszyklusperspektive für mehr Klimaschutz und Ressourcenschonung im Gebäudesektor
Der deutsche Rechtsrahmen und gute Beispiele aus der Praxis 
The second report from our German project “Kreisläufe Konstruieren – Innovationschancen für den Gebäudesektor“ provides a compilation of strategies, laws, initiatives and examples of good practice for a life-cycle perspective on the building sector. It demonstrates that sustainable construction and the decarbonisation of the building sector have developed a noticeable dynamic in Germany in recent years – but that binding rules are still largely lacking. Better interlinking of European and national processes can bring greater clarity to the existing incentive and regulatory system and thus simplify the implementation of climate protection and resource conservation and make it more widely accessible. 
Read the report in German
BPIE IN THE NEWS
EVENTS
19  September 2022 
Activate finance against energy poverty: suitanle financial schemes to mitigate energy poverty - European Sustainable Energy Week 2022

The H2020 project ComAct is organising a session on 19 September 2022, from 10:30 until 12:00, as part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) extended programme to exchange knowledge and findings related to different ways to finance energy transition by increasing energy efficiency. This webinar is the 3rd in the series of the three Knowledge Transfer Thematic Webinars at EU level of the H2020 ComAct project, which aims to raise discussion on the needs and challenges of energy-poor households and on the inclusive policy required to secure an accessible and affordable energy transition.

A special focus is set on the energy poverty issue in multi-apartment buildings, which is often not considered in designing new financial schemes and subsidy programs. While co-financing for middle- and high-income owners can be provided through various financial instruments, for low-income owners and those suffering from energy poverty, national schemes should provide a different type of support so that they can be efficiently involved in the programs. This interactive session targets all stakeholders working on developing new financial schemes to finance energy transition and also those protecting the rights of vulnerable consumers.

Register for the session
31 May - 1 June 2022 | Enefirst final conference
Energy Efficiency First Summit - How to impelemtn the Energy Efficiency First principle and boost Europe's Energy Security? 
Organised by Enefirst and sEEnergies, this conference illustrated how implementing the Energy Efficiency First principle can help make the most out of energy efficiency and other demand-side resources to achieve a sustainable and resilient energy system in the EU.
 
Slides and recording available now!
9 June 2022 | ComAct webinar
The multiple benefits of energy efficiency for vulnerable households
Energy poverty is a widespread problem across Europe, as between 50 and 125 million people are unable to afford proper indoor thermal comfort and it is going to increase if we do not act immediately. This webinar is the 2nd in the series of the three Knowledge Transfer Thematic Webinars at EU level of the H2020 ComAct project and it was a side event of New European Bauhaus Forum.

There is a need to rethink regulations targeting equality and concentrate on equity, which enables a justice system from which everyone can benefit. At the moment, there is inequality between energy-poor households and large real-estate investors, who evaluate benefits differently than private persons lacking financial means. This webinar thus aimed to raise discussion on the needs and challenges of energy-poor households and on the inclusive policy required to secure an accessible and affordable energy transition.

 
Recording available now!
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Dear reader,

The EU is continuously evolving its energy policy to respond to Russia’s aggression. The recently published RePowerEU plan defines three strategic cornerstones for this response, and saving energy is one of them. The strategy is detailed in the so-called EU Save Energy Plan which delivers many targeted initiatives in particular to save energy in buildings. But at the same time, the plan lists measures which need to be introduced in the ongoing political negotiation about two key Directives, the EED and the EPBD. So it is up to the European Parliament and the member states to bring life to the suggested measures in the coming months. Delivering the savings in the buildings sector requires action on the ground. A Renovation Compact between local construction companies, local policymakers and local citizen initiatives could launch well-anchored renovation actions which are implemented according to local circumstances.

As we stress in our latest briefing the saving potential is obvious; effectively reducing energy demand reduction is the first and most efficient way to achieving energy independence from Russian (and other) fossil fuels, enabling integration and use of renewable energy sources, and to securing grid stability. The study, based on 8 sample countries in Europe, shows that improving insulation alone can save 44% on gas and reduce final energy demand by 45%. 

We know that this is achievable, in particular if citizens are inspired to take action. Towards that end, we expect the New European Bauhaus Festival next week will provide some excitement. It will feature a number of projects that are pushing the envelope in terms of innovation and social justice: e-SAFE, which focuses on renovation in seismic zones, ComACT, which aims to create a platform to support vulnerable citizens in CEE countries, and Syn.ikia, which is piloting Plus Energy Neighbourhoods, transforming social housing into a veritable energy hub. These are ambitious projects, so make sure to stop by and chat with the project partners and learn about potential opportunities to get involved, and let yourself be inspired. You will find more about them in this edition of our newsletter.

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: PUTTING A STOP TO ENERGY WASTE  
Putting a stop to energy waste:
How building insulation can reduce fossil fuel imports and boost EU energy security
The cost of missed opportunities to improve the energy performance of the EU building stock is all too apparent. This study shows how improving insulation of residential buildings can reduce energy demand and drastically cut oil and gas imports for heating. Diversifying gas imports should not be considered the only way to quickly get rid of Russian gas. Reducing demand to allow a steady increase of renewable energy supply as an alternative to fossil fuel imports is the solution the EU should pursue.

It shows the benefits of improving insulation in terms of reducing the energy demand and drastically cutting Russian oil and gas imports in those countries. Improving insulation in the selected countries can achieve up to 44% gas savings and reduce final energy demand by 45%. 
 
With the current high and volatile energy prices, building renovation projects have become an even more attractive and strategic investment.

REPowerEU and the EU Save Plan must therefore treat lowering energy demand as an essential prerequisite to achieve energy independence and a just energy transition. Read our recommendations for REPowerEU and the EU Save Plan here.
 
Download the policy briefing
HIGHLIGHTS
#BPIEClimateConversations
How can we turn the energy transition into an opportunity for adequate and affordable housing?
BPIE's Climate Conversations series aims to shine light on a diverse range of perspectives on buildings and climate policies, engaging stakeholders from various backgrounds. We seek to identify solutions and blind spots to key challenges related to reducing the climate impact of building and to a jut transition to a climate-neutral society.

In this Climate Conversation, BPIE connected with Clotilde Clark-Foulquier, Project Manager at FEANTSA, to discus question of social justice around the building sector, and whether or not a 'just transition' for all is truly possible. FEANTSA explains their concerns about 'renvoictions', their views on whether or not MEPS are appropriate for all buildings, what the EPBD revision must include to ensure a socially just buildings transition, and their vision of housing as a right. 

 
Read BPIE's Climate Conversation with FEANTSA
TRANSFORM YOUR BUILDING WITH E-SAFE!
Apply to receive free renovation advice to achieve an eco-friendly, earthquake-safe building.

 
e-SAFE provides your building with affordable and low-disruptive renovation solutions to make it energy efficient and earthquake-proof. 

e-SAFE can put you on the path to securing an energy-efficient and earthquake-safe building. Apply now to receive free renovation plans tailor-made for your building.
Benefits will include:
  • A survey and 3D models of your building
  • An energy audit, energy analysis, and structural simulations of your building;
  • A detailed e-SAFE based renovation project through a co-design process with residents, covering architectural, energy-efficient and anti-seismic renovation solutions tailor-made for your building;
  • Suggestions of viable financial support schemes to effectively implement energy and anti-seismic renovations;
  • Visibility at the local and European level;
  • Peace of mind! e-SAFE will equip you with knowledge on how to best renovate your building including the required measures, processes, and cost estimations, so you can take the next steps towards renovating your building with full confidence that you are making the right decision for your building.
Applications are open until the 15th July, 2022.
 
Apply to receive FREE renovation plans for your building
The e-SAFE decision support system has launched!
The e-SAFE partner Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, with the support of the University of Catania and the University of Bologna, has completed hte first release of e-DSS, a Decision Support System aimed to assist designers in the preliminary design stage of building renovation based on the e-SAFE technologies (click here for more information). 

Based on the geo-localisation of the pilot, its geometric features and some information added by the user, the e-DSS guides the designer to the choice of the most suitable e-SAFE renovation solution. It also allows an assessment – with a reasonable degree of approximation – of the energy performance of the building before and after the proposed renovation action, the environmental benefits, the expected costs and time for the building renovation and the expected time of Return of the Investment (ROI), based on the savings in the annual operating costs.

By now, the tool is only available for internal use to e-SAFE experts, and it will be used in the design of the pilot projects. Further developments will be included in the second release, expected in March 2023.

On May 16th, the e-DSS will be shown to 10 early adopters, who will test it and provide feedback on its user-friendliness and usefulness, from the perspective of future users.

Stay updated by following the further development of this tool through our website, the e-SAFE newsletter and social media!

NEW TRAINING VIDEOS
Curious about the concepts and business models AmBIENCe Project has developed? Watch the training videos part of the AmBIENCe Academy!
 
The AmBIENCe consortium has published its Academy, a series of videos explaining concepts such as Active Buildings Energy Performance Modelling or the AEPC Model.

Divided in 11 videos, the AmBIENCe Academy is now available for everyone that wishes to learn more about AmBIENCe results. Access to the training videos is free, but registration is mandatory.
 
Register here and enroll in the Ambience Academy
BPIE IN THE NEWS
EVENTS: BPIE AT THE NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS 
9 - 12  June 2022 
A seismic shift for retrofit: Ground breaking innovation driving large-scale retrofitting in earthquake zones 

Is it safe to retrofit old homes and buildings with energy efficiency solutions in areas of seismic activity? This question is at the heart of e-SAFE, a project working at the boundary where climate change adaptation blurs with building safety and risk management.  

The project has been working on three new systems for post-1950 concrete-framed buildings that renovators and retrofitters can use to improve a building’s energy efficiency. They are easily adapted for specific climatic conditions and seismicity levels.  

In the town of Catania, Sicily, Italy, the project has adopted a co-productive approach. A whole community of stakeholders was consulted during the co-design and implementation stages. Now e-SAFE has created customisable, prefabricated panels made from timber and locally sourced insulating bio-materials (such as hemp, cork, wood fibre, cellulose, or sheep wool). In earthquake-prone areas, these panels can be combined with novel structural systems that improve both the seismic and energy performance of buildings in sustainable ways. 

Register for NEB festival & learn more
9 June 2022 | 10:00 - 11:30 
ComAct webinar: The multiple benefits of energy efficiency for vulnerable households
Energy poverty is a widespread problem across Europe, as between 50 and 125 million people are unable to afford proper indoor thermal comfort and it is going to increase if we do not act immediately. This webinar is the 2nd in the series of the three Knowledge Transfer Thematic Webinars at EU level of the H2020 ComAct project and it is a side event of New European Bauhaus Forum. It aims to raise discussion on the needs and challenges of energy-poor households and on the inclusive policy required to secure an accessible and affordable energy transition.

There is a need to rethink regulations targeting equality and concentrate on equity, which enables a justice system from which everyone can benefit. At the moment, there is inequality between energy-poor households and large real-estate investors, who evaluate benefits differently than private persons lacking financial means.

The new order of European legislation regulating energy efficiency of buildings has thus a high risk of neglecting the most vulnerable social class, therefore we are calling on our stakeholders to join our discussion and develop solutions together on how energy poverty could be mitigated.
Agenda and registration link
11 June 2022 
Syn.ikia workshop: Living in a Plus Energy Neighbourhood

Duration: 1h30. Timeslot to be defined.
Description: This interactive workshop will familiarise attendees with Plus Energy Neighbourhoods and give them the floor: they will be invited to answers these questions:
  • What’s your idea of a Plus Energy Neighbourhood?
  • How would you use the energy, if you'd be living in a Plus Energy Neighbourhood?
  • How would you share this energy? 
X-TENDO AND U-CERT FINAL CONFERENCE
6 July 2022 | Brussels and livestreaming
the road to enhanced and future-proof energy performance certificates
 
Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, X-tendo and U-CERT are closing three years of commitments and achievements in the field of next generation building performance assessment and certification. Part of the Next Gen EPCs cluster with other 9 projects and, together with QualDeEPC, they were the first to start in 2019 on this topic.

The two teams, their guest speakers and colleagues from the Next Gen EPCs cluster, are coming together on 6 July for what will be THE 2022 event on Energy Performance Certificates. The programme will tell the story of these H2020 research and innovation projects, highlighting main results and preparing the floor for the exploitation of the outputs, both at EU and national levels. While X-tendo has by design a modular structure covering 10 features (smart readiness indicator, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption, district heating, EPC databases, building logbook, tailored recommendations, financing options, one stop shops), U-CERT project has a specific recipe still allowing flexibility (convergence of calculation methodologies with the EPB standards, user-centred approach with a nudging effect, indoor environmental quality, smart readiness indicator, measured building performance and operational rating).
 
Register here
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Dear reader,

Europe is implementing changes to its energy policy at a scale and speed unseen before. Many of the decisions will and should lead to change how we use energy in the buildings and construction sector. Energy efficiency first should not only be a buzz word in this respect but a guiding principle for policy implementation. In our new paper we describe how the RePowerEU Energy Savings Plan could be designed, we expect the European Commission to publish it in the second half of May. And at the end of May, the Enefirst Summit will discuss the links between energy efficiency and security. Don’t miss the paper on the topic which is already out.

Another exciting project result is the RenOnBill tool, designed to be used by financial institutions and utilities to analyse the benefits and risk of renovation investments, including information how an on-bill pay back scheme could be run for renovation projects. RenOnBill also published a policy briefing to suggest how on bill payments could be supported in the future EPBD.

The X-tendo project just completed a test round for new features in Energy Performance Certificates; the latest report presents the results for 9 countries.

Another issue needing urgent attention is the growth of energy poverty in Europe. The ComAct project just released strategies to fight energy poverty in five countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the AmBIENce conference which will present concepts and business models for performance guarantees of Active Buildings.
Kind regards,


Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: REPowerEU ENERGY SAVINGS PLAN
Time to switch to action: Why saving energy in buildings must be a priotity in the REPowerEU Action Plan 
As follow up document to the earlier REPowerEU Communication, the Commission is expected to issue the REPowerEU Action Plan, which would include a specific energy savings action plan. The EU has a historic choice to make: to put us on a pathway compatible with the 1.5°C climate scenario and secure true energy independence, or simply cushion the crisis today with quick fixes that will condemn us to a future where we have no choice anymore and where climate change is a daily emergency.  
 
Our new briefing argues why energy in buildings must be a priority in the REPowerEU Action Plan by listing measures that can deliver energy savings in the next 18 months while putting the EU on a path compatible with its climate targets. The briefing also suggests delivery approaches to operationalise the implementation of the measures as decisions should be taken quickly, and actions implemented without delay.
The key question is: What exactly must we do, and how do we do it?
 The briefing proposes how to take action now by providing practical steps to be taken with more a short-term and long-term view:

Policies and measures to save energy now while accelerating progress towards EU climate ambition
  • behavioural measures and ‘quick fixes’
  • fast rollout of renovation programmes
  • fast switch to renewable heating options
How to deliver long-lasting energy savings quickly: recommendations for fast implementation
  • showing leadership with an innovative organisational machinery
  • telling the story, promoting the new vision
  • making financing easily available
  • preparing the supply chain to deliver
Read the briefing
HIGHLIGHTS
ENEFIRST: Energy efficiency first for system decarbonisation 
Cutting dependence from Russian gas is an immediate necessity. Meanwhile, permanently moving away from fossil fuels and gas is a key EU objective, strategically adopted in 2019 as part of the EU Green Deal. This major transition is already initiated in gas-abundant countries – like the Netherlands – that decided to stop relying on gas for heating as they recognise the risks linked to fossil fuel supply and its incompatibility with the climate targets.

To achieve the needed decarbonisation of buildings, decision makers must approach the problem from the perspective of not only removing fossil gas from the system, but of thinking about creating a more integrated energy system overall. Starting with end-use efficiency and demand response measures allows for the needed demand reduction and flexibility possibilities that facilitate greater electrification and reveal where the use of alternative gases may be needed.

This policy briefing, authored by Enefirst’s partner RAP, gives guidance on how the Energy Efficiency First principle can facilitate the development of an energy system that is aligned with net-zero climate goals.
Read the briefing
The RenOnBill tool is out! Download it now to better evaluate energy efficiency interventions
 
The evaluation of energy efficiency interventions is affected by numerous parameters and variables and most of them are uncertain. On the other hand, most of the analyses do not include the estimation of the risk connected with the energy efficiency investments. This approach has led to perceiving energy investments by financial institutions as high-risk and thus limited their commitment.

The newly released RenOnBill tool tackles these issues by providing a simple and effective instrument directed mainly to both financial institutions and energy utilities. By providing the users with a detailed amount of information for the development of sophisticated investment strategies and design of on-bill programs, the tool has the potential to facilitate large investments in energy efficiency interventions and thus upscaling the renovation rate that can thus help the EU reach its decarbonization goals.
 
Download the tool
New national roadmaps from RenOnBill guides Member States to replicate on-bill schemes
On-bill schemes represent a key innovative way of leveraging private finance for energy renovation of residential buildings and the H2020 project RenOnBill aims to make their uptake in the EU easier and faster. In this aim, RenOnBill developed a roadmap to disseminate knowledge about the replication potential of on-bill schemes for the European market. The roadmap insights have been derived by the implementation of the project in four focus countries: Spain, Italy, Lithuania, and Germany, where project partners established national stakeholder platforms to inform the replication process of on-bill schemes at national level.

This roadmap, available in English, German, and Spanish (Lithuanian and Italian forthcoming), aims to support policy makers, energy regulators and other representatives from the energy and financial sector to understand the replication potential of on-bill schemes and to influence decision-making with a view to innovative financing instruments for energy renovations in the residential building sector.  It will be a useful resource for energy utilities, financial institutions, policy makers, energy regulators, academia, and anyone interested in boosting the renovation rate of residential buildings in Europe with the help of innovative instruments to leverage private finance.  
 
Read the roadmap
EPBD in support of the uptake of on-bill schemes in the EU
 
 
In December 2021 the European Commission published its proposal for revising the most important piece of EU legislation dealing with building performance – the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The EPBD recast proposal echoes recent EU efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The proposal emphasises different but crucial components to reach these targets, such as the need for higher building renovation rates, resilient and accessible buildings stock, improved air quality, and innovative financing for building renovation. All of these suggest positive expectations when it comes to the uptake of on-bill schemes in the EU. However, there remains plenty of room to improve and strengthen the support the EPBD can provide to on-bill schemes.

This new paper by the H2020 RenOnBill project analyses and explains how the proposed EPBD recast can support the uptake of on-bill schemes in the EU. In addition, it explains potential adjustments to the proposed EPBD recast that may support on-bill schemes even further and speed up their conversion to a powerful tool for fighting climate change and reaching the EU climate goals. Given the proximity of EU 2030 climate targets, as well as the growing importance of reducing the EU’s energy dependence, the EPBD recast is a chance that should not be missed.
Read the policy briefing
How to ensure successful uptake of on-bill schemes in the EU residential market? RenOnBill's new policy roadmap explains how
 
This report establishes a policy roadmap to maximise the uptake of on-bill schemes in the EU residential market. Building on the results of the RenOnBill research and innovation project, the report explains policy solutions applicable at EU and national level, with special focus on the first three years after the end of the RenOnBill project (2022–2025). 

On-bill schemes use the utility bill as a repayment vehicle and bring different actors into a building renovation project. Certain features of on-bill schemes that are not easily found in other financing instruments can help strike a balance between the interests of different renovation participants and resolve barriers to energy renovation. In addition, due to their large-scale implementation potential, on-bill schemes can be a powerful tool to reach EU decarbonisation goals.

The report starts lists 11 potential barriers for on-bill uptake in the EU, grouping them by source – homeowner, utility/financial institution or market related. After introducing the regulatory framework, the report explains solutions for overcoming these barriers and eventually proposes a set of EU and national policy recommendations to make these solutions possible.
 
Read the report
New ComAct factsheets for citizens and homeowners' association on energy efficiency and energy poverty reduction
 
Renovation projects cannot take place without the active involvement of citizens and homeowners’ associations. This is why ComAct pays particular attention to involving local stakeholders and communities in the five pilots located in BulgariaHungaryNorth MacedoniaUkraine and Lithuania.

Partners have developed five factsheets on energy efficiency and energy poverty reduction that will be made available to all local stakeholders and communities. Available in English, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian, these factsheets share essential information related to energy efficiency and make it available to a larger audience, one of ComAct’s key recipes for success!
Download the factsheets
How to implement new energy performance certificates features: RESULTS from testing in nine countries!
The X-tendo H2020 project aims to enhance development of energy performance certificate (EPCs) schemes in EU Member States. After a theoretical analysis and the development of materials and methods, the project is now testing the features in concrete implementation projects.

This is mainly based on the analysis of the evaluation questionnaires filled out by the X-tendo implementing partners, but also on the content of the testing results reports.

The reports provide a summary of the outcomes of the testing activities on the features in different countries, conclusions for further development of the developed ideas and materials towards the end of the project and beyond, explain the practicability and challenges in the implementation of the features in practice, and give guidance for organising similar test projects in the future.
 
Download the X-Tendo reports
EVENTS
12 May 2022 | Brussels and online
AmBIENCe Final conference
In the last three years, the AmBIENCe project worked on extending the concept of Energy Performance Contracting to Active Buildings and making it available and attractive to a wider range of buildings. In its final conference, AmBIENCe will present the new concepts and business models for performance guarantees of Active Buildings and discuss implementation and future trends in the EU.

The first session will focus on how the energy performance contracting and the active elements introduced by AmBIENCe fit into the current EU framework. We will also discuss the current status of the regulations in the four focus countries of the project (Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal) and give recommendations on the future deployment of the Active building energy performance contracts in the EU.

The second session will instead focus on the practical implementation of the Active building energy performance contracts, with lessons learned from the AmBIENCe pilots in Belgium and Portugal and best practices from the EU. We will also discuss further future trends and exploitation in a panel discussion putting together different experts in the field.


The event will be held in English, in Brussels and online.
 
Register here
More information and agenda
31 May - 1 June 2022 | Brussels and online
Energy Efficiency First Summit: How to implement the Energy Efficiency First principle and boost Europe's Energy Security
Implementing the Energy Efficiency First principle has never been more time critical, yet it is still not applied on a systematic basis in policy making, planning and investment. The European Commission published in September 2021 its Recommendation and guidelines to support a broader implementation of Energy Efficiency First (EE1st).

This conference will illustrate and discuss in practical terms how EE1st can help get the most out of energy efficiency and other demand-side resources to achieve a sustainable and resilient energy system in the EU.

The two day event will combine the latest findings of the sEEnergies and ENEFIRST projects, together with roundtables with experts and stakeholders.
Register here
More information and agenda
PAST EVENTS
RenOnBill final conference: towards the implementation on on-bill and other innovative financing schemes for upscaling energy renovation in the EU
Recordings avalaible now
The RenOnBill final conference closes three years of achievement and results in the field of innovative financing schemes for energy renovation of residential buildings. The programme tells the story of this H2020 research and innovation project, highlighting main results and preparing the floor for the exploitation of the outputs, with external guests sharing their views and experience. The first session gives an introduction on the project and on-bill schemes, highlight the impact on-bill schemes and other innovative financing schemes could have on the targets of the current EU policy framework (Renovation Wave, EPBD revision, etc.). The second session deeps dive into the exploitable results of RenOnBill, with presentations on the experiences of the three pilot utilities of the project, and on the way forward from the policy perspectives. The RenOnBill final conference is an event connected to the H2020 project AUNA. 
 
Watch the recordings
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Dear reader,
Stopping energy waste has never been more urgent. The concern about the reliability of our energy supply, about the functioning of heating and electricity systems in our homes has reached a level unknown to all of us born after the second world war. The energy efficiency of our buildings and economies is now a geopolitical and security question. In fact, it has always been one, as we analysed in our 2016 report on Safeguarding Energy Security .

But it seems that politicians are still not seeing the urgency. The recently published EU documents, such as the “REPowerEU” plan and the “Communication on security of supply and affordable energy prices” focus on diversifying supply, but largely ignore the immediate opportunities to stop energy waste. Yes, securing supply and keeping energy affordable is important and urgent, but is not addressing the root causes of our current dilemma. The renovation wave is nowhere to be seen. Shifting supply is not a long-term sustainable solution, even to countries which are today considered reliable. The pre-Biden US administration taught us that decade-old relationships can sour quickly.

The must-have priority is clear: the announced Action Plan to implement the REPowerEU strategy must center around stopping our energy waste, in buildings and in all other sectors. How to make this happen in a socially fair way is the topic of a new paper which we just released. How to accelerate renovation, save energy and support renewable heat are topics throughout the many publications we have for you this month.

And as spring is around the corner, I am very happy to draw your attention to the in-person physical meetings we are organizing again, such as the RenOnBill Final conference which will discuss the future of on-bill and other innovative financing schemes for renovation, and the final conference of the AmBIENCe project which developed a new business model to extend energy performance contracting to active buildings. 

I hope to see you soon in person.

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: A SOCIALLY JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
Designing building decarbonisation policies for a socially just energy transition 

What are the ‘social (justice) implications’ of building decarbonisation policies? This briefing focuses on people-centred issues, looking at the implications of EU energy policies on low-to-middle-income, vulnerable and energy-poor households.  Specifically, it sheds light on accessibility of:

I. Decarbonisation measures: Are these measures available to all segments of the population and what is their impact on them?

II. Funds: Does public spending target those segments of the population enough (in terms of quantity and quality) and are renovation and decarbonisation projects made affordable?

III. Information: Are tools supporting the transition towards climate-neutral buildings available to those segments of the population, and are they tailored to their needs?

The paper links its recommendations directly to the currently discussed policy files:

  • A vision for a socially just transition, by comprehensively defining energy poverty (EED) and drafting building renovation plans for strategic action on the building stock with the alleviation of energy poverty as one of the key objectives (EPBD);
  • Measures with the explicit aim to completely lift households out of energy poverty, such as phasing out the worst-performing buildings through minimum energy performance standards (EPBD) and targeting support measures at households in energy poverty through energy efficiency obligation schemes;
  • Financial support targeted at deep renovation of worst-performing buildings (EPBD, SCF) and to mitigate the impact of carbon pricing on heating fuels (ETS2);
  • Informing and advising homeowners, through EPCs, tailored renovation passports and one-stop-shops, to make the transition understandable and attractive (EPBD).
Read the briefing and download the infographic
HIGHLIGHTS
Transform your building with e-SAFE
Access free renovation advice and support to secure an earthquake-safe, comfortable, climate-friendly and affordable energy future.
About e-SAFE:
The European Commission funded, H2020 project e-SAFE is developing a market-ready, multi-purpose deep renovation system for buildings, encompassing technological, functional, aesthetic, financial and economic aspects for non-historic buildings in earthquake-prone regions in Europe. e-SAFE's mission is to make healthy, safe, and affordable building renovations accessible to all Europeans, and to simplify the renovation process along the way.

e-SAFE can put you on the path to securing a healthy, energy-efficient and earthquake-safe building. Apply now to receive free renovation plans tailor-made for your building.
Benefit from working with e-SAFE and receive:
  • A survey and 3D models of your building
  • An energy audit, energy analysis, and structural simulations of your building;
  • A detailed e-SAFE based renovation project through a co-design process with residents, covering architectural, energy-efficient and anti-seismic renovation solutions tailor-made for your building;
  • Suggestions of viable financial support schemes to effectively implement energy and anti-seismic renovations;
  • Visibility at the local and European level;
Peace of mind! e-SAFE will equip you with knowledge on how to best renovate your building including the required measures, processes, and costs, so you can take the next steps towards renovating your building with full confidence that your efforts will be well spent …and much more.
 
Learn more and apply to receive free building renovation advice here
WE'RE HIRING!
We are looking for one Project Manager and one Senior Project Manager for our BPIE Berlin office, fluency in German required.
Apply now
New report sets out a framework for benchmarking and limiting buildings’ embodied carbon – an essential tool to meet Europe’s climate goals
A new study, TOWARDS EMBODIED CARBON BENCHMARKS FOR BUILDINGS IN EUROPE, by engineering, architecture and consultancy Ramboll, in collaboration with leading European researchers from AAU Built and KU Leuven, puts forward a standard framework for assessing and monitoring embodied emissions at the building level, and a recommended benchmarking process related to European member states’ carbon budgets.

The series of reports provides critical guidance for policymakers, investors and developers, advocating for greater cooperation across the value chain. It is desperately needed to gather life cycle assessment data and set targets that are aligned with the 2015 Paris Agreement to support the built environment’s transition to a lower-carbon future.
Read the study
The RenOnBill guide to implement on-bill business models in the EU
In order to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of each subtype of on-bill scheme, the RenOnBill consortium analysed four business models for on-bill services, based on criteria and factors that were validated thanks to stakeholders’ consultations in Italy, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. The analysis follows the Value Flow Model developed by the Eindhoven University of Technology that supports the better understanding of the complex combination of agents, their motivations and the interactions involved in the offer of on-bill services.

Additionally, RenOnBill also publishes a series of interactive factsheets that shine a light on the standard on-bill financing (OBF) scheme, the On-Bill Repayment (OBR) model, the On-Bill Repayment via a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and the On-Bill Repayment operated through a “Master Servicer”.

 
Read the report
Read the factsheets
BPIE IN THE NEWS
EVENTS
5 April 2022 | Brussels and online
Last chance to register! RenOnBill final conference: Towards the future of on-bill and other innovative financing schemes for energy renovation of residential buildings
The RenOnBill final conference closes three years of achievement and results in the field of innovative financing schemes for energy renovation of residential buildings. The programme will tell the story of this H2020 research and innovation project, highlighting main results and preparing the ground for the exploitation of the outputs, with external guests sharing their views and experience. 

The first section will introduce the project and on-bill schemes, highlight the impact on-bill schemes and other innovative financing schemes could have on the targets of the current EU policy framework (Renovation Wave, Fitfor55, etc.), and present best-practice from abroad.

The second section will deep dive into the exploitable results of RenOnBill, with presentations on the experiences of the three pilot utilities of the project, and on the way forward from the policy and commercial perspectives.

The event will be in English and will be held in Brussels and online. Find the final agenda here.

 
Register here
8 April 2022 | 14:00-15:00
Is energy and seismic renovation always relevant for residents?
Within the current EU decarbonisation and climate change adaptation goals, there is growing attention towards the role of energy and seismic retrofitting of worst-performing buildings. While such attention is currently being translated into a variety of practical ways of engaging public actors and the business community at multiple scales, questions can be asked whether such ways are always beneficial to urban residents. On April 8, 2022 (14:00-15:00), e-SAFE's Laura Saija will speak about the relevance of energy and seismic renovation for residents.
 
More information and registration
13 April 2022 | 14:00 - 15:00
Local energy planning dor commercial areas: What role for the Energy Efficiency First Principle?
 
The Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle aims to find a balance between saving energy and supplying energy. In this webinar we will investigate the possible scope for the EE1st principle in local energy planning for commercial areas that are characterized by offices, warehouses and other typical buildings. By modelling a set of three scenarios for commercial areas in Spain, Germany and Hungary, we show that saving energy through energy-efficient appliances and other measures can significantly reduce the system cost for generating and distributing energy in these areas. These insights are not only valuable for decision-makers involved in local energy planning in Europe, but also for researchers dealing with models of local energy systems.
 
Register here
27 April 2022 | 14:00 - 15:00
Energy Efficiency First: Single stage vs. stepwise renovation and the question of rapid energy saving actions
In this webinar we will discuss selected topics how to apply the energy efficiency first principle in the building sector. In particular, we will analyse opportunities and challenges of single-stage vs. step-wise renovation activities and how these achieve energy savings and GHG-emission reductions quickly. Triggered by the current Ukraine-Russia crisis and the implications for gas and energy security, we will also discuss measures to strongly increase the pace of energy saving activities and heating system replacement, while also focusing on the danger of lock-in effects and sunk costs.
 
Register here
12 May 2022 | Brussels and online
AmBIENCe Final conference
In the last three years, the AmBIENCe project worked on extending the concept of Energy Performance Contracting to Active Buildings and making it available and attractive to a wider range of buildings. In its final conference, AmBIENCe will present the new concepts and business models for performance guarantees of Active Buildings and discuss implementation and future trends in the EU.

The first session will focus on how the energy performance contracting and the active elements introduced by AmBIENCe fit into the current EU framework. We will also discuss the current status of the regulations in the four focus countries of the project (Italy, Spain, Belgium and Portugal) and give recommendations on the future deployment of the Active building energy performance contracts in the EU.

The second session will instead focus on the practical implementation of the Active building energy performance contracts, with lessons learned from the AmBIENCe pilots in Belgium and Portugal and best practices from the EU. We will also discuss further future trends and exploitation in a panel discussion putting together different experts in the field.


The event will be held in English, in Brussels and online.
 
Register here
PAST EVENTS
X-tendo webinar series: Recordings available
New developments and testing for better EPCs 
The X-tendo H2020 project held a webinar series disclosing the developments of its innovative EPC features and the results of testing in 9 countries. The webinar series took place between February and March 2022 for a total of 5 webinars and guided the audience in a discussion on how to improve the quality of an EPC combining various innovative elements. The webinars recordings are now all available and anticipate the release of a report disclosing all the results from the testing of its features in 9 countries.
Watch the recording
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Dear reader,

As Europe, its partners and friends across the world are struggling to contain Putin’s aggression, it is hard to find the right words to introduce our latest newsletter amidst the pictures of human tragedies. While homes, schools and hospitals are being destroyed by the hour, we are reminded of the fragility of our society where peaceful conflict resolution, democracy, freedom of speech and tolerance are part of our core values. Putin’s war is not about energy, but threats to energy security and nuclear power stations are used as targeted sharp weapons in the background of the conflict. The response of the European Union with the RePowerEU communication published on 8 March shows that the EU is able to make quick and far-reaching decisions in the face of an emergency.

Diversification of supply and increasing fossil fuel stocks are the measures of the moment. But I am wondering why the immediate opportunities to reduce our energy waste are not more at the center of Europe’s response? Reading the communication on Tuesday, energy efficiency and saving seems almost like an afterthought in the frenzy to secure supply. We therefore decided to make a number of suggestions in a short strategy paper  how we could reduce energy demand in buildings quickly. To some they may seem ambitious, to others irrelevant, but we are convinced that every action counts, and that we must act now while also strengthening our policy response with the Fit-for-55 agreement.

It is an almost cynical coincidence that we recently concluded an intensive exchange series with Russian experts and with US experts on improving building efficiency and reducing the climate impact of the sector. Not that we needed any evidence, but the series of webinars showed us that collaboration and dialogue is the only way to meet the challenges which are thrown at us. You can find the recordings of the series on BPIE’s website.

Dialogue is also the chosen strategy of our new Climate Conversations which we recently launched in a first conversation with Domenico Campogrande from FIEC, the European Construction Industry Federation. And we are continuing the exchange with you in many webinars in the coming months and with face-to-face events in Brussels, as we all hope that the times of lock-down are behind us. More on the events below.

Finally, we are reminded that we can come together in the time of crisis, the past two years have taught us how to do it. I am convinced that we must show the same resolution in taking climate change more seriously, by seeking cooperation over conflict of opinions, and by investing in our societies in the most sustainable ways. Our thoughts are with our colleagues and friends in Ukraine with whom we collaborated so joyfully in the past years.

Warm regards,
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: SOLIDARITY AND RESILIENCE
Solidarity and resilience: An action plan to save energy now! 

The Ukrainian tragedy requires reactions on many fronts and humanitarian rescue efforts must be a priority. But beyond immediate efforts, Europe needs to take strategic actions to reduce our dependency on energy imports from Russia and other non-EU countries. The action must avoid quick fixes which might pose similar future risks. Finding alternative energy supply might be necessary and acceptable with a short time perspective but cannot be proposed as a lasting solution.

A longer-term and strategic perspective would speed up the transformation to domestic renewable energy supply, and drastically reduce the EU’s dependency on imported fossil fuels.

To decrease energy import dependency, European governments, businesses and citizens have the opportunity to reduce energy demand very quickly. With this paper, BPIE is presenting suggestions to reduce energy consumption in buildings with measures which have a short-term effect.

 
Behaviour changes such as lowering the room temperature by a degree or two, switching off appliances which are not urgently needed and leaving the car in the garage are ad hoc contributions available to almost everyone and are an immediate signal of solidarity with the victims of Putin’s aggression. In the long term, individual actions must be replaced by a clever far-sighted EU plan to structurally reduce energy demand.

Our list of suggestions are divided into different categories (projects/campaigns, financing, regulation) and three time horizons – actions that can be rolled out in the next 6 months, in 3 years, and in 5 years. All these types of measures are needed if the EU is to decrease its energy import dependency in the long run and boost its resilience.
Download the strategy paper
HIGHLIGHTS
Advancing the transatlantic economic recovery with building renovation and clean energy solutions
As signatories of the Paris Agreement, the United States and the have both committed to society-wide decarbonization by 2050. They also pledged to base post-pandemic economic recovery on green and sustainable solutions. The European Union launched Next Generation EU to build a more sustainable, resilient and fairer Europe; the US Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad matches this focus and ambition.
 
As part of the Strategic Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA)BPIE (Buildings Performance Institute Europe) hosted, in collaboration with the Institute for Market Transformation, the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Housing and Urban Planning, and the European Commission, a series of expert dialogues on energy and buildings aiming to strengthen transatlantic collaboration and exchange on climate mitigation and green recovery policies.
Bringing together over 700 stakeholders and decision-makers from the US and the EU, the dialogues demonstrated high interest to share best practice and intensify the trans-Atlantic exchange on energy and buildings policy.

Whether you’re actively involved or simply curious about US and EU energy and buildings policy, you’ve come to the right place. Discover the key outcomes of the US-EU transatlantic exchange on building renovation and clean energy solutions in a few clicks and find out what stakeholders had to say about how the collaboration should continue. 
 
A guidebook to European buildings efficiency: key regulatory and policy developments
 
This paper provides an overview of key European initiatives and regulation such as the Clean Energy Package, the Clean Planet for All package, the EU Green Deal and Renovation Wave, and the EU's Climate-Neutrality law, serving as a guidebook for EU energy efficiency policy for buildings.
Mapping US policy on energy efficiency in buildings: Existing and planned activities at federal and sub-federal levels

This report informs EU audiences on the status of recovery measures in the U.S. – existing and planned – that can move the country towards meeting its climate commitments, and highlights case studies that were presented through the related US-EU webinar series.
 
Download the papers
Click below to visit buildingsdialogue.com for more info! 
#BPIEClimateConversations
How can the construction sector address whole-life carbon emissions?

BPIE’s new Climate Conversations series aims to shine light on a diverse range of perspectives on buildings and climate policies, engaging stakeholders from various backgrounds. We seek to identify solutions and blind spots to key challenges related to reducing the climate impact of buildings and to a just transition to a climate-neutral society.

For our first ever Climate Conversation, BPIE’s Executive Director Oliver Rapf sat down with Domenico Campogrand Director General of FIEC, the European Construction Industry Federation, to discuss one of our main preoccupations: the role of the construction industry and customers alike to address whole-life carbon emissions of buildings. In this exchange, FIEC explains what keeps the construction industry up at night, and what other ‘hidden emissions’ in the construction can be reduced simply better collaboration and planning.  

Read BPIE's first Climate Conversation
REPORT AND DATABASE
New report and database for EU building typologies, to improve energy performance
This report developed by the H2020 project AmBIENCe describes the development of a European database on building stock, which collects information and data on the parameters needed for both the Energy System Impact Assessment and the creation of performance models. The database provides information about the building stock segments’ reference building, as well as information on the building stock segments.
 
The results compiled in the Excel database can serve as a starting point to assess the flexibility potential when investigating a particular case for which no data/not enough useful data is available. This is relevant for most buildings in EU where examples from the database can be used as input for the calculating the flexibility potential with another tool developed by the AmBIENCe project, that is the ABEPeM platform.
Download the report & access the database here
WE'RE HIRING!
We are looking for one Project Manager and one Senior Project Manager for our BPIE Berlin office, fluency in German required 
 
Apply now
FACTSHEET
New paper from RenOnBill explains why the financial valuation of on-bill investments deserves special attention
This new policy facsheet from RenOnBill  explains the financial valuation of on-bill investments.. Special focus is given to the practical implementation of valuation steps and different perceptions project participants may have when analysing an on-bill investment. A chapter is devoted to the monetisation of non-energy benefits and their inclusion into project valuation.

Finally, to support proper evaluation of on-bill schemes, and to ensure adequate allocation of available funds, the RenOnBill paper proposes governments undertake the following actions when setting up an on-bill renovation programme: developing their own on-bill project evaluation techniques and preparing and promoting clear on-bill project evaluation guidelines.

 
Read the policy factsheet
e-SAFE
Making renovation for healthy, safe and earthquake-proof buildings be accessible to homeowners
This short video highlights the importance of energy efficiency and seismic renovation and how the e-SAFE project will provide innovative and affordable solutions. Watch it here!

Also, a new video on e-SAFE's YouTube channel briefly explains how e-CLT panels work in improving the seismic performance of buildings. 
A life cycle perspective for buildings
The European legal framework and good examples from Member States (German only)
Our new German project “Kreisläufe Konstruieren – Innovationschancen für den Gebäudesektor” brings together the relevant stakeholders to identify levers and obstacles, develop target group-specific recommendations for action, and develop a concrete roadmap for the future of a sustainable construction industry. 

The first report provides an overview of the most important European Legislation, standards and guidelines related to circularity and environmental impact of buildings. The scope is then narrowed to concrete examples from how Member States have designed laws and policy instruments to improve circularity and reduce emissions in several phases of a building’s life cycle.

Finally, we present good practice examples from the construction industry, illustrating how circularity and life-cycle thinking is already being implemented in practice. The report is concluded by a Policy Outlook, sketching how life-cycle thinking can be integrated in the European Policy Framework.
Read the report (in German)
BPIE IN THE NEWS
EVENTS
23 March 2022 | 9:30 - 11:00 
The EPBD recast: opportunities and challenges for France and Germany

Background: The proposal for the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), formulated by the European Commission, introduces a series of new tools and measures for the construction and energy renovation sector. Over the next few months, France and Germany will have a definite opportunity to share their best practices with other Member States and to ensure that the European legislation adopted is ambitious, both in terms of climate and Social plans. This particularly concerns the following instruments: minimum energy performance standards, the definition of zero-energy buildings, that of global energy renovation, as well as energy performance certificates.

Organised by the Franco-German Office for Energy Transition (OFATE), this webinar will provide an overview of the Commission's proposal, as well as a first assessment of its content by BPIE. The event will also be an opportunity to study the repercussions of this revision on France and Germany, and to explore the leadership opportunities it presents for both countries.
 
More info and registration link
24 March 2022 | 10:00-12:30
Join the BuiltHub Stakeholder Workshop on co-creating an impactful and user-friendly BuiltHub platform
The BuiltHub project seeks to develop a roadmap to continuously enhance the data needed to decide on building-related policy and business through a data platform and community of stakeholders. In this first workshop for the BuiltHub project, participants will see the first version of the BuiltHub platform, gain insight into the data collected thus far, as well as have a sneak peek at the first visualisations.

BuiltHub invites all stakeholders with an interest in a European building data platform to attend; this includes but is not limited to: policy makers, local or national authorities, energy agencies and construction and renovation industry experts and researchers. 
More info and registration link
5 April 2022 | Brussels and online
Save the Date! RenOnBill final conference: Towards the future of on-bill and other innovative financing schemes for energy renovation of residential buildings
The RenOnBill final conference closes three years of achievement and results in the field of innovative financing schemes for energy renovation of residential buildings. The programme will tell the story of this H2020 research and innovation project, highlighting main results and preparing the ground for the exploitation of the outputs, with external guests sharing their views and experience. 

The first section will introduce the project and on-bill schemes, highlight the impact on-bill schemes and other innovative financing schemes could have on the targets of the current EU policy framework (Renovation Wave, Fitfor55, etc.), and present best-practice from abroad.

The second section will deep dive into the exploitable results of RenOnBill, with presentations on the experiences of the three pilot utilities of the project, and on the way forward from the policy and commercial perspectives. The event will be in English and will be held in Brussels and online.

 
Register here
8 April 2022 | 14:00-15:00
Is energy and seismic renovation always relevant for residents?
Within the current EU decarbonisation and climate change adaptation goals, there is growing attention towards the role of energy and seismic retrofitting of worst-performing buildings. While such attention is currently being translated into a variety of practical ways of engaging public actors and the business community at multiple scales, questions can be asked whether such ways are always beneficial to urban residents. On April 8, 2022 (14:00-15:00), e-SAFE's Laura Saija will speak about the relevance of energy and seismic renovation for residents. 
More information and registration
PAST EVENTS
February 23
ENEFIRST Stakeholder workshop: Quantifying Energy Efficiency First in EU scenarios: Implications for buildings and their energy supply
This workshop provided an overview of the main results from three EU scenarios simulated in the ENEFIRST project to assess the implementation of the Energy Efficiency First principle in buildings and energy supply. Project partners came together with their stakeholders to explore and discuss the model-based results in view of providing inputs to current policy debates.
 
Watch the recording
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Dear reader,

2022 is a big year for energy, climate and buildings, in fact, we called the current decade the make-or-break decade on numerous occasions. Last week, Reuters reported that the European Union could cope with a short term halt to all Russian gas imports, but doing so would have ‘profound economic consequences’ and require emergency measures to curb demand, according to Bruegel Institute.

The reality of the energy transition is that, whatever the geopolitics, we know we must break from our dependence with fossil fuels as soon as we possibly can. At BPIE, we hope that the emergency measures taken will give significant weight to improving efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings.

In this respect, our EPBD policy briefing takes a critical look at the European Commission’s December 15th recast proposal. While many new tools have been introduced, we find that much work remains to be done to bring this legislation up to the task of securing a healthy, affordable and climate-neutral building stock.

And the findings of our deep-dive analysis into new building standards in six different EU regions show that decarbonisation in new buildings in the EU is happening too slowly and inconsistently, and that EU Member States are still heavily dependent on fossil fuel for heating purposes.

In tandem, our policy roadmap for whole-life carbon reduction sets out the necessary steps to introduce such considerations into the EPBD, aligning the legislation with climate-neutrality goals. Embodied emissions in buildings must be tackled in order for them not to undermine the carbon reductions achieved from the energy saving measures in the building sector.


All of our work this past month ultimately highlights that the EPBD is the single most important legislation targeting the building sector, and policy makers must make it their priority to ensure a comprehensive revision package, taking into account the links between the EPBD and the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Construction Product Directive, the Renewables Directive, the EU sustainable taxonomy, and the European Social Climate Fund, among others. However well intentioned, policymaking in isolation from the big picture will not bring us to where we want to go.

Towards this end, our first newsletter of 2022 provides numerous tools and inspiration to take strategic action that should help ensure a bullet-proof Fit for 55 package. These are the first of many publications and actions in 2022 with which we will raise awareness of the solution pathways at our disposal. The challenges ahead are great, but so are the opportunities. Let’s take them all this year.

Enjoy the reading,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: EMBEDDING WHOLE-LIFE CARBON IN THE EPBD

This policy roadmap argues that the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) recast this year should ensure a comprehensive vision of a carbon neutral building and construction sector, and set the requirements and clear triggers to reduce whole-life carbon emissions of the building stock. Reducing embodied emissions is a global challenge that offers significant carbon reduction potential; in the EU alone, embodied carbon contributes to around 10-20% of buildings’ total CO2 emission footprint.

Ultimately, the EPBD is the single most important legislation targeting the building sector. It requires Member States to set performance levels for their buildings, strategically plan the decarbonisation of the building stock through the long-term renovation strategies and implement additional measures – both financing and advisory tools.

BPIE’s roadmap sets out the necessary steps to introduce whole-life carbon considerations and align the provisions of the EPBD with climate-neutrality goals. It puts forward an overview of the most relevant and urgent actions up to 2050.

This roadmap sends a long-term market signal by setting out a clear vision that provides the rationale and sets the level of ambition for further measures and zeros in on how to integrate whole-life carbon in the policy framework. Considering the next EPBD revision is only planned by end of 2027, the time to get this right is now.

Download the policy roadmap
HIGHLIGHTS
POLICY BRIEFING
EPBD Recast: New provisions need sharpening to hit climate targets

This policy briefing finds that the European Commission’s December 15th EPBD recast proposal does not yet reflect the crucial role the EPBD should play within the Fit for 55 Package and within the greater narrative of securing energy independence. While it is welcome that many provisions are either introduced or open for modification, they will not deliver on the Directive’s objectives if the ambition is not set at the right level, and if measures are not made more stringent and coherent. 

Ultimately, the scope of the EPBD recast proposal is incomplete, as the updated 2050 vision for the building stock only considers the operational phase of emissions from buildings. The long-term vision is also unbalanced, with a focus on reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions mainly through a full switch to renewables, while the “energy efficiency first” principle is not reflected in the outlined provisions. With the legislative process starting, there is now an opportunity to ensure the final Directive is improved and fully aligned with the EU 2030 and 2050 climate and energy efficiency objectives.

Read the policy briefing
REPORT 
Ready for carbon neutral by 2050? Assessing ambition levels in new building standards across the EU
This report provides a close examination of six EU focus geographies. It shines a spotlight on wide-ranging discrepancies between EU countries in their approaches toward building sector decarbonization, both in terms of consistency regarding the definition of ‘NZEB’ as laid out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), and in terms of overall ambition levels. This milestone is important for EU decarbonisation efforts, as the buildings sector accounts for 36% of the EU’s carbon emissions and 40% of its energy use. Given this sizeable footprint, it is critical to ensure that new buildings are NZEBs so that their energy and carbon impact is reduced as much as possible.
The findings suggest that decarbonisation in new buildings in the EU is happening too slowly and inconsistently. The revision of the EPBD over the course of 2021 to 2022 offers a chance to update definitions, energy-performance and renewable-energy benchmarks, ambition levels of standards and other important elements.

The EPBD definition of ‘NZEB’ has not been changed for more than 10 years, and an updated definition will be an important part of the revision process. Another imperative in reviewing NZEB standards is the fact that EU Member States  are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels for heating purposes.
Read the report
REPORT
Implementing the Paris Agreement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life cycle of buildings: European public policies, tools and market initiatives
The built environment offers significant carbon mitigation potential: decisive policy action will not only address the ongoing climate emergency we are facing, but will also directly reduce energy costs and improve security of supply, and has the potential to create widespread business opportunities and significant numbers of new, local jobs.

Based on this context, the study presented in this report was developed at the request of the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) within the framework of the Specific Partnerships for Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA). This report discuhttps://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SPIPA-LCA-2022FINAL.pdfsses policies, tools and market initiatives aimed at reducing upfront emissions – that is, the embodied carbon associated with building construction, including the extraction and processing of materials.

 
Read the report
SURVEY - HAVE YOUR SAY!
US-EU Collaboration on Energy and building policy
Over the past year, BPIE and IMT, together with the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Housing and Urban Planning and the European Commission, has engaged in a unique dialogue on energy and building policies, bringing together over 700 stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic.

As the partnership is drawing to a close, we would like to take stock and better understand the needs of EU and US stakeholders about energy efficiency and decarbonisation policies, programmes, and strategies in the building sector. Whether you attended one of our webinars or not, your opinion on how we should continue this collaboration is extremely valuable to us.

We would be grateful if you could take five minutes of your time to fill in this survey.
ENEFIRST
Implementing the E1ST principle through a whole system, integrated approach and feedback survey
Implementing Energy Efficiency First requires looking at the entire energy system and using an integrated approach for energy planning and investment. This means considering jointly the possible evolutions in the energy demand and supply to find the optimal balance which takes into account all societal benefits and risks, with a long-term perspective. Discover how to implement the EE1st principle through an integrated approach with a focus on energy planning and energy-related investments in ENEFIRST’S new infographic. And for more details about policy guidelines for integrated approaches, see the latest ENEFIRST report.

Also, after two years, three dissemination webinars, four stakeholders’/experts’ workshops and nine reports already published, your views about your experience with ENEFIRST would be very welcome. Please take part in this quick 5-question survey. Your feedback will be very helpful for the project to prepare the activities and outputs of its last semester.
Download it here
BPIE IN THE NEWS
EVENTS
February 3, 1:00 - 2:30pm CET
Turnkey Retrofit webinar: Business models for One-stop shops – lessons learned from the Turkey Retrofit project 
Turnkey Retrofit developed an integrated home renovation service, leveraging on the business operations of the project partners. Available in France, Spain and Ireland, the service called Solutions4Renovation is tailored to respond to local needs. Each implementing partner will dive into the process of adapting the service, and how they envision its continuation after the project’s end. 
We will answer the following questions:
  • What was the reasoning behind the business model developed by the French, Spanish and Irish partners?
  • Which are the main determinants for the development of a business model?
  • What can the EU do to streamline the business model development and ensure successful replications?
Register here
February - March 2022
X-tendo webinar series on the new developments and testing for better EPCs
The H2020 project X-tendo is launching its webinar series disclosing the developments of its innovative features and the results of the testing in 9 countries. The webinar series will take place between February and March 2022 for a total of 5 webinars. The webinars will guide the audience in a discussion to improve the quality of an EPC combining various innovative elements.
What can you expect from the webinars?
  • Presentations on the work done in X-tendo related to the specific features (background, methodology, materials developed, next steps)
  • Presentations of the testing experiences and verification material in the implementing countries
  • Guest presentations from EPC experts external to X-tendo 
  • Panel discussions and Q&A with the presenters 
The first webinar Assessing comfort in buildings – approaches for the EPCs and building stock will be held on February 8, 2022 will give an introduction to the X-tendo comfort feature and will feature a representative from DG ENER reflecting on EPCs in the context of EPBD and Greece as a test partner presenting their view of things.
More info and registration link to the series
February 22
Turnkey Retrofit Final conference - Scaling up renovation in Europe: The role of one-stop shops in reaching a fully decarbonised building stock
The conference will aim to demonstrate the potential of one-stop shops in delivering a decarbonised and healthy building stock to the EU and will explore the key success factors and what is needed to step up and replicate such services.

Building on the experience of the 3-year long project Turnkey Retrofit, partners will share key learnings, together with other H2020 projects such as PadovaFIT & re-modulees. The Parisian Climate Agency will also present its one-stop shop for multi-family buildings. The event will also be an opportunity to discuss how to better shape policies at EU level that support local and national entities in setting up and deploying one-stop shops.

 
Register here
February 23, 14:00 - 16:00 CET
ENEFIRST Stakeholder workshop: Quantifying Energy Efficiency First in EU scenarios: Implications for buildings and their energy supply
This workshop provides an overview of the main results from three EU scenarios simulated in the ENEFIRST project to assess the implementation of the Energy Efficiency First principle in buildings and energy supply. The project would like to come together with its stakeholders to explore and discuss the model-based results in view of providing inputs to current policy debates.
 
The discussions will be partly in plenary and in breakout groups. The workshop is primarily meant for policy officers, policy analysts, modelling experts and stakeholders interested in results from national or EU energy scenarios. More details will be available soon here.

 
Register here
PAST EVENTS
EU-Russia Exchange on sustainable building policies and measures concluded on January 20, 2022
The Final Conference of the EU-Russia exchange on sustainable building policies and measures reflected on the entire workshop series that was carried out in 2021, summarised the key takeaways and lessons learned regarding differences and similarities, and fostered future collaboration and experience exchange between the key stakeholders. If you took part in any of the events of this exchange, we would like to ask for a few minutes of your time to complete this short survey.

The final report will come out at the end of February. In the meantime, you can find the recordings of the Final Conference and the entire workshop series here.
First BuiltHub webinar. Building a sustainable and meaningful data flow of the EU building stock on January 20, 2022
On January 20, 2022 the BuiltHub project hosted its first webinar on the topic of building a sustainable and meaningful data flow of the EU building stock. In case you missed it, had to leave early or wish to refresh your memory, the presentation from the webinar and the recording of the session are now available online.
US-EU exchange on building standards and codes to drive renovation on January 11, 2022
The fifth webinar in this US-EU exchange series focused on what the status of standards and codes for buildings in the EU and the US are and what the keys for achieving highly energy-efficient new and renovated buildings are. The invited speakers shared their knowledge on European and American codes and standards for buildings, codes for new construction, the European energy performance of buildings standards and the use of minimum energy performance standards to renovate Europe’s existing buildings.

In case you missed the webinar, you can find the presentations here and watch the recording of the webinar here.
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Dear reader,

Yesterday the European Commission published its proposal for the future energy and climate legislation for buildings, the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive).

Our first analysis finds that many policy tools to reduce energy waste and CO2 emissions will be strengthened, but the rail guards supporting the transformation of the building stock have too many holes. We will have to close them in the political agreement process next year, to avoid that the renovation wave turns into a renovation jam in which buildings literally get stuck on a very low performance level. Dropping the renovation wave would perpetuate Europe’s energy import dependence and would limit its geopolitical diplomatic power which cannot be in the interest of Europeans. The European Parliament and national governments will have to work hard next year to strengthen the Commission’s proposal so that the interests of citizens are reflected. Further, we also need to ensure that the new legislation addresses the full climate impact of buildings. Our new paper on Environmental Product Declarations summarises how much (or how little) is already known about the impact of construction materials.

It is a well-known fact that policy making is not an easy job. Therefore, it is even more important to provide support and assistance to the many people and institutions in Member States in charge of putting effective policies in place. We identify the needs expressed by public authorities and the technical assistance offers in place in our new paper produced in the context of the Build Upon2 project.

An equally important tool to support renovation are Energy Performance Certificates. In our new publication on the topic we describe the needs of users and make suggestions how to evolve this important labelling scheme for buildings.

Closing the circle to the revision of the EPBD, our new guidance document shows how the Energy Efficiency First principle should be enshrined in energy policy making across the board. Without stopping energy waste, the zero-carbon energy system will be much more costly and will have more environmental impacts than necessary. EE1st must be core and center of our energy policy, both in member states and on the pan-European level.

While this is our last newsletter of the year, I am confident that 2022 will be as intense as 2021 was. We all live in a time which is throwing enormous challenges at us to create a better world, on many fronts. The tasks ahead may seem daunting, but I am sure that with constructive collaboration, intense exchange and forward looking thinking and decisions all of us will be able to make a positive contribution to the many solutions. I would like to thank you for your collaboration, support and interest in our work during this year, and wish you a relaxing holiday and joyful new year,  so that you can re-energise yourself for what lies ahead.

Warm regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS
Addressing the hidden emissions in buildings: Status quo, gaps, and recommendations for Environmental Product Declarations and Whole-Life Carbon
Buildings are not only responsible for emissions during their use phase, but also for emissions arising from manufacturing and processing of building materials. Achieving climate-neutrality goals will require urgent emissions reductions across the entire building lifecycle. 

Assessing the whole-life carbon (WLC) footprint will help better understand the full impact of new constructions and renovations and how these can be reduced, as well as enable the design of meaningful policies that align the operational and embodied carbon trajectories.


EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) are descriptive summaries which product manufacturers publish to provide an overview of the environmental impacts of their products. EPDs usually cover the complete lifecycle of a product, from material extraction to final disposal, and therefore are one of the key tools that could help us generate reliable WLC data.
 
However, there is currently a crucial need for a harmonisation of EPD standards, which is lacking at EU level. This lack of harmonised EPDs has a direct impact on our ability to measure the carbon footprint of materials and products used to create buildings, and to effectively account for embodied emissions.

Regulating the WLC footprint of buildings will require measures targeting both products and buildings. Introducing WLC considerations in the EPBD and building regulations should start with reporting requirements and improving carbon data consistency. Once comparable data and reliable measurement are available, minimum thresholds and target values could be introduced.
 

Ultimately, assessing the WLC footprint is inextricably linked to our ability to implement other policies effectively, such as NZEB standards, for example.

Read the factsheet
HIGHLIGHTS
Bridging the gap: linking local level needs with Technical Assistance in the EU
Building renovation is key to achieving EU and national climate targets. Fortunately, the importance of achieving a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock is becoming more widely understood. However, several gaps remain. Despite more financial resources becoming available for municipal renovations, challenges exist for public authorities in convincing policy makers and the public of the overall socio-economic benefits of renovation.

The Build Upon² Framework provides a multi-level renovation impact framework to help European cities decarbonise their building stock, and measure the full benefits of building retrofits, including environmental, social and economic impacts such as carbon savings, energy poverty alleviation and job creation.
The report provides recommendations for technical assistance, both in terms of current programmes available for pilot cities to engage with and how, as well as recommendations for providers at the European level on how they could better connect with municipalities. While there is no perfect solution, programmes can be tailored to fit specific needs.
Read the report
Download the infographic
Guidelines on policy design options for the implementation of the E1st principle in buildings and the related energy systems
The latest report from the H2020 project ENEFIRST adds a holistic perspective to the concept of Energy Efficiency First (E1st) and provides guidelines to promote integrated approaches for implementing E1st across different policy areas within the energy system. It aims to break the silos in policymaking and implementation, with a focus on energy planning and investment schemes in the buildings and related energy sectors, where supply-side and demand-side options can be considered jointly to provide long-term benefits to society and the energy system as a whole.
The report also provides a targeted review of the Fit-for-55 package proposed by the Commission in July 2021, analysing the new or revised provisions that can be connected with the implementation of the E1st principle. 

In case you missed it, on November 30, 2021 ENEFIRST organised a webinar where the project’s latest outputs were presented, along with two examples from Croatia and Sweden of how implementing E1st or similar concepts is about adopting more integrated approaches and an overview of how Member States are implementing EE1st from the brand new EE1st facility of the ODYSSEE-MURE project. The recording and the presentations are available here.
Read the report
Next-generation energy performance certificates: End-user needs and expectations
What will the next generation Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) look like? Will they help 🇪🇺 Member States to meet the upcoming revised EPBD requirements?

In the latest publication from the X-tendo project, more than 2500 end-users in five 🇪🇺 countries (Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Poland, and Romania) were surveyed to investigate their needs on the new EPCs features. The results highlight that the features are viewed most positively if homeowners or tenants are energy conscious and energy performance is an important aspect when buying or renting property. Furthermore, the insights gathered through the analysis of the survey provide suggestions for public authorities on how EPC methodologies could be customised to support the advancement of EPC schemes.
Read the article
EVENTS
11 January 2022, 16:00 - 17.45 CET 

[Webinar] US-EU Exchange: Building standards and codes to drive renovation

To date, renovations largely take place on a voluntary basis – there is no uniform obligation on member states and local authorities to renovate buildings, and engaging both building owners and the financial sector is a lengthy and uneven process. However, building standards and codes, which can be defined as a comprehensive set of interconnected regulations that are designed to govern new construction or renovations, are potential paths to support and boost renovations. 

Join us on January 11th for the final US-EU Exchange webinar to discuss the status of standards and codes in the EU and the US and how they can be key for achieving highly energy-efficient buildings, new and renovated. Speakers and full agenda here
Register here
17 January 2022 |15:00 CET

[Webinar] The RenOnBill tool: Evaluating energy efficiency interventions with a probabilistic approach 
The evaluation of energy efficiency interventions is affected by numerous parameters and variables and most of them are uncertain. On the other hand, most analyses do not include the estimation of the risk connected with the energy efficiency investments. This approach has led to perceiving energy investments by financial institutions as high-risk and thus limited their commitment. 

Utilities also need to evaluate a portfolio of interventions in different parts of a country with different climatic conditions. This can impact the risk profile of the investment and the possibility to analyse many interventions at the same time. 

The newly released RenOnBill tool tackles these issues by providing a simple and effective instrument directed to both financial institutions and energy utilities. The webinar that will be held on January 17 at 15:00, will demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of the tool in its aim to derisk and increase uptake of energy efficiency interventions. 
Register here
January 20, 9:00 - 11:30 CET

EU-Russia Exchange Final conference

The Final Conference of the EU-Russia exchange on sustainable building policies and measures will reflect on the entire workshop series that was carried out in 2021, summarise the key takeaways and lessons learned regarding differences and similarities, and foster future collaboration and experience exchange between the key stakeholders. Registration is now open and the agenda is coming soon.

The third workshop (26 November, 2021) saw experts share experiences of circularity, real-life projects, and industry-led initiatives supporting the transition towards a sustainable built environment in Russia and the EU. The first and second workshops are also available online.
Register here
January 20, 9.30-12.30 CET

BuiltHub webinar “Building a sustainable and meaningful data flow of the EU Building stock” 

The European building landscape is transforming, and big data is leading the way. During BuiltHub’s first webinar, participants will follow this journey through the lens of practical and tangible examples. Discover how building-related and energy-related data can serve as a transmission piece between building and renovation policy, and implementation at all building levels, and learn how you can become involved. 
Register here
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Dear reader,

COP 26, the global climate negotiation in Glasgow, ended with mixed results. Political leaders repeated the urgency to act and the final document asks governments to increase their mitigation efforts. Now we are looking for evidence that action is following these words. Introducing a standard for deep renovation in EU legislation would provide some of this evidence. We are suggesting the why and how in our new paper, and hope that the revision of the Buildings Directive will include this important step.

Another type of action is described in a new report which we co-developed with the retail real estate industry. Zooming into this very specific part of our building stock, we are publishing a vision and strategy to decarbonise the sector. That the urgency for real action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and construction remains high is also the result of the Global Status Report by the UN hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). BPIE contributed its second edition of the Buildings Climate Tracker which found that progress in decarbonisation is stagnating if we take the short-term effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic out of the analysis.

Finally, I am proud to say that the RenOnBill project in which BPIE is active won the Citizen’s Award of the EU Sustainable Energy Week, a clear indication that citizens are looking for workable solutions to trigger renovation.

As always, I invite you to have a good read of our news and to check out the many invitations to online events which we are hosting or contributing to.


Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: DEEP RENOVATION STANDARD
New Report: Deep renovation’ of buildings must become gold standard for all renovation decisions

BPIE (Buildings Performance Institute Europe)'s new report, released today, argues that that deep – as opposed to shallow – renovation of buildings, must urgently get a legally binding definition at EU level and become standard practice in order to reach climate goals and combat rising fuel prices and energy poverty. This should be included in the European Commission’s revised EPBD, expected before the end of 2021, and should be considered the ‘gold standard’ for any investment decision to upgrade a building.
 
To date, no binding definition of deep renovation exists at EU level. Several close concepts have emerged in other legislative and non-legislative files, opening the door to misinterpretation and lack of shared understanding on the rate and depth required to decarbonise the building stock and bring it in line with climate-neutrality.
 

 
The report argues that deep renovation should minimise energy needs by capturing the full potential of the building to reduce its energy demand, while delivering adequate comfort levels to occupants. The remaining low energy demand should be supplied by renewables, progressively increasing their share within the total supply, towards reaching 100% at the end of the deep renovation process and by 2050 latest.

Beyond introducing a legally binding definition of deep renovation in the EPBD, the report urges the EU to recalibrate its renovation ecosystem of policy, advisory and financing measures in order to trigger the shift to a ‘deep renovation first’ approach, embedding deep renovation into the EPBD and ensuring a consistent approach across all policies.
 
Download the deep renovation report
HIGHLIGHTS
A Paris-Proof Retail Real Estate Sector: A Vision and Roadmap for a decarbonised retail property

Missing the opportunity to achieve Paris-Agreement goals fo the retail real estate sector creates the threat of higher overall costs for both business and society. Given the long lifetime of most RRE sector investments, action should be taken now. This document provides a shared vision and step-wise roadmap for retail real estate to collectively reach 2050 net zero carbon emissions, in line with the Paris Agreement.  

BPIE's vision and roadmap is the result of over one year of engagement with 14 retail European and global property developers, investors and managers. A first-of-its-kind effort, it provides detailed guidance for the entire retail property value chain to reach net-zero carbon, which includes the property sector, policymakers, commercial tenants, the construction sector, and financial institutions, by 2025, 2030, and 2040. 

BPIE's vision and strategy document provides detailed guidance for the entire retail property value chain to reach net-zero carbon. This includes the property sector, policymakers, commercial tenants, the construction sector, and financial institutions, by 2025, 2030, and 2040. 

The vision is a signal to the market and to policymakers that industry is ready and supports carbon neutrality. The ambition is to align with the Paris Agreement, not only through climate risk management initiatives but through a more explicit and targeted set of actions. Individual efforts and strategies will need to be articulated, developed and scaled across the RRE sector. 
Read the decarbonisation vision and strategy
Global ABC published the 2021 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) published its Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. This year's edition finds that in 2020, the sector accounted for 36 per cent of global final energy consumption and 37 per cent of energy related CO2 emissions, as compared to other end use sectors. While the level of emissions within the sector are 10 per cent lower than in 2019, reaching lows not seen since 2007, this was largely due to lockdowns, slowing of economies, difficulties households and businesses faced in maintaining and affording energy access and a fall in construction activity. Collectively, stakeholders in the sector must seize the opportunity that the COVID-19 economic recovery period offers to foster transformation for decarbonizing the sector.
 
Read the report
RenOnBill wins the Citizen's Award of the EU Sustainable Energy Week
 
Our project RenOnBill was awarded the prestigious Citizens' Award at the EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2021. European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, was on hand to congratulate the winners at the online awards ceremony which kicked off Day 1 of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW). 

Following European building renovation objectives, RenOnBill looks at all the ways to save energy in buildings and brings financial institutions and utility companies together. Business model guidelines for on-bill schemes, which could extend the replicability of the project, are also one of the main results of the project that will soon be published. 

RenOnBill was between the twelve outstanding individuals and projects that were highlighted at the EUSEW 2021 for their innovation in energy efficiency and renewables. The awards have four categories - Engagement, Innovation, Woman in Energy and Young Energy Trailblazer – as well as the Citizen’s Award. Prizes were awarded by an expert jury (for Engagement and Innovation), and by citizens via a public vote. 

 
Meet the EUSEW 2021 Award winners
12 recommendations for the roll-out of one-stop-shops across the European Union - first lessons learned from the Turnkey Retrofit project

To accelerate decarbonisation of the building stock, the Renovation Wave strategy highlights the need for standardised one-stop-shops that can be deployed quickly.

One-stop-shops can play roles as facilitators in the Renovation Wave, by interconnecting funding opportunities, incorporating solutions to new regulatory requirements, organising training and apprenticeship programmes and supporting various awareness-raising activities.


This report discusses the replicability of the renovation journey and highlights 12 key recommendations for how the European Commission can support an effective roll-out of one-stop shops across the European Union.
The report is based on the experience of the TURNKEY RETROFIT project, which has expanded existing one-stop shop services – HEERO and Operene – and initiated a replication process of certain elements in Spain and Ireland.
 
Read the report
How renovation measures fight energy poverty: new ComAct report helps energy advisors master energy efficiency

Together with its Knowledge Sharing platform, this new ComAct report provides a basis for training energy advisors on energy efficiency and renovation measures. This material intends to allow frontline staff in local municipalities and energy efficiency advisors engaged with the pilot cases of multi-apartment buildings in the ComAct project to master energy efficiency and disclose all the multiple benefits to fight against energy poverty.
This report is divided into several parts: at the beginning, it provides the basis for a legal and engineering background, where energy pricing is also explained. The other chapters are then divided by measures: simple measures, measures for the building envelope, heating system, preparation of domestic hot water, and for electric energy. For each group, we give both the basics, including the current state and possible improvements of energy efficiency, and more details, where deemed necessary. The level of detail aims to enable participants to fully understand the mentioned advantages and drawbacks of each measure, but without confusing or oversaturating them with data.

The report is available in English, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Lithuanian.

 
Read the report
New calculation tools allow assessors to improve existing energy performance certificates schemes across Europe
After defining the scope of the smart readiness, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption and district energy, X-tendo analysed and developed existing and new methods to assess these innovative features for next-generation energy performance assessment and certification schemes, taking into account the boundary conditions of an EPC assessment.
The developed methodologies are being tested based on a set of reference buildings and on actual buildings in field testing.

First, X-tendo looked into the existing knowledge on features and then it focused on their further elaboration. The consortium investigated the desired level of integration of these approaches within existing EPC schemes, which then resulted in a selection of spreadsheet tools to assess measured energy consumption, outdoor air pollution, district energy network connection, comfort and smartness levels.

The spreadsheet tools can be used by assessors to make the transition to better EPCs. The X-tendo implementing partners are already testing these tools in Austria, Estonia, Greece, Romania, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Denmark and UK and first results will be published by the start of 2022.

 
Download the calculation tools
ENEFIRST presents a methodological concept for a model-based analysis of the E1st principle for the EU-27

ENEFIRST’s latest report presents an energy system analysis that investigates what level of demand and supply-side resources should be deployed to provide the greatest value to the EU’s society in transitioning to net-zero GHG emissions for the building sector by 2050.

On the demand side, the analysis focuses on the resource option of end-use energy efficiency in buildings, investigating the contributions of thermal retrofits, efficient appliances, and other measures towards the net-zero target. On the supply side, the analysis quantifies the possible deployment and costs of various generation, network and storage options for the provision of electricity, district heat and gas products for the building sector.

 
Read the report
BPIE OPINIONS
EVENTS
November 26, 9:00 - 11:50 CET

Third workshop in the EU-Russia Exchange - “Sustainable Life Cycle of buildings: a holistic approach to deliver sustainable buildings and reduce waste

During the third and final workshop of the EU-Russia exchange, representatives of local authorities, resource efficiency experts, companies, and industry associations active in circular construction will share their experience and present their views on circularity, real-life projects, and industry-led initiatives supporting the transition towards a sustainable built environment in Russia and the EU. 

Watch the first and second workshop in case you missed it. 

Register here
30 November 2021 |15:00- 16:30 CET

[Webinar]  Energy Efficiency First in practice: implementing integrated approaches

On 28 September 2021, the European Commission published a new recommendation and guidelines entitled “Energy Efficiency First: from principles to practice”. The third webinar of the ENEFIRST project will complement these new resources with two examples from Croatia and Sweden, discussing how implementing Energy Efficiency First (EE1st, or similar concepts) is about adopting more integrated approaches, for both investment decisions and local energy planning.

This webinar will also present the latest outputs from the ENEFIRST project that provides implementation maps and policy guidelines to support the design and implementation of integrated approaches for EE1st. Finally, there will be an overview of how Member States are implementing EE1st will be presented from the brand new EE1st facility of the ODYSSEE-MURE project. Ahead of this webinar, attendees can have a look at examples from Ireland and UK presented at the first ENEFIRST webinar, and from France and the US at the second ENEFIRST webinar.
 
Register here
December 2, 16:00 - 17.30 CET 

[Webinar] Job creation and workforce development for building renovation

Both the new US administration and the European Commission repeatedly point out that an investment in green technology (including refurbishment of the building stock) is a job creator. What are the actual numbers? What kind of jobs are created? Which types of jobs are replaced? How sustainable is this job creation? 

The webinar will focus on energy efficiency as a jobs multiplier to create more and better jobs in multiple sectors of the economy. Speakers from both sides of the Atlantic will discuss training opportunities and initiatives greening the job market. Speakers and full agenda here
Register here
The next generation Energy Performance Certificates: making buildings fit for the energy transition
 
In October 2021, with the EPBD revision close to the official adoption by EC services, insights and state-of-the-art information about the European Energy Performance Certification Schemes in use now for little over 10 years at Member State level are condensed in one shot. This provides at the same time the outlook for a holistic and future proof framework and related processes across the EU for the benefit of all stakeholders and also supports the transition to an overarching digitally transformed EU building stock as means for healthy, affordable, efficient and green buildings.

REHVABPIEFEDARENE and Sympraxis Team, hosted by the BuildUp Portal, brought together key actors from the Next Generation Energy Performance Certificates for buildings Horizon 2020 cluster of projects for a lively and informative moderated panel discussion between the project's representatives with 2 prior short 'setting the scene' keynotes from DG ENER and BPIE to benefit all EPBD stakeholders, with a slightly enhanced focus on EU Member States and specifically decision-makers and influencers of the EPBD revision process. 
NEWS
New Renovation tool will help cities tackle climate, economic and health crises
 
The BUILD UPON2 Framework - trialed by over 30 cities across Europe - is a tool that helps local governments measure the full benefits of building retrofit, including environmental, social and economic impacts such as carbon savings, energy poverty alleviation and job creation.

These include a set of 13 ‘indicators’ that should be tracked as part of successful renovation programmes. For example, CO2 emissions reductions, percentage of households lifted from energy poverty, improvements to indoor air quality and jobs supported due to energy renovation works. This framework of indicators is complemented with resources to help cities collect data and report results effectively.

A total of 32 cities are now using or building capacity to implement the BUILD UPON2 Framework. This is a crucial tool to deliver the EU’s Renovation Wave, an ambitious plan to at least double the bloc’s renovation rate by 2030, on the local level. In this way, participant cities can help meet the EU Green Deal’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

 
Read the full press release
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Dear reader,

Energy prices have soared in recent months, and while this might be good news for the return on energy efficiency investments, it is bad news for people already struggling to pay their energy bills. The required policy response is clear: Invest in initiatives which renovate buildings and eliminate energy poverty at the same time. In an upcoming webinar we are showing how such an initiative could look like in “real life”, presented by the ComAct project. 

This newsletter is focusing on “how to make the transformation happen”. We are showcasing successful financing models, highlighting tools to support sector innovation and are inviting you to a range of webinars to learn and discuss strategies and solutions to reduce the climate impact of buildings now. I am convinced that evidence of successful initiatives can encourage policymakers to be bold in their response to climate change, whether globally at the forthcoming climate negotiations, or at home when designing the details of European building legislation. I invite you to join in our call for “boldness to fight climate change”, no time to waste. 


Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: GAS PRICES & ENERGY POVERTY

 

Taking back control: Reducing Europe's vulnerability against energy price volatility by fast tracking deep building renovation

This policy briefing argues that buildings are a necessary strategic pillar which must considered as part of a long-term solution to the problem of rising gas prices, especially as the stark price hikes are now (and may continue) to affect Europe’s most vulnerable, energy poor populations.

 

The briefing argues that short-term solutions such as increased financial support for vulnerable groups are an appropriate and necessary political response in a time of crisis, but should not dilute attention and commitment to pushing long-term sustainable solutions. Improving the energy performance of European buildings is the most reliable  and safest strategy to reduce EU’s exposure to future energy cost spikes, and policy making should move from serious words to serious action and serious political support.

The current energy price crisis should fast track efforts to deploy deep energy renovation. It requires committed national strategies to reduce energy consumption of buildings. Significant funds are available in Europe, both from the increasing revenues of the European Emission Trading System as well as from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Read the policy briefing
HIGHLIGHTS
Supporting and analysing energy efficiency measures in the residential sector: more insights in the new RenOnBill scientific papers

Two new arcticles were recently published by RenOnBill partner UNIGE in the Energy journal. The first presents a methodology to effectively address the evaluation of building energy retrofitting projects in a highly uncertain context. The second gives an in-depth description of on-bill mechanisms as a tool to support energy renovation in the residential sector, which should be tailored to different contexts.
 
Read the articles here
New Resource Centre for energy consultation opened in Odessa, Ukraine, aims to lift citizens out of energy poverty 

The Odessa Housing Association, ComAct’s Ukraine country partner, hosted the opening ceremony of the Energy Consulting Resource Centre last August. The Centre aims to support the refurbishment of five multifamily apartment buildings in the Odessa region, benefitting 780 residents. Residents will be able to access support carry out technical examinations of their home and to implement thermal modernization. An energy auditor will guide residents through their decision making process, providing insights on measures to implement and how much it will cost.

The opening of the centre will be followed by energy audits, trainings, surveys and more practical activities to help citizens from the CIS and CEE regions fight energy poverty.
 

Watch the video of the Resource Centre opening (in Ukrainian)
Check out the service broadcasted on the national television (in Ukrainian)

Read the full article here

BuiltHub  - harnessing the power of building data to make cities more sustainable, affordable, and people-friendly places. 
 
New GABC Report : The Buildings Passport Practical Guidelines
 
The new report by the Global Alliance of Buildings and Construction, Building Passport Practical Guidelines addresses the need for accessible and reliable data and information on buildings. Policymakers and market participants alike see the development and use of Building Passports as a way to overcome current data gaps and barriers, helping to capture, administer and manage building-related data and information across the whole life cycle. The overarching goals of these practical guidelines, which represent the collaborative effort of a global Task Force of public and private sector experts, are to illustrate the value of developing holistic, multi-dimensional Building Passports. At the same time, the guidelines reflect key aspects of past discussions about how to make them work in practice, drawing on the experiences of stakeholders and existing and emerging initiatives.
 
Download the report here

Available now

International experience in environmental performance assessment tools and policies for the construction sector

More about the EU-Brazil exchange can be found here.
BPIE OPINIONS
EVENTS - GET INVOLVED!
We're looking forward to seeing you in one of our several events happening this month. Make sure to not miss this opportunity to get involved.
All registrations are open!
Our project RenOnBill was selected as finalist for the EUSEW2021 Awards:

Help us win with your vote!

RenOnBill is one of three finalists shortlisted for the EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2021 in the Innovation category. The award recognises outstanding EU-funded activities that show an original and innovative path toward the clean energy transition. Building renovations could experience a boom across Europe, as building owners may soon be able to leverage innovative financing that makes it easier to undertake energy renovations. Through the EU-funded RenOnBill project, utility companies are developing strategies to offer on-bill schemes. It is funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and contributes to the EU’s Renovation Wave Strategy.
 
Vote for RenOnBill here
14/10/2021

10:30 - 12:00
The EPBD revision: How to make the building stock decarbonised, energy-efficient and healthy through smartness 

This event will highlight how the review of the Energy Performance Of Buildings Directive (EPBD) can use smart technologies to make the EU’s building stock energy-efficient, decarbonised, future proof and more comfortable to its citizens. The revision of the EPBD creates a unique opportunity to deploy a broad range of energy-efficient and smart technologies. The event is aimed at fostering a discussion between policymakers, institutions and stakeholders (industry experts, NGO’s, investors, property owners, facility managers, citizens, authorities and others), that will be engaged in the review of the EPBD.
 
14/10/2021

12:00 - 13:30
Next generation Energy Performance Certificates: Making buildings fit for the energy transition

REHVABPIEFEDARENE and Sympraxis Team, hosted by the BuildUp Portal, bring together key actors from the Next Generation Energy Performance Certificates for buildings Horizon 2020 cluster of projects for a lively and informative moderated panel discussion between the project's representatives with 2 prior short 'setting the scene' keynotes from DG ENER and BPIE to benefit all EPBD stakeholders, with a slightly enhanced focus on EU Member States and specifically decision-makers and influencers of the EPBD revision process.
 
Find more information here
14/10/2021

15:00 - 16:30
How to make the Renovation Wave a success in Central and Eastern Europe in addressing Energy Poverty?

This session, where the ComAct project will be presented, highlights the importance of focusing on communities of homeowners in Central and Eastern European (CEE) region living in multi apartment buildings as a prerequisite for future renovation of these buildings. The session introduces specific challenges of the CEE region by providing EU policy background for building renovation. Speakers will present best practices from the region that successfully tackle energy poverty and lead renovation of residential buildings thanks to scaling up the financing for residential energy efficiency and provision of technical assistance to homeowner associations. Presentations will be followed by discussion with the audience. The session will be accompanied by two rounds of interactive exercises.
 
Find more information here
21/10/2021   
 
12:00 - 13:30
Next generation Energy Performance Certificates: Making buildings fit for the energy transition

This event will highlight the potential of energy service companies (ESCOs), notably by using Energy Performance Contracts (EnPCs), to support Europe in reaching the objectives of the Green Deal, Renovation Wave and, more specifically, the Fit for 55 package. To ensure EU legislation is on track with the renewed 2030 climate ambition, it is key not only to ensure that energy efficiency actions, such as building renovations, are fostered and massively rolled out, but also that the solutions in place maintain and even increase improved energy performance over time, through effective monitoring, management, and maintenance of relevant energy installations. EnPCs are a proven mechanism to deliver energy savings in the long-term; moreover, they can offer a viable financing solution for the implementation of energy efficiency projects. The event will foster active discussion between policymakers, institutions and stakeholders (ESCOs, technology providers, cities and citizen networks, think tanks, energy agencies and others), that will be engaged in shaping EU policies falling under the Fit for 55 package.
 
Find more information here
21/10/2021   
 
09:00 - 10:30
The three Horizon 2020 projects ENEFIRSTEERAdata and sEEnergies are jointly organising a session called “Energy Efficiency First: let’s walk the talk!” 

Energy Efficiency First (E1st) is a foundational principle of the Energy Union to achieve carbon neutrality with an energy transition delivering multiple benefits to the society. E1st is still a recent concept that has yet to move from theory to practice. This event aims to provide the participants with a concrete understanding of what implementing E1st means and can achieve, and to discuss difficulties encountered and how they can be overcome, from local to EU level. The session will discuss the potential that can be achieved by implementing the Energy Efficiency First principle, and examples of approaches illustrating how such potential can be achieved in buildings.

Find the agenda here.

 
Register here

US-EU exchange webinar: Finance for energy efficiency in buildings – the process

20 October 2021, 4:00-6:00pm CEST | 10:00-12:00am EST


What is the role of the financial sector in boosting energy efficiency investments? How does financing for energy efficiency projects work in practice? The EU and the US both committed to full society-wide decarbonization by 2050. Both have pledged to base the post-COVID economic recovery on green and sustainable solutions. The upcoming webinar: Finance for energy efficiency in buildings – the process, is the third in a 5-part series taking place as part of the EU-US energy dialogue, focusing on building renovation and in such a green recovery. The webinar will look at the role of the financial sector in boosting energy efficiency investments and explore business models that link funds to projects. The sessions will include a deep dive looking at the specifics of how financing for energy efficiency projects works in practice.
 
Register here
SPIPA Russia – recording workshop 1 and save the date for 2nd workshop 21 October
 
On September 14, we held the first workshop of the EU-Russia Exchange on sustainable building policies and measures. “Future-proof buildings for all: building regulations and renovation strategies in the EU and Russia” provided an overview of the current legislation both in the EU and Russia as well as innovative instruments to incentivise deep renovation, implementing the objectives of the EU Green Deal and Russian climate protection targets. You can find the presentations and the recording of the workshop here.
The second workshop titled “Scaling up the renovation of large apartment blocks: technological and financing solutions” will be held on October 21. Good practices in terms of innovative technological solutions, the role of digitalisation and financing for the refurbishment of apartment building blocks in countries with similarities in climate and building typologies with Russia will be presented.

The full agenda will be published soon here.
 
Register here
Despite laudable efforts, the retail real estate industry lacks a common vision and strategy to achieve full decarbonization by 2050. Shopping spaces must become ‘Paris-Proof by 2050’, which means that property developers and investors in retail spaces need to rethink the design, purpose and sustainability of their building portfolios, all while juggling complex relationships with tenants and the impacts of economic downturn.

What you’ll learn

  • What does ‘zero-carbon’ really mean for the retail building sector?
  • What are the strategies and best practices that retail asset owners are using now to decarbonise their portfolios?
  • How do leading industry experts envision the road to decarbonisation?
  • What are the principles and requirements for achieving zero-carbon outcomes?
  • What should be the roles and responsibilities of asset owners, tenants, financial institutions, buildings’ solution providers, and policymakers?
  • How to set clear boundaries for establishing carbon neutrality targets and pathways?

… And crucially, to ensure 2050 climate-neutrality of the retail real estate sector, who needs to do what, and by when?

Register here
e-SAFE solutions for the energy and seismic renovation of non-historic buildings, October 28 (time tbc)

The e-SAFE project will be part of the Policy Conference at the EU Sustainable Energy Week 2021. Prof. Gianpiero Evola (University of Catania) from the e-SAFE project was selected to present a talk on “The e-SAFE solutions for the energy and seismic renovation of non-historic buildings” on 28th October. Check back on the programme for the exact timing of the talk.

RenOnBill stakeholder roundtables on on-bill financing schemes – Autumn 2021  

The H2020 project RenOnBill, whose focus is on on-bill financing schemes is launching its second round of stakeholder roundtables this autumn. The roundtable is an exclusive opportunity to exchange with representatives from the energy, finance, housing, and policy spheres on the next steps for replicating on-bill schemes for the market of the project’s focus countries, that are Germany, Italy, Spain, Lithuania.   

Key topics that will be addressed during the roundtable are:    

  • How on-bill schemes can contribute to addressing EU’s energy renovation challenge  

  • Next steps at policy, regulatory, and market level to facilitate on-bill schemes for the German/Italian/Spanish/Lithuanian market  

  • Main insights from RenOnBill’s “business modelling development guidelines” (to be released in Autumn 2021)  

The next roundtables are the German and the Italian ones, that will be respectively held  on October 12th and October 18th. You can get in touch with our Spanish partner Crearawith our German partner adelphi or with our Italian partner Epta Prime, for more info and registrations and visit the RenOnBill events page to stay updated on the Lithuanian roundtable.  

Energy efficiency – full speed ahead! is the focus of the next European Energy Efficiency Conference on 2-4 March 2022 in Wels/Austria, part of the international World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED). The 2022 edition of the event presents the far-reaching transformation of policies, technologies and markets for achieving the EU's climate neutrality goals, and how to raise the pace of change. Learn and discuss how citizens and businesses can profit from this, how we can increase acceptance, trigger investments, and get things moving – full speed! Deadline Call for Papers and Speaker 12 October 2021.
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Dear reader,

Almost every day we are receiving disturbing news about the impacts of climate change, and the recent IPCC report summarising the latest scientific findings is a stark reminder that we have to act now. No more time for delay or hesitation, the time for meaningful action to reduce CO2 emissions is now. This decade is the make-or-break moment, and so we are calling for a comprehensive revision of  European legislation for buildings in our latest paper.

Legislation needs implementation to have an impact. We are continuing to present solutions, such as the opportunities of industrial scale renovation, or ways to implement in the Energy Efficiency First principle in policymaking. To foster exchange and mutual learning in policymaking, we will run a series of webinars this autumn, both with the US and with Russia, make sure you register for these exciting exchanges. And there are many other events which present solutions to accelerate the zero-carbon transformation so urgently needed.

As the summer is slowly coming to an end, we are seeing busy months ahead which should be used to make the right decisions, so that we have a realistic chance to avert more serious consequences of a changing climate.

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: EPBD REVISION
EPBD revision marks ‘make-or-break’ opportunity for climate-neutral buildings

The keystone of European buildings legislation, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), will be opened for revision by the end of 2021. This new policy briefing highlights a make-or-break opportunity to make the EPBD ‘fit for 2030’, ensuring that the buildings sector contributes significantly to the overall EU-wide target of more than halving emissions by 2030, and crucially, that it is fit to respond to the climate emergency.

The EU must now deliver on announced targets by taking bold actions and showing results. The ambition of the EPBD revision should go beyond simply ‘aligning’ with the Renovation Wave, since the latter was published before the new 2030 climate target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55%, was agreed. The revision should be comprehensive and not take a ‘cherry-picking’ approach to legislative revision.

Crucially, it must ensure the buildings sector will contribute to the achievement of the updated 2030 climate target; and second, to make the EPBD a milestone towards reaching climate-neutrality by 2050. This means reaching an annual 3% deep renovation rate and a 60% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. It should do this while taking a people-centered approach that supports energy-poor, low- and middle-income households; the integration of whole-life carbon considerations next to the Energy Efficiency First principle; and building performance requirements guided by climate-neutrality rather than cost optimality.
Read the policy recommendations
HIGHLIGHTS
Check out the new e-SAFE website, join the stakeholder community, and learn about the local platform in Catania

Over the summer, the e-SAFE project was busy revamping its website - have a look and discover the project’s innovative concepts and affordable solutions for deep energy and seismic building renovation. If this is something you’re involved in, we’d also like to invite you to become part of the e-SAFE stakeholder community  to receive relevant updates about the development of the technical systems, research reports, upcoming events and the pilot project in Catania, as well as networking opportunities.

Finally, on July 9, 2021 the University of Catania (the leading partner of e-SAFE) launched the local platform in Catania. It is a working group that involves both public and private actors in a co-design process to develop and implement a tailored strategy to make renovation projects a driving force of the local economy.
 
Discover the website
New ENEFIRST report shows that that the implementation of the E1st principle requires close cooperation between national and regional levels and more specific guidance on EU level

ENEFIRST’s latest research ‘Implementation Maps on Barriers and Success Factors for E1ST in Buildings summarises the main barriers and possible solutions to the implementation of the E1st concept as well as the related legislative and non-legislative changes required. These analyses emphasise that adaptation of EU legislation is needed to overcome the barriers but that many institutional barriers also require interventions by national and local authorities to enable capacity building and additional resources in regulatory agencies and implementing organisations to realise the concepts and policy approaches.  

 
Read the report
Comparative study of serial renovation solutions shows large potential of the industrialised concept in Germany

This report written by BPIE and Co2onlinemarks the end of a 2-year project funded by the German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) which analysed the barriers and success factors of serial renovation approaches – based on the Dutch Energiesprong model – in Europe. The study examines the market potential of innovative renovation solutions through serial prefabrication, process innovations and digital tools and provides information on the transferability of the experiences of European countries with regard to a market introduction in Germany. 

Outcomes show that serial renovation models offer solutions to the persisting low refurbishment rate and the increasing shortage of skilled workers, while giving a significant boost to digitalising the construction industry. If new production capacities and business models are developed due to a high demand, dedicated financial support and a suitable regulatory framework, a market volume between 30 and 120 billion euros could be unlocked.

 
Read the report in German
BPIE OPINIONS
WHERE TO MEET US
Central & Eastern European Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021C4E Forum in Poiana Brasov will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities. 

BPIE will attend the C4E Forum with presentations of the Horizon 2020 project ENEFIRST and Our Buildings, funded by EUKI on September 21st and 22nd.
 
Programm outline
EVENTS

Build Upon2 webinar: Utilitising European technical assistance for municipal retrofits (September 8th, 5:00-6:00pm CEST)

This webinar will dive into European technical assistance and how it supports cities across Europe by giving them the tools to lead the change towards net zero carbon by 2050 and unlock the huge potential of their existing buildings.

Speakers from the European Commission, Climate Alliance and the Build Upon2 project will highlight what is happening at the European level, what is needed at the local level, and what synergies exist between the different levels of policy making to scale up renovation
.
 
Register here

EU-Brazil Exchange webinar: International Experience on Low Carbon Performance Assessment Tools and Policies for Construction (September 9, 15:00-17:30, CEST)

Efforts to decarbonise the building stock have so far focused mostly on the operational phase – on reducing energy demand and GHGs with energy efficiency measures. However, a large percent of GHGs is emitted while producing materials that are to be used in buildings, as well as during the construction phase. As part of the EU-Brazil Exchange, EU experts and stakeholders come together to share experiences and information of European institutions, initiatives and tools that tackle issues relating to lifecycle assessment (LCA) in civil construction. The overview includes examples of public policies related to the use of LCA and how LCA contributes to the Paris Agreement goals. 

The online event will be held in English and Portuguese, with simultaneous interpretation in both languages.
 
Register here

First workshop of the EU-Russia Exchange: Sustainable Building Policies (September 14, 9:00-12:15, CET)
 
Buildings account for 36% of COemissions in the EU, and 21% in Russia. As part of the EU-Russia Exchange, EU experts and stakeholders come together to share experiences and information on relevant EU building legislation for construction and renovation, and present good practices and exchange with building experts and practitioners in Russia.  

The first workshop (out of a series of three) will provide an overview of the current legislation both in the EU and Russia as well as innovative instruments to incentivise deep renovation, implementing the objectives of the EU Green Deal and Russian climate protection.

The event will be held online in English and Russian with simultaneous interpretation.
 
Register here
 
BUILD UPON2 Virtual Summit – September 20th

As a flagship event on the first day of World Green Building Week 2021, the Summit will bring together hundreds of leaders from industry, public sector and civil society in an online conference. The central theme is how leaders can work together to deliver the EU Renovation Wave and the EU Green Deal.

Throughout the event we will profile the work of the BUILD UPON2 project to empower cities as key enablers of the Renovation Wave through a unique impact framework for quantifying the holistic benefits of building renovation. The Summit will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and inspiration on how public and private sector actors alike can scale up efforts to address the monumental challenge ahead to deliver the Renovation Wave.

 
Register here
 
How to achieve energy-efficient and affordable housing (September 23, 16:00-18:00 CEST) US-EU Exchange webinar

The second webinar of the US-EU Exchange series will focus on EU and US objectives and initiatives to achieve energy efficient and affordable housing.

Energy poverty is a growing issue at the global scale, and affordable and energy efficient housing is essential to combatting energy poverty while leading a just, green transition. Energy retrofitting of affordable housing therefore faces specific financial challenges, but also has the potential benefit to simultaneously improve energy efficiency, health, and well-being.  This webinar will provide an overarching view of the nexus between affordable, efficient housing and a just transition and share successful project examples.

 
Register here

Sustainable Places – 2021 Edition, September 28th to October 1st

Sustainability targets and climate change objectives cannot be met without addressing buildings and the built environment at the building, district and urban scale to include our transport and energy infrastructures. Each year, Sustainable Places gives the opportunity to cutting-edge research and innovation projects funded under the H2020 programme to showcase their results. SP2021 will be held over three days in a hybrid (digital + in-person) event format. Syn.ikia, Turnkey Retrofit, BuiltHub and ComAct are among the projects that will be represented.
 
More information here
 
RenOnBill stakeholder roundtables – Autumn 2021 

The H2020 project RenOnBill, whose focus is on on-bill financing schemes is launching its second round of stakeholder roundtables this autumn. The roundtable is an exclusive opportunity to exchange with representatives from the energy, finance, housing, and policy spheres on the next steps for replicating on-bill schemes for the market of the project’s focus countries, that are Germany, Italy, Spain, Lithuania.  

Key topics that will be addressed during the roundtable are:   
  • How on-bill schemes can contribute to addressing EU’s energy renovation challenge 
  • Next steps at policy, regulatory, and market level to facilitate on-bill schemes for the German/Italian/Spanish/Lithuanian market 
  • Main insights from RenOnBill’s “business modelling development guidelines” (to be released in Autumn 2021) 
The first two roundtables, the Spanish and the German ones, will be respectively on October 1st, 10:00 – 12:00 CET and October 12th 14:00-16:00 Berlin time. You can get in touch with our Spanish partner Creara or with our German partner adelphi for more info and registrations and visit the RenOnBill events page to stay updated on the Italian and Lithuanian roundtables.
 
Green Solutions Awards: discover the national winners of the 2020-21 competition
 
The suspense is over! The national winners were unveiled by the Construction21 network. The rewarded projects are both real and reproducible. They will inspire the construction industry to accelerate the transition to sustainable buildings, cities, and territories. 

Discover and share the winning case studies for a large-scale dissemination of the exemplary solutions they integrate. Also, save the date for the international finals in November in Glasgow, where BPIE will be part of the jury!

 
More information here
Energy efficiency – full speed ahead! is the focus of the next European Energy Efficiency Conference on 2-4 March 2022 in Wels/Austria, part of the international World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED). The 2022 edition of the event presents the far-reaching transformation of policies, technologies and markets for achieving the EU's climate neutrality goals, and how to raise the pace of change. Learn and discuss how citizens and businesses can profit from this, how we can increase acceptance, trigger investments, and get things moving – full speed! Deadline Call for Papers and Speaker 12 October 2021.
 
More information here
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Dear reader,

Getting the policy package in support of zero-carbon buildings right is not an easy task. Economic incentives and regulatory requirements should be in tune with each other. Today we are presenting two new publications which are providing ideas how to get it right in the imminent policy revision process.

Yes, introducing a carbon price for heating and cooling can provide the right economic signals and we argue in favor of it, but should avoid penalizing those which have no choice for an investment in a low carbon renovation. This is true for the millions of renters in the EU, and for those which must live with a low income. A new publication by the EU-funded project ComAct shows what support could be provided to citizens in energy poverty.

When building new, the investment should be made in a future-proof building. However, we found that building standards in many member states do not meet the nearly-zero energy requirements which were agreed already a decade ago. Our new policy analysis shows the good and the not-so-good examples and draws conclusions what to change.

And a not-to-be-missed publication is the comprehensive analysis about lessons which can be learned from national building policies. A year-long project for the European Commission led by BPIE with partners produced a comprehensive analysis which provides inspiration for the evolution for the European policy framework.

Finally, before heading for a summer break (well-deserved by the BPIE team I dare to say) we are hosting two more webinars and are sharing the recordings of two recent trans-Atlantic exchanges with the US and Canada. As always, please read to the very end for the full picture!

Wishing you a restful summer,

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: CARBON PRICING

The European Commission is expected to publish legislative proposals to increase the ambition of the climate policy framework according to the updated climate protection target in the Fit-for-55 package in mid-July, including a reform of the EU Emissions Trading Systems (EU ETS) and the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR).

An introduction of an ETS for transport and buildings, either by extending the current EU ETS or by setting up a separate scheme for buildings and transport, is currently being discussed. 

BPIE’s new policy briefing on carbon pricing demonstrates that a carbon tax system with a steadily increasing price path is superior to an ETS.



 


Current discussions on carbon pricing are centred on introducing an ETS for transport and buildings, which could take the form of extending the current EU ETS, or introducing a new and separate scheme for buildings and transport emissions.

The briefing concludes that either as a carbon tax or a separate ETS system, a carbon price signal can only work as a complementary instrument to regulatory measures.

 
Read the full briefing
HIGHLIGHTS
Nearly Zero: A review of EU Member State implementation of new build requirements 

BPIE’s latest policy briefing provides an overview of the status of implementation of Article 9 across EU Member States and insights into how nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB) standards in Member States are aligned with the requirements of the EPBD. 
Based on the information presented in this factsheet, there is a wide degree of disparity across Member States in terms of the implementation of the nZEB provisions, and these are important considerations for EU policymakers as they look towards a revision of the EPBD, given the potential for nZEBs to contribute to the EU’s wider objective of a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050. The briefing concludes with a set of recommendations both for the European Commission and Member States.
Read the full briefing
Lessons learned to inform integrated approaches for the renovation and modernisation of the built environment

A better performing and smarter building stock is the cornerstone of a decarbonised EU energy system, and has a wide range of other benefits ranging from improved health and well-being and greener infrastructure. The recent study by BPIE, Creara, Ecologic and Climact, for DG Energy of the European Commission, provides lessons learned from existing legal and non-legal policy instruments in 15 European Member States, 3 non-EU countries and 5 European regions.

It formulates possible ways forward in informing integrated approaches for the renovation and modernisation of the building stock and the built environment. The study provides an in-depth understanding of how provisions within seven strategic areas and their interaction can be designed and amended to meet the European Union’s long-term target to be climate-neutral by 2050 while maximising synergies and benefits. 
Read the study
ComACT - The concept of energy poverty: from understanding to overcoming it

Energy poverty as a concept has a long tradition, and energy subsidies for low-income households have been a major part of social policy in West and Central and Eastern Europe as well as former Soviet Republics. Due to different political and economic circumstances, such as the higher homeownership rate in multi-family apartment buildings and the worse performing building stock, energy poverty rates in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics are much higher than in Western Europe.

The consortium of the H2020 project ComAct has taken a deep dive into five countries – Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Ukraine – to look at their energy poverty rates, how the energy-poor are identified, and what programmes are in place to support them. Furthermore, existing financial schemes from all over Europe, which have proven to help alleviate energy poverty in multi-family apartment buildings are identified.
Read the report
BPIE OPINIONS
WHERE TO E-MEET US
Canada-EU exchange webinar: Data that informs Efficiency Policies, July 6th  

Sound, future-oriented policymaking that enables systematic decarbonisation of the building stock and increased investment into clean energy solutions, requires access to comprehensive and transparent energy data. But accessing and building these datasets is far from a straightforward process. 

The webinar will address the following questions: 
  • What are the key indicators required as the backbone of robust energy efficiency policy? 
  • What are the arguments and models are that can convince a wide range of stakeholders – ex: private individuals, companies, utilities, and institutions - to share their data? What are the incentives to get them to share? 
  • How do you mitigate and overcome privacy obstacles? How great an obstacle is the “privacy” issue? 
  • What is the ideal regulatory framework to break down the existing barriers to facilitate comprehensive and transparent data collection? 
Last week we held our fourth Canada-EU webinar on Financing and business models that deliver, watch the recording here.
Register here
BPIE/EuroPACE webinar: Achieving the 2030 climate goals: one-stop-shops for multi-family building renovations, July 8th 

The second of the series ‘Achieving the 2030 Climate Goals’, experts on this webinar will explore innovative European one-stop-shop business models as a means to increase renovation uptake in the multi-family building sector, decreasing carbon emissions related to buildings.

Who should attend and why? Cities, regions, energy agencies, and other stakeholders setting up residential renovation programs for multifamily buildings within Europe are welcome to join. Learn more about achieving climate neutrality by increasing the renovation rate in a poorly served sector that presents great opportunities for reducing energy-related emissions.

More info and agenda here.
Register here
EVENTS
US-EU Exchange: Advancing a climate-neutral recovery, June 17th 

Kicking off a new series of high-level exchange between the US and the EU on climate and buildings, this webinar gave an overview of the EU and US overarching plans and investment strategies to boost energy efficient renovations in buildings, to achieve their climate goals and support a sustainable economic recovery.

Organised in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Energy, the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the series will continue after the summer, so stay tuned for our upcoming events. 
Watch the recording
Central & Eastern European Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021C4E Forum in Poiana Brasov will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities. 
 
In order to stay in touch, C4E is organizing a free high-level online event in April on one of the original dates, similar to the October webinar on Renovation Wave with Commissioner Kadri Simson. Stay tuned, more information will be available website shortly.  
 
See the programme outline here
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Dear Reader,

In this newsletter, we are broadening our perspective to look at the hidden emissions of the building sector, those which are caused by the production of building materials and the construction of buildings. While the share of these emissions is significantly smaller than those caused by heating and cooling, it is a growing concern. In particular, because we will not reach a climate-neutral building stock without addressing them.

We have described the scale of the challenge in a background report, introducing some basic concepts and key issues related to the integration of whole-life carbon considerations in building policies. Our policy briefing in turn, demonstrates that carbon metrics are needed to align building policies and incentives with carbon-neutrality goals. Do have a look or share within your own networks – as key policy revisions are underway this year, it is timely to consider the impact of embodied emissions and whole-life carbon.  

We are also exploring funding instruments and business models from a variety of perspectives. A new output from the Com-Act project provides further information about funding instruments for renovation in a number of selected Central and Eastern European countries. And looking across the Atlantic, the fourth Canada-EU exchange will share insights on how available financing can be linked to potential projects and enable upscaling of the business models that deliver results on the ground.

Finally, if you find the integration of seismic building upgrades with efficiency measures interesting, I would like to encourage you to respond to our short survey on the topic. 

And as always, check out the listing of events at the bottom of this newsletter and join us wherever we meet your interests.

Happy reading,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: WHOLE-LIFE CARBON 
Whole-life Carbon: Challenges and solutions for highly efficient and climate-neutral buildings

Despite an array of national initiatives, voluntary schemes and regulations, the current EU policy framework is not designed to address circularity and embodied carbon in buildings. The ongoing review of key policy and legislative files, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), provides a significant opportunity for the EU to begin consistently integrating whole-life carbon (WLC) in the policy framework. This summary report introduces basic concepts and key issues related to the integration of whole-life carbon considerations in building policies.
Read the summary report
Introducing Whole-life Carbon metrics: Recommendations for highly efficient and climate-neutral buildings

Policy efforts to decarbonise Europe’s building stock have, so far, focused on energy efficiency measures and thereby reducing the energy demand, and related carbon emissions, for heating, cooling and lighting of the building during its operational lifetime. This is a well-justified focus but only part of the overall effort needed to achieve a climate-neutral Europe. With the drive towards reducing in-use energy to “nearly zero”, the other sources of carbon emissions from buildings become increasingly important and therefore a vital part of future carbon reduction plans. For new buildings built to the highest energy efficiency standards, the extremely low operational energy requirements mean that embodied carbon becomes the most significant area of carbon emissions over the lifetime of the building.  


 
Read the policy recommendations
HIGHLIGHTS
Get access to all available financing models for renovation of multifamily buildings with the ComAct toolbox!
The toolbox provides an overview of available financing models supporting energy-efficient renovation of multifamily buildings in the five target countries of the H2020 ComAct project – Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, North Macedonia and Ukraine. With a focus on energy-poor households or households at risk of energy poverty, the toolbox dives into the scope, volume of investment and expected energy savings of each of the schemes.  

This toolbox lays the ground for the design and adaptation of innovative financial instruments that meet the needs of low-income households, one of the next steps of the ComAct project.   


Visit the toolbox here and learn more about ComAct.
Visit the toolbox!
Webinar recording: Canada-EU Exchange: Supporting local action on Energy Efficiency, May 18th 
Help e-SAFE identify challenges to rolling out energy-efficient and anti-seismic deep renovation! 

Are you a building owner or/manager?  Do you work in real estate development? Or maybe you’re an architect/designer/engineer/contractor? Then we’d love to ask for a few minutes of your time to fill out a short survey for the e-SAFE project! 
About e-SAFE: e-SAFE is a four-year Horizon 2020 funded project that aims to develop and demonstrate fast, cost-effective and tailorable integrated solutions for an energy-efficient and anti-seismic deep renovation of existing non-historic buildings.  

In the framework of the implementation of this project, we have launched a short online survey, for which we would like to kindly invite your valuable contribution. The aim of the survey is to collect data regarding Europe’s retrofitting/building renovation market in order to identify the issues and different challenges for the uptake of anti-seismic renovations and suggest suitable incentives.  

The survey will be available until 15th June 2021 and will take about 7-10 minutes to complete.
 
Take the survey
BPIE OPINIONS
WHERE TO E-MEET US
[Webinar] Canada – EU Exchange on energy efficiency in buildings and housing: Financing and business models that deliver: How to link finance to energy efficiency projects and build business models to scale

The fourth webinar of the Canada-EU exchange, hosted on June 15th, 2021, will focus on business and finance models that enable smart use of public and private funds and deliver energy efficiency renovations for both public and commercially owned buildings.

Join the webinar and learn:

  • Which energy efficiency business models have been the most successful to date, in Canada and the EU?
  • How can available financing – both public and private – be linked to potential projects and beyond, to enable massive upscaling of the business models that deliver results on the ground? 
Register here
EVENTS
Boosting economic recovery with the energy transition 
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021 - 23-25 June 2021, Wels (Austria) and online 


World Sustainable Energy Days is a leading tradeshow on renewable energy presents real-life solutions. The 2021 hybrid event (in person and online) will show how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. More than 100 speakers from all over the world will offer insights into technology and market trends, new business and financing models and policy updates.  
Make sure to save the date(s) for BPIE: 

Young Energy Researchers Conference: Two colleagues will join the Young Energy Researchers conference on June 21 and present why renovation practices should be at the heart of a green recovery contributing to effective energy savings while achieving societal benefits. The presentations dive into the benefits of industrialised renovation solutions for economic recovery and public participation for a decarbonised built environment respectively. 

June 23: 
Energy Efficiency Policy Conference - Be sure to attend the second morning session at 11:30, entitled "Best practices in energy efficiency policy - solutions for the post-pandemic era". It will include the following presentation about the ENEFIRST H2020 project's results thus far:

- Energy Efficiency First: What does it mean in practice? by Jean-Sébastien Broc (IEECP)

June 25: The AmBIENCe approach to the Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC): The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase.
Register here
Central & Eastern European Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021C4E Forum in Poiana Brasov will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities. 
 
In order to stay in touch, C4E is organizing a free high-level online event in April on one of the original dates, similar to the October webinar on Renovation Wave with Commissioner Kadri Simson. Stay tuned, more information will be available website shortly.  
 
See the programme outline here

June’s e-meets of the ENEFIRST team and lessons learned from project outputs
We’re thrilled to announce that papers and presentations about ENEFIRST’s results have been selected to be part of two upcoming international conferences.
ECEEE 2021 Summer Study (7-11 June 2021)

Drop by Panel 2 of the "2.2 Energy Efficiency (First): Policies, drivers and barriers" session on Monday 7 June from 2.30 to 4.00 pm CEST. It includes the following presentations on ENEFIRST’s results:

- Conceptualising the “Energy Efficiency First” principle: from foundations to implementation, by Tim Mandel (Fraunhofer ISI) (paper 2-075-21)
- “Efficiency First” in practice, by Zsuzsanna Pató (RAP) (presentation 2-069-21)
Register and join here.
 
IN THE NEWS
Discover the 2020-21 Green Solutions Awards international candidates and vote!
The 2021 edition of the Green Solution Awards is rich in innovative, exemplary, but also replicable projects that are already paving the way for the cities of tomorrow. The competition is gathering 192 participants, including 148 buildings, 29 infrastructures, and 15 districts.

Professionals from all over the world have responded to Construction21’s call. Twenty-five countries are represented, including  Belgium, China, France, Germany, Morocco, and Spain, Benin, Canada, Moldova, Russia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
36 of the 192 candidates are in the running for a prize awarded by Internet users like you. Discover the top exemplary buildings, districts and infrastructures, and have your say and vote for the ones that inspire you the most. 

After clicking on the “Like” button of your favourite projects, share them on social media: you will contribute to the dissemination of best practices while giving them a better chance to win. Votes are open until May 31.


Learn more.
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Dear Reader,

Last week, national governments, the European Parliament and the Commission agreed the EU’s strengthened 2030 climate target. We now have a clear milestone ahead to guide our efforts in reducing the climate impact of buildings and construction. This milestone sets a benchmark against which both political and economic decisions in the sector should be measured. This is why we analysed the EU’s Renovation Wave document, published in October 2020, from a new perspective. You will find the result in our latest briefing. With the 2030 destination in mind, we now have to increase our speed of action and push for innovative approaches to tackle the barriers to renovation. 

The RenOnBill project suggest a new way to finance building investments and to use the European recovery funds for this in an effective way. And the X-tendo project, highlighted already earlier, developed new metrics for Energy Performance Certificates to inform citizens about the climate impact of buildings. Clearly, we are seeing new momentum in climate diplomacy, the recent Biden-led summit being just one example. We are contributing our bit with the continuation of the Canada - EU exchange on efficient and zero-carbon buildings, don’t miss the upcoming webinar. And we will soon launch another exchange programme between the EU and a third party – we will disclose more details in the near future!

Happy reading,


Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: THE RENOVATION WAVE
Is the Renovation Wave action plan leading to adequate measures, putting the EU on track to achieve its 2030 climate objectives?

This policy briefing analyses whether the Renovation Wave action plan is coherent and target-oriented, putting the EU on a path to deliver the 2030 Climate Targets, or if, on the contrary, it could potentially lead to inconsistencies and sub-optimal results when translated into regulatory measures.

This would result in missed targets, opportunities and benefits. While the preparatory work for the first actions of 2021 is already underway, it is not too late for the European Commission to take corrective actions in the implementation phase of the strategy.
 
The analysis is broken down into three sub-questions, each addressing different aspects of the issue: 
  • Is the Renovation Wave strategy aligned with the 2030 climate ambition?
  • Is the Renovation Wave strategy designed as a coherent framework of actions or is it a basketful of uncoordinated actions?
  • Is the Renovation Wave strategy setting out the right sequencing of actions?

The analysis highlights an immediate need to correct the Renovation Wave’s design during the implementation phase, to align measures with the EU climate-neutrality ambition, and carefully review the coherence between proposed measures and their sequencing. 
Read the Renovation Wave policy briefing
HIGHLIGHTS
On-bill financing can support delivery of the Renovation Wave and economic recovery


On-bill financing mechanisms can be a valuable tool to mobilise private capital to speed up building  renovations in the EU. 
The research and analysis carried out under the H2020 project RenOnBill suggests that the following enabling conditions would address the existing barriers and thus facilitate the mainstreaming of on-bill schemes in Europe:
  • A suitable legislative framework allowing utilities to get involved in lending
  • Protecting investors from default on loan repayment while maintaining consumer protection.
  • Utilities and financial institutions to use bill payment records for assessment of an end-user’s risk profile
  • Owner-tenant laws supporting fair distribution of the investment costs
Read the policy briefing
Better energy performance certificates through innovation: X-tendo presents the first implementation steps of its 10 features
Improving Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are among the top Renovation Wave action points for 2021. To fully unlock the potential and benefits of EPCs, existing certification regimes at Member State level must be properly implemented and endorsed, supported by well-functioning management, control and monitoring mechanisms.

In order to do so, the consortium partners of the H2020 project X-tendo are developing new metrics and systems that could be used on or alongside EPCs, to facilitate promotion of low carbon buildings. X-tendo’s new brief reports describe the basic concepts and existing cases, and outline first suggestions for the implementation of ten innovative EPC features. Each of the approaches used could inform future developments of national EPC systems or be used by private providers developing advice and information resources that work alongside EPCs.
Read all reports
CALLING ON EXPERTS: TAKE THE E-SAFE SURVEY
Help e-SAFE identify challenges to rolling out energy-efficient and anti-seismic deep renovation! 

Are you a building owner or/manager?  Do you work in real estate development? Or maybe you’re an architect/designer/engineer/contractor? Then we’d love to ask for a few minutes of your time to fill out a short survey for the e-SAFE project! 
The aim of the survey is to collect data regarding Europe's building renovation market in order to identify the issues and different challenges for the uptake of anti-seismic renovations and suggest suitable incentives.

About e-SAFE: e-SAFE is a four-year, 12-partner H2020 project that will contribute to decarbonising the EU building stock, while also making it safer in case of earthquakes. The project aims to develop and demonstrate fast, cost-effective and tailorable integrated solutions for an energy-efficient and anti-seismic deep renovation of existing non-historic buildings. This will be based on an innovative and collaborative co-design process, and supported by business models that make deep renovation more attractive and viable. 

The survey will be available until 31st May 2021 and will take about 7-10 minutes to complete.
 
Take the survey
WHERE TO E-MEET US
[Webinar] Canada – EU Exchange on energy efficiency in buildings and housing: Supporting local action, May 18

We are pleased to announce the third webinar of our Canada-EU exchange series, taking place on May, 18th from 4:00 to 6:00pm CET. This time we will look into technical and financial assistance supporting local actions for building renovations and give the floor to leading cities from across the EU and Canada.


You can register your interest here, more information will come soon!

The previous webinar, Pathways to 2050: Deep dive into policy strategies to boost building renovation, looked into the roles of Member States and provinces in shaping and executing renovation strategies. Watch the recording here
Register here
EVENTS
Boosting economic recovery with the energy transition 
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021 - 23-25 June 2021, Wels (Austria) and online 


World Sustainable Energy Days is a leading tradeshow on renewable energy presents real-life solutions. The 2021 hybrid event (in person and online) will show how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. More than 100 speakers from all over the world will offer insights into technology and market trends, new business and financing models and policy updates.  
Within this context, make sure to save the date(s) for BPIE: 

Young Energy Researchers Conference: Two colleagues will join the Young Energy Researchers conference on June 21 and present why renovation practices should be at the heart of a green recovery contributing to effective energy savings while achieving societal benefits. The presentations dive into the benefits of industrialised renovation solutions for economic recovery and public participation for a decarbonised built environment respectively. 

June 25: The AmBIENCe approach to the Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC): The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase.


Register here
Central & Eastern European Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021 C4E Forum in Poiana Brasov will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities. 
 
In order to stay in touch, C4E is organizing a free high-level online event in April on one of the original dates, similar to the October webinar on Renovation Wave with Commissioner Kadri Simson. Stay tuned, more information will be available website shortly.  
 
See the programme outline here
IN THE NEWS
Discover the 2020-21 Green Solutions Awards international candidates and vote!
The 2021 edition of the Green Solution Awards is rich in innovative, exemplary, but also replicable projects that are already paving the way for the cities of tomorrow. The competition is gathering 192 participants, including 148 buildings, 29 infrastructures, and 15 districts.

Professionals from all over the world have responded to Construction21’s call. Twenty-five countries are represented, including  Belgium, China, France, Germany, Morocco, and Spain, Benin, Canada, Moldova, Russia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
36 of the 192 candidates are in the running for a prize awarded by Internet users like you. Discover the top exemplary buildings, districts and infrastructures, and have your say and vote for the ones that inspire you the most. 

After clicking on the “Like” button of your favourite projects, share them on social media: you will contribute to the dissemination of best practices while giving them a better chance to win. Votes are open until May 31.


Learn more
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Dear reader,

Spring has arrived and the new season calls for a refreshed “look”, in both our logo and this newsletter. We decided that the sun in our 10-year logo should be a permanent feature, representing our vision of a healthy building stock accessible to all EU citizens, putting efficiency first while sourcing its energy from clean, renewable sources.

Indeed, the political process around “Fit for 55” this year is a key opportunity to revise the policy framework in line with the EU’s commitment to a fully decarbonised building stock. As our new analysis on Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) shows, Member States are not (yet?) prioritising 100% decarbonization of their building stock. This is a wake-up call for the EPBD revision which must ensure full alignment with the EU’s 2030 climate goal and the 2050 climate-neutrality ambition.

And while defining any decarbonisation strategy is essential to achieve policy impact, it’s only half the battle. Effective implementation and alignment between national and local level and civil society is where we see real change happen. To this end, the final report from the Our Buildings project gives great practical examples of how municipalities in Romania and Bulgaria are tackling these challenges, providing inspiration for others to follow. And our series of high-level Canada-EU Exchange which continues in April will showcase success stories from Spain and Flanders in developing a national building strategy, while giving insights into how Canadians are taking federal strategy and implementing it at provincial level. Much work remains to be done but we can take heart in seeing progress and should use these learnings as inspiration for increased
ambition at home.

Enjoy the reading,


Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: LONG-TERM RENOVATION STRATEGIES 
The road to climate-neutrality: Are national long-term renovation strategies fit for 2050? 

This analysis, representing over 50% of the EU population (covering seven EU Member States and one region, Flanders, Belgium), reveals that Member States’ long-term renovation strategies (LTRS) are largely not compliant with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) objectives towards achieving a highly energy efficiency and decarbonised building stock by mid-century.

Beyond this, the objectives of the LTRS are now misaligned with the EU’s strengthened 2030 Climate Target and 2050 climate-neutrality objective.  

Half of the analysed strategies include an objective at or above 90% GHG emissions reduction, which is in line with the legal requirement of the EPBD. However, none of the eight strategies targets 100% decarbonisation of the building stock.
This means that the substantial increase in renovation activity that is required – a deep renovation rate of 3% annually by 2030, is unlikely to be achieved.

The analysis ultimately reveals that even full compliance with the EPBD, as it currently stands, is not enough to achieve 2050 climate-neutrality. Member States should now be seeking to achieve 100% decarbonisation of their building stock and developing long-term renovation strategies to deliver the climate-neutrality objective. The revision process of the EPBD, within the context of the Fit for 55 package in 2021, offers the opportunity to ensure a much stronger place for buildings in Member States’ decarbonisation plans, who should implement the efficiency first principle.

A full revision of the EPBD is therefore strongly suggested in order to ensure that Europe achieve its strengthened 2030 climate target and its aim of climate-neutrality by 2050.
Read the report
Read the press release
#Our Buildings: Long-term renovation strategies as key instruments to guide local renovation - Lessons learned from good practices across Europe 

Successful implementation of the Renovation Wave is highly dependent on the local level, access to funding and the application of innovative instruments in municipalities. The final ‘Our Buildings’ report shows that national Long-Term Renovation Strategies should better reflect local needs to ensure the implementation of comprehensive, integrative renovation activities at local level. 

The establishment of interactive and trustworthy public consultation processes is important to ensure a detailed and collaborative LTRS process in which municipal concerns and priorities are heard and taken up by national authorities. 
This report marks the end of the ‘Our Buildings’ project which, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), enabled municipalities and civil society to develop ambitious municipal building renovation strategies in Romania and Bulgaria. The project outcomes received great attention by local stakeholders in both countries and provide the basis for further funding. 

Read the report in English, Bulgarian and Romanian
HIGHLIGHTS
Spring is finally here and BPIE embraces the new season by getting a glow!

Taking inspiration from our special 10-year logo, the yellow sun reflects our vision of an integrated and healthy European building stock that puts efficiency first while sourcing its energy primarily from clean, renewable sources.
RenOnBill calls on energy utilities and financial institutions to fill to help replicate on-bill energy efficiency financing in Europe 

RenOnBill presented the main features and advantages of selected on-bill financing models in a series of online national events in March 2021 in the language of its focus countries. 
The webinars provided guidance on the steps to take when entering the on-bill market, and how to decide for a specific on-bill scheme. The events, held in Italian, German, Spanish and Lithuanian, are now followed by a survey that will help shape the ongoing business development processes in the RenOnBill project by directly support the replicability analysis of on-bill schemes in Europe. 

The topics covered in the questionnaire include:   
  • Motivation for offering energy efficiency products and services  
  • Potential target markets for on-bill schemes  
  • On-bill scheme design 
The deadline to fill in the questionnaire is April 20th. 
Take the questionnaire
BPIE OPINIONS
WHERE TO E-MEET US
Pathways to 2050: Deep dive into policy strategies to boost building renovation, April 20th  

Following our first Canada-EU exchange webinar, we are pleased to announce the second of our series: “Pathways to 2050: Deep-dive into policy strategies to boost building renovation”, organized within the framework of Specific Partnerships for Implementation of the Paris Agreement. Join the European Commission, Natural Resources Canada, and representatives from governments in Belgium. 

In this webinar, you will learn: 
  • What are the EU and Canada’s overarching plans and investment strategies to boost energy efficient renovations as part of their sustainable economic recovery strategies? 
  • How have authorities in Flanders, Belgium and Spain developed high-quality long-term renovation strategies to achieve highly energy-efficient and healthy building stock, what have been the challenges to implementation and how do they plan to overcome this? 
  • What are Provincial Efficiency Scorecards in Canada? How do they work, and how are they implemented at provincial and local level? 
Register here
AmBIENCe – BELESCO event, 20 April 2021 Active building Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) - New Business Models and Market Opportunities for ESCOs, through flexibility and demand response in buildings

The Belgian ESCO Association (BELESCO) and the consortium partners of the H2020-funded AmBIENCe project are joining forces in a webinar on the Active building Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) model developed by the project, combining the strengths of the Energy Performance Contracting with the valorisation of energy demand response and flexibility in commercial, public and residential buildings.

Join the webinar and hear from key experts in the sector who will discuss: 
•    What is the AEPC concept and what are the supporting business models enabling its rollout?
•    What role can ESCOs plays as aggregators of flexibility?
•    What is the AEPC market potential for ESCOs and EPC Project facilitators?
•    How is the AEPC model being tested and validated in pilot projects in Belgium?
Register here
[Webinar] Achieving the 2030 climate goals – One-stop-shops for the residential sector, April 29 

Renovation activity needs to increase considerably to put the sector on track to meet the EU’s 2030 climate targets. Join BPIE and GNE Finance in a discussion on immediate actions that could be to be taken within a European residential context. Innovative business models used among Spanish, French, and Irish one-stop-shops will be presented in connection with the Turnkey Retrofit and EuroPACE projects, while the possibility of their replication in other EU communities will be discussed.  

The European Commission and the EIB have issued a call for the creation of one-stop-shops to provide tailored energy efficiency renovation advice and financing solutions to homeowners to encourage the Renovation Wave. As such, the results of benchmarking studies related to leading one-stop-shops and lessons-learnt from the Turnkey Retrofit project will be discussed and will provide useful insights into the Renovation Wave strategy. 

Register here
IN THE NEWS
National renovation plans falling short of EU’s 2050 climate goal: study

The long-term renovations strategies that EU countries submitted last year to the European Commission are not in line with the bloc’s objective of reaching climate-neutrality by 2050, according to fresh analysis due to be published this week.

Read the article
More ambition necessary to achieve climate-neutral buildings

The long-term renovation strategies of the EU member states are not on track to deliver climate-neutral buildings by 2050, indicating the need for a full revision of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Read the article
Rénovation des bâtiments : les Européens hors des clous

La France n'est pas sur la bonne trajectoire pour atteindre ses objectifs climatiques. Et le secteur du bâtiment n'échappe pas à ce constat global. Ce que confirme un récent rapport du think tank indépendant BPIE, qui s'est penché sur les stratégies de rénovation de long terme de sept pays plus une région. 

Read the article (in French)
EVENTS
Boosting economic recovery with the energy transition 
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021 - 23-25 June 2021, Wels (Austria) and online 


World Sustainable Energy Days is a leading tradeshow on renewable energy presents real-life solutions. The 2021 hybrid event (in person and online) will show how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. More than 100 speakers from all over the world will offer insights into technology and market trends, new business and financing models and policy updates.  
Within this context, make sure to save the date(s) for BPIE: 

Young Energy Researchers Conference: Two colleagues will join the Young Energy Researchers conference on June 21 and present why renovation practices should be at the heart of a green recovery contributing to effective energy savings while achieving societal benefits. The presentations dive into the benefits of industrialised renovation solutions for economic recovery and public participation for a decarbonised built environment respectively. 

June 25: The AmBIENCe approach to the Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC): The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase.


Register here
The 2021 C4E Forum in Poiana Brasov will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities. 
 
In order to stay in touch, C4E is organizing a free high-level online event in April on one of the original dates, similar to the October webinar on Renovation Wave with Commissioner Kadri Simson. Stay tuned, more information will be available website shortly.  
 
See the programme outline here
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Dear reader, 

The retail real estate industry which is owning and managing the places where many of us like to go shopping is facing a double challenge: Covid-19 restrictions reduce customer numbers dramatically, and the sectors’ climate impact will have to be reduced. The industry has to rethink its strategy and investments to become “Paris-proof”, and our new report, written with input from many industry experts, analyses the status quo and suggests a range of actions for the sector. 

In the year of the much-expected COP26, efforts to increase global action on climate change are gaining momentum.

We are committed to contribute our share and are launching a series of policy exchange between Canada and the EU as part of our new focus supporting global climate diplomacy, in the context of the Strategic Partnership for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA). A series of five webinars will present and discuss policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector from a Canadian and European perspective. I hope you will join us for this exciting look across the Atlantic. 

Closer to home, we are researching promising policies to lift people out of energy poverty. The new ComAct project is working with social non-profit partners on the ground in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe where energy poverty is wide-spread. Make sure you follow the project and its results, as the social challenges of the energy transformation cannot be ignored. 

You will find many more promising solutions below to make our buildings fit for the future, such as the new business concept to valorise the “active” elements of energy renovation presented by AmBIENCe, our recommendations to implement in the Energy Efficiency First principle an in-depth discussion of experiences with on-bill financing of renovation investments. Make sure you scroll down all the way.

Enjoy the reading, 

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON - PARIS-PROOF RETAIL REAL ESTATE 

Retail real estate needs a Paris-Proof decarbonisation strategy to ensure contribution to global and EU emissions targets

Delivering the vision of climate-neutrality by 2050, as defined in the Paris Agreement, is only achievable if the whole building stock, including retail real estate portfolios, is thoroughly renovated and sustainable design of new buildings is adopted.

Despite industry efforts, many developers and owners of large retail parks are still unsure how to prepare for a zero-carbon journey. This new report provides a status quo analysis of existing policy and market approaches to climate change actions and strategies relevant to the retail real estate sector. The report consists of three main sections:
  • A review of existing EU legislation that impacts the decarbonisation of the sector.
  • An overview of market initiatives including metrics and targets, definitions of zero-carbon buildings and other tools available to the RRE community that could provide critical pointers towards the appropriate level of ambition in terms of low-carbon performance.
  • A brief discussion of the challenges and opportunities related to carbon measurement, setting targets, and developing and implementing mitigation strategies.
The report is the starting point to develop a common vision and language on how to decarbonise the sector and marks the launch of Paris-Proof Retail Real Estate, an initiative that looks to develop a vision and strategy to support the European retail real estate sector reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Owners and asset managers from the sector are welcome to participate in workshops and provide input in its development.
READ THE REPORT
READ THE PRESS RELEASE
HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome ComAct, the new H2020 project set to lift citizens in CEE and CIS region out of energy poverty 

The H2020 funded project ComAct, which stands for Community Tailored Actions for Energy Poverty Mitigation, has officially launched online this month. In line with EU efforts to tackle energy poverty as addressed in the Renovation Wave, the project will provide a set of financial, technical and organisational instruments to lower the monthly costs of investments and increase efficiency and multiple benefits coming from the renovation of multifamily buildings.

ComAct’s approach will be tested in five pilot countries (Hungary, Bulgaria, Republic of North Macedonia, Lithuania and Ukraine), representing the different sub-regions of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region and in the former Soviet Union republics (also known as Commonwealth of Independent States - CIS) territory, due to the high concentration of energy poverty.

ComAct’s contribution will provide EU countries a set of replicable instruments aimed at lifting millions of citizens out of energy poverty, and ensuring buildings provide a healthy and affordable living and working environment.

ComAact is now on social media – follow on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date.

 

Visit the ComAct website

The Active building Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) concept  

The Active building Energy Performance Contract is an enhanced form of Energy Performance Contracting introduced by the H2020 project AmBIENCe.

It focuses on electrification and uses energy efficient renovation and optimisation to tap passive and active energy and cost-saving measures. The project has developed a new infographic explaining the concept.
Check out the infographic
BPIE OPINIONS
The European Bauhaus, an opportunity to shift paradigms and shape our buildings

The new European Bauhaus could help to decrease the fragmentation, increase a dialogue and help define a common vision for our buildings across many disciplines and sectors, but must remain a bottom-up movement coming from society.

Read the article
WHERE TO E-MEET US
[Webinar] Putting Efficiency First into practice - insights from the US and the EU
2 March 2021, 4.00 – 5.15pm CET / 7:00 – 8.15am PST 


Integrating the Energy Efficiency First principle in policymaking is a key requirement to meeting EU climate objectives and implementing the EU Green Deal. 

Some Member States have taken the Efficiency First principle as a guiding principle, such as Germany. Others have tried to design concrete policies around it, like Ireland. However, there is still no common understanding as to how Efficiency First can and should be implemented, and its concrete implementation is not yet widespread. 

To fill this gap, the European Commission will soon release a guidance to Member States on how to make the principle operational across the energy system and the built environment when implementing EU and national legislation. The ENEFIRST project aims to provide a complementary support in this field by developing resources and disseminating concrete examples (as presented in a first webinar). 

This webinar will provide early insights on how Efficiency First is or could be integrated in different policy areas and instruments. Two guest presentations will illustrate opportunities for Efficiency First, based on current developments related to the power system in California and in France. 

Agenda and link to register here 
[Webinar] Canada-EU Exchange: Investing in a climate-neutral recovery
9 March 2021, 4.00 - 6.00pm CET / 10-12am EST 


This webinar is the first of a series fostering a Canada-EU exchange on energy efficiency in buildings and housing, organized by BPIE within the framework of the Strategic Partnerships for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA).  

The high-level exchange will feature presentations on the EU and Canada’s overarching plans and investment strategies to boost energy efficient renovations in buildings, as part of their sustainable economic recovery strategies. Speakers will include representatives from DG Energy, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Investment Bank (CIB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Ample time will be left for questions with the audience.  

Learn more and register here

[RenOnBill national webinars] On-bill schemes for housing renovation: Interesting business opportunities for energy utilities and financial institutions 

On-bill schemes (OBS) are flexible and innovative solutions to accelerate the EU’s renovation wave in the residential building sector that use a utility’s energy bill as a repayment vehicle for energy renovation investments. By stepping into the OBS market, utilities and financial institutions can increase their client base, gain leadership in the energy renovation market, and expand their portfolio of sustainable lending and service offers.  

The RenOnBill project assesses the replicability of OBS in Europe and has developed a set of on-bill business models that have the potential to boost residential energy renovation in Europe. The forthcoming national webinars in German, Italian, Lithuanian and Spanish explain selected on-bill business models and provide insights on distinct features and advantages.   

By joining this webinar, you will:   

  • Understand the main features and advantages of selected on-bill models  
  • Learn what steps to take when entering the on-bill market and how to decide for a specific on-bill scheme  
  • Shape ongoing business development processes in the RenOnBill project  
  • Have the opportunity to discuss with other market participants   

More information here

Boosting economic recovery with the energy transition

World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online


The World Sustainable Energy Days is an annual sustainability conference held in Austria. It hosts events centred on sustainable energy production and use, which covers energy efficiency and renewable energy sources for buildings, industry and transport. In 2021, the hybrid event (in person and online) will show how we can make a green recovery happen in practice, and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. More than 100 speakers from all over the world will offer insights into technology and market trends, new business and financing models and policy updates. Within this context, make sure to save the date(s) for BPIE:

June 25: The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase. 

Young Energy Researchers Conference: Janne Rieke Boll and Rutger Broer from BPIE will join the Young Energy Researchers conference on June 21 and present why renovation practices should be at the heart of a green recovery contributing to effective energy savings while achieving societal benefits. The presentations dive into the benefits of industrialised renovation solutions for economic recovery and public participation for a decarbonised built environment respectively.
 
More information to follow.

Green solutions Awards 2020-2021: applications are still open until March 15!

There is still time to submit best projects to the organisers from Construction21 until March 15: the buildings, districts, and infrastructures in competition, as well as sustainable solutions that these exemplary projects integrate, will benefit from wide visibility on the platform and social media. The objective is to promote efficient climate solutions to contribute to their adoption by as many professionals as possible and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector. The registration of your case studies is free. 
More information here.

Register now! Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency, Final Conference, 11 May 2021, online

Join us on May 11, 2021 from 2:00 to 5:00pm CET for a virtual event to multiply the benefits of energy efficiency!

The event will highlight how companies realise competitive advantages through energy efficiency, new evidence and tools to make a compelling business case for energy-saving projects, and how multiple benefits can bolster policy and green recovery efforts.

Learn more and register here

Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

C4E Forum is moving to 21-24 September 2021 in Poiana Brasov Parts of the program will be available online.

The 2021 C4E Forum 2020 will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities.

In order to stay in touch, C4E is organizing a free high-level online event in April on one of the original dates, similar to the October webinar on Renovation Wave with Commissioner Kadri Simson. Stay tuned, an invitation will come your way soon. 


See the programme outline here.
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Dear reader, 

I am beginning this year with a lot of hope that we, i.e. all of us, will be able to find solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. I am optimistic because we have recently seen that it is possible to return to responsibility, seriousness and sincerity in politics, witnessed by the transition of power in the White House, despite efforts to derail it. And we could observe that consensus is possible where disagreement reigned for many years, witnessed in the Brexit agreement.  

In 2021, we must succeed in reversing two global crises, the pandemic and climate change. Five years after the historic Paris Agreement, we are still not on track to deliver its promise. As the recent Global Status Report on Buildings highlights, CO₂ emissions caused by the sector are the highest ever, and the new Climate Tracker for the sector shows a slow down of the speed with which the buildings and construction sector is reducing its carbon footprint.  

We therefore need bigger efforts, in the policy and business community. For the latter, the Ambience project is developing a new business approach to valorise demand side flexibility. And the former will have great opportunities to strengthen the policy regime in support of fast decarbonisation, be it on the European level with the "fit for 55”" process, or on the global level with this year’s COP26 climate negotiations. As always, we will do our best to contribute our ideas and solutions, starting with this newsletter. 

 

Enjoy the reading, 

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON - GLOBAL BUILDING SECTOR 
Building sector emissions hit record high in 2019, GABC report shows 

Global emissions from the operation of buildings hit their highest-ever level in 2019, moving the sector further away from fulfilling its huge potential to slow climate change and contribute significantly to the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to the GABC’s (Global Alliance of Building and Construction) flagship 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, released in December

Worryingly, the GlobalABC’s new Buildings Climate Tracker developed by BPIE, which considers measures such as incremental energy efficiency investment in buildings and the share of renewable energy in global buildings – finds that the rate of annual improvement is decreasing. It in fact halved between 2016 and 2019. To get the buildings sector on track to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, all actors across the buildings value chain need to increase decarbonization actions and their impact by a factor of five.

READ THE GABC STATUS REPORT
READ ABOUT THE BUILDINGS CLIMATE TRACKER
HIGHLIGHTS

Ambience H2020 developing platform to help ESCOs include demand side flexibility in their energy services offering 

The H2020 project AmBIENCe has introduced the novel concept of Active Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC), which looks to harness a building’s energy performance potential by incorporating flexibility and demand response in addition to energy efficiency measures, under one energy performance contract. To enable this contractual framework and support ESCOs build an AEPC business case, AmBIENCe is developing the Active Building Energy Performance Modelling (ABEPeM) platform, which it plans to launch later in 2021.  

What differentiates the ABEPeM platform from traditional Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) saving estimation tools, is the possibility to quantify, through different scenarios, additional Demand Response (DR) related savings and value streams resulting from active control of flexible assets. This is coupled with the calculation of performance guarantees and assessments of the flexibility in the building and the contract.  

The AEPC concept, the platform and related business models are currently being tested in two AmBIENCe pilots, covering respectively office and educational buildings in Portugal and Belgium.  

Learn about the AEPC proof-of-concept
Learn about the AEPC contracting model

NEW online tool presents the discussion around multiple benefits of building renovation among German stakeholders 

The project “Multiple benefits as a driver of energy-efficient building renovation” aimed to bring more clarity to the public debate on multiple benefits of energy efficiency improvements in the German residential sector.

The results and key policy recommendations of the 15-months project are now available in an interactive map available in English and German.

BPIE, together with the Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform, discussed how to better communicate, quantify and exploit the benefits of renovation activities for building owners and occupants. The benefits of renovation regarding health and wellbeing, air quality or job creation are well documented, however not yet fully considered in cost-benefit analyses of renovation decisions.

The stakeholder workshops revealed that in future, quantification approaches should be better streamlined and adapted to specific purposes and target groups which need to be addressed directly with tailored messages. The project was funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The final report can be downloaded here

View the interactive map
WHERE TO E-MEET US
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase. Stay tuned for more information. 
Green solutions Awards 2020-2021: applications are still open until March 15!

BPIE is a proud partner of the #GreenSolutions Awards 2021. There is still time to submit best projects to the organisers from Construction21 until March 15: the buildings, districts, and infrastructures in competition, as well as sustainable solutions that these exemplary projects integrate, will benefit from wide visibility on the platform and social media. The objective is to promote efficient climate solutions to contribute to their adoption by as many professionals as possible and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector. The registration of your case studies is free. 
More information here.
Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 September 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021 C4E Forum 2020 will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities.

See the programme outline here.
SAVE THE DATE! Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency, Final Conference, 11 May 2021, online

Join us May 11, 2021 from 1:00 - 4:30pm CET for a virtual event to multiply the benefits of energy efficiency!
The event will highlight how companies realise competitive advantages through energy efficiency, new evidence and tools to make a compelling business case for energy-saving projects, and how multiple benefits can bolster policy and green recovery efforts. 

Learn more here
BPIE OPINIONS
Total transformation of building renovation needs to start now

To achieve the 2030 climate target it will require energy efficient buildings with focus on renewable energy for heating and cooling buildings.

Read the article
More than "nice to have": national long-term building renovation strategies can be the road to recovery and growth

On March 10th 2020, EU Member States were expected to submit their third Long-Term Renovation Strategy (LTRS), in line with requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). By September, BPIE found that less than half of Member State’s strategies had been submitted, and of those, few were compliant with EU legislation. Now at the beginning of 2021, twelve national strategies are still missing (over nine months late), including all strategies from Central and Eastern European Countries.

Read the article 
IN THE NEWS
[Bloomberg Green]
Sweden Says EU Plan to Hit World’s Busiest Green Debt Market


According to Jonathan Volt and Zsolt Toth at the Buildings Performance Institute Europe, the certificates could help drive green investment. But the lack of common criteria for setting levels presents “some challenges,” not least for Nordic countries, they said.

“On average these countries have tougher building regulations and EPC A thresholds, which means that the benchmark for what is being considered ‘sustainable’ or ‘green’ will also become more difficult to reach,” Volt and Toth said in an email.

Read the article
[Climatico]
Le nouvel objectif climat met le bâtiment européen sous pression


L’objectif d’une réduction de -55 % des émissions de CO2 d’ici 2030 a des implications majeures pour le secteur du bâtiment. Au point qu’il devrait concentrer une partie de l’attention des législateurs européens en 2021. Le secteur pèse en effet 36 % de ces émissions, et les réduire ne présente pas de barrière technologique majeure. 

Read the article (in French)
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Dear reader, 

2020 has been an incredibly challenging year, but there is still hope to end it on a high note. We are all eagerly awaiting the European Council’s decision this week on a strengthened 2030 climate target, which would put us on track to reaching climate-neutrality and upholding our Paris Agreement commitments. Whatever the Council’s decision, we know that this is something Europeans deeply want – we want to fight climate change, and we also want health, well-being, and a sustainable, thriving economy.

Fighting climate change calls for ambitious action. Nothing short of total transformation in this decade will bring us to our goal. As we argue in our recent analysis, we need energy efficiency to reach climate goals, and Europe needs to reach at least 3% annual deep (!) renovation by 2030 to achieve 60% CO2 reduction in buildings, in line with the new EU 2030 goal. This must be delivered while increasing  renewable energy in buildings. This may not be easy and requires a complete overhaul of current renovation practices, but as we lost many years where renovation activity did not increase, we have no other choice.

Our December newsletter highlights the magnitude of the change ahead, but also solutions that will make this transformation possible. Implementation of national Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) are one such area we have mentioned on a number of occasions. Tackling this challenge head on, the Our Buildings project has provided a guidance to support national governments develop their LTRS, with a complementary template enabling local authorities to develop municipal renovation strategies in the focus countries of the project, Bulgaria and Romania.

RenOnBill and Ambience H2020 projects are making the case for two business models supporting the renovation wave – on-bill financing and Active Building Energy Performance Contracting –  with the potential to drive GHG savings and economic opportunity in one go.

We also need better integrated planning across EU policy. 2021 will see the revision of key EU legislation affecting energy efficiency (EED, EPBD and RES directive). The recent report from enefirst highlights 16 international case examples of efficiency first in practice, concluding that implementing the concept at EU level requires a custom set of policy and regulatory instruments.

Clearly - we have our work cut out for us next year, however the solutions are at hand. Now is the time to bring renovation on an industrial scale with innovative technologies and attractive financial support instruments. The billions of Euro which the EU is making available in the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the next EU budget are of unprecedented magnitude. We need to make sure that they are spent for the right solutions - to fight climate change now while supporting economic recovery to the benefits of all Europeans!

Enjoy the reading, 

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON - 2030 CLIMATE TARGETS
Europe needs to reach a minimum 3% annual deep renovation rate to achieve a strengthened GHG reduction target and a boost for renewable heating and cooling.

Achieving a higher 2030 climate target requires intensified action in the building sector, according to BPIE’s latest analysis. The analysis comes ahead of the upcoming European Council which will convene on December 10-11. EU leaders are expected to agree a new EU emissions reduction target for 2030 of at least 55% GHG reduction of 1990 levels.  The European Commission has shown that achieving this level of ambition requires 60% GHG emissions reduction of the building stock by 2030.
BPIE’s analysis demonstrates that to achieve the necessary GHG reductions, the current deep renovation rate of 0.2% per year needs to grow by at least a factor 10 to 2% and should approach 3% as quickly as possible. In this scenario, the share of fossil fuel in the energy mix in 2030 should decrease by 57% compared to 2015, while the renewable heat and electricity share should grow to 53% of the final energy demand.  This would deliver an energy saving of almost 25% by 2030 compared to 2015, equivalent to an average energy saving of 2.5% per year
Read the analysis
HIGHLIGHTS

Our Buildings – Guides for the development of ambitious municipal renovation strategies are now available in English, Romanian and Bulgarian

The Our Buildings project aims at strengthening local policy makers in Bulgaria and Romania to accelerate building energy efficiency efforts by developing municipal renovation strategies. Funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), the project provided guidance to support national governments to set up their LTRS according to the EPBD. A complementary template enabling local authorities to develop municipal renovation strategies in line with their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) is now available. All guiding documents are to find online in English, Romanian and Bulgarian on the project webpage.

Recent country activities in Bulgaria and Romania led by Our Buildings are successfully mobilizing municipalities towards accelerating building renovation. In Bulgaria, Our Buildings’ project partner Eneffect finalized local renovation strategies in 4 pilot municipalities. To showcase the Building Renovation Roadmaps methodology, the project consortium plans to carry out energy audits and develop Renovation Roadmaps for an energy-intensive building in each of the pilot cities.  In Romania, 32 municipal policy makers and EU experts came together in a national conference jointly organized by Our Building partner OER and Energy Cities. The active discussion revealed the commitment to accelerated renovation activities at the local level and agreed on a close collaboration between central and municipal governments.
Read more about the country activities in Bulgaria and Romania, now available in the EUKI Community.
RenOnBill report - Upscaling the residential sector with on-bill schemes - Replicability potential in the EU

On-bill schemes may represent a breakthrough for the energy market, according to a new report by the H2020 project RenOnBill. The report highlights that on-bill schemes are among the most flexible and innovative solutions to facilitate the uptake of energy efficiency upgrades in residential buildings: they can be easily adapted to specific market and utility requirements.

Based on an analysis of four target countries, namely Germany, Italy, Spain, and Lithuania, the report highlights the possible challenges for the implementation of on-bill schemes (OBS) in the EU along three dimensions: market readiness, legal/regulatory framework, and utilities’ operational issues. Ten business model frameworks applicable to this context are also identified.   
Read the full report
Subscribe to the RenOnBill newsletter
Transferring global experience of “efficiency first” to the EU

Learning from international experience is key to helping policymakers in the EU and its Member States establish a level playing field between demand and supply-side resources, and thus embed the efficiency first decision-making principle in EU policy, according to a new report published by the enefirst H2020 consortium. However, the report highlights that truly putting demand side resources on equal footing with supply side infrastructures, in all relevant instances, will require a custom set of policy and regulatory instruments that go beyond fragmented international practices.

The report assessed the extent to which international experience may be transferable to the political and legal system of the European Union and its Member States, showcasing 16 international examples of efficiency first in practice
Read the full report
Download the infographic

Active building Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) models towards smart flexible buildings

Delivering services to buildings using an Active building Energy Performance Contracting (AEPC) model may pave the way to new opportunities for Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and grid operators. AEPCs can help generate new business or improve existing business models, while lowering GHG emissions. Based on a literature study and stakeholder interviews, the new report published by the H2020 project AmBIENCe provides significant evidence that all energy performance contracting models can integrate demand response and become AEPC, even if this is not often the case. Electrification, in combination with active control based on demand response to variable pricing, seems to be the key to a successful business case. 

Read the report
Download the infographic

AmBIENCe partners with 6 Horizon2020 projects to advise EU leaders how to prepare buildings for the energy transition

To support the transition to a climate-neutral economy, 7 H2020 projects –Sensei, Triple-A, LAUNCH, AmBIENCe, NOVICE, QUEST and U-CERT - have drafted recommendations in a letter to policymakers, investigating ways to enable the mass adoption of energy efficiency measures and smart technologies supporting the uptake of renewable energy sources. 

The policy recommendations are gathered under 4 generic themes: electricity market reform, financing methods, technical streamlining and energy performance certification. They are derived through an in-depth understanding of the social, technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of the energy transition, as viewed from the academic, business and policy perspectives of the contributing projects, all funded by the Horizon 2020 programme.

While these recommendations are well supported by research, they need to be complemented by the democratic and effective engagement of all actors involved in the value chain to realize the intended results. 
 

Read the letter
WHERE TO E-MEET US
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. The H2020 AmBIENCe project will lead an online workshop presenting the project’s Active Building Energy Performance Contract (EPC), covering the concept, the project modelling tool, and outcomes from the testing phase. Stay tuned - more information coming soon. 
Green solutions Awards 2021: applications are open!

BPIE is proud to renew its partnership with the #GreenSolutions Awards 2021. Professionals are invited to submit their best projects to the organisers from Construction21: the buildings, districts, and infrastructures in competition, as well as sustainable solutions that these exemplary projects integrate, will benefit from wide visibility on the platform and social media. The objective is to promote efficient climate solutions to contribute to their adoption by as many professionals as possible and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector. The registration of your case studies is free.
More information here.
Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 April 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021 C4E Forum 2020 will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities.

See the programme outline here.


 
 IN THE NEWS
[EURACTIV] ‘Complete overhaul’ of buildings needed to meet EU’s 2030 climate goal

In its flagship building renovation wave, the European Commission announced it wanted to double the rate of energy-related building renovation by 2030, which currently stands at 1%.

This is insufficient to meet the EU’s updated 2030 climate goals, according to a new report by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), which says the renovation target should hit at least 3% annually to avoid having to renovate a huge amount of buildings in the 2030s and 2040s.

Read the opinion piece
[El País] Un tsunami de rehabilitación

Europa propugna una oleada de renovaciones de edificios para lograr la descarbonización en 2050; el objetivo del Gobierno es multiplicar el sector por cinco con la ayuda de la lluvia de millones del fondo de recuperación

Read the article (in Spanish)
[ENDS Europe] EU renovation target ‘inadequate’ to meet 2030 emissions pledge

The European Commission’s proposal to double the annual energy renovation rate of building stock in the EU falls way short of what is needed to achieve the planned 55% cut in annual CO2 emissions by 2030, a report from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) suggests.

Read the article
[Zelena Slovenija] Renovation Wave to achieve sustainable buildings in Europe

This handbook features our report "An Action Plan for the Renovation Wave: Collectively achieving sustainable buildings in Europe". 

Read the article (in Slovenian)
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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

Mit der Verabschiedung des Klimaschutzgesetzes haben wir nun verbindliche Sektorziele zur Treibhausgasminderung – zumindest für 2030. Ihre Umsetzung erfordert ambitionierte Energieeinsparungen im Gebäudesektor und eine schnelle Erhöhung der Sanierungsrate. Leider leistet das im Kabinett verabschiedete Gebäudeenergiegesetz keinen wesentlichen Beitrag dazu und verpasst es auch, einen langfristigen Zielhorizont aufzuzeigen.

Die im Klimaschutzprogramm 2030 erhaltenen Maßnahmen für den Gebäudesektor sollen in großen Teilen noch in diesem Jahr verabschiedet werden und lassen auf erhöhte Sanierungstätigkeiten im kommenden Jahr hoffen. Positiv überrascht waren wir von der Förderung der Seriellen Sanierung. Dieses Thema greift auch unser Factsheet „Serielle Nettonull-Sanierung in Europa“ auf und fasst die Erfahrungen des Energiesprong Geschäftsmodells zusammen.

Nun kommt es darauf an, die Langfristige Renovierungsstrategie, die laut EPBD 2018 im März 2020 vorgelegt werden muss, strategisch für einen ambitionierten Klimaschutz im Gebäudesektor zu nutzen und umfangreich zu konsultieren. Lesen Sie unser Policy Brief dazu.

Wir freuen uns darauf, mit Ihnen in einen intensiven Austausch über die nun anstehenden und klimapolitisch notwendigen nächsten Schritte zu kommen. Gelegenheiten dazu wird es viele geben, zum Beispiel bei unserem Workshop zu den Zusatznutzen energetischer Gebäudesanierung im Bereich der selbstgenutzten Immobilien am 23. Januar 2020.


Ihnen allen eine gute Vorweihnachtszeit

Ihre Sibyl Steuwer

PUBLIKATIONEN

  [Policy Brief] Langfristige Renovierungsstrategien – Strategische Planung für Klimaschutz im Gebäudesektor

Mit der Erneuerung der EU Gebäuderichtlinie EPBD (2010/31/EU) wurde die Pflicht der Mitgliedsstaaten zur Erstellung langfristiger Renovierungsstrategien erweitert. Die Implementierung auf nationaler Ebene soll mit einem breit angelegten Konsultationsprozess verbunden sein, der auch in Deutschland zeitnah eingeleitet werden muss.

Dieser neue Policy Brief fasst einige ausgewählte Anforderungen der EPBD hinsichtlich der langfristigen Renovierungsstrategien zusammen und weist auf die wichtigsten Punkte hin, die die Bundesregierung angehen sollte, um die Chance einer ambitionierten Klimapolitik im Gebäudesektor zu nutzen.

[Innovation Brief] Serielle Nettonull-Sanierung in Europa – Erfahrungen des Energiesprong Ansatzes aus den Niederlanden, Frankreich und GB

Die industrielle Vorfertigung von Fassaden, verbunden mit einer innovativen Prozessoptimierung und der Digitalisierung der Planung, der Ausführung und des Monitorings birgt große Chancen, die Kosten von Gebäudesanierung zu senken und dem Fachkräftemangel in der Bauindustrie effektiv zu begegnen.

Der Energiesprong Ansatz aus den Niederlanden übersetzt die serielle Sanierung in ein erfolgreiches Geschäftsmodell, welches bereits auf die Gegebenheiten in Frankreich und Großbritannien übertragen wurde. Dieses Factsheet fasst die Erfahrungen von serieller Nettonullsanierung nach dem Energiesprong Geschäftsmodell zusammen und zeigt die wichtigsten Erfolgsfaktoren, wie Prozessinnovationen und eine Qualitätssicherung durch digitales Monitoring, die eine erfolgreiche Markteinführung unterstützen.

[Policy Brief] 11 Punkte für einne klimafreundlichen Gebäudesektor

Das Klimakabinett hat seine Pläne für neue Maßnahmen im Klimaschutz Ende September vorgestellt. Aus diesem Anlass hat BPIE „11 Punkte für einen klimafreundlichen Gebäudesektor“ zusammengestellt. Maßnahmen und Instrumente müssen langfristig wirksam und verlässlich in der Zielerreichung sein. Hierfür ist ein Gesamtkonzept nötig, welches die vielen bestehenden und neu zu verabschiedenden Maßnahmen miteinander in Zusammenhang bringt. Die Gebäude, die heute gebaut oder renoviert werden, werden höchstwahrscheinlich nicht vor 2050 wieder einer gründlichen Sanierung unterzogen. Maßnahmen und Instrumente müssen daher langfristig wirksam und verlässlich in der Zielerreichung sein.

EU NEWS (English only)
[Discussion paper] Building renovation in the Clean Energy Package: implications at local, national and EU levels

Das Clean Energy Package der EU ist ein umfassendes Paket von Gesetzgebungen, das die europäische Klima- und Energiepolitik für 2020 und darüber hinaus definiert. Sie besteht aus acht verschiedenen Rechtsakten, die darauf abzielen, die Energiewende in Europa zu beschleunigen.

Dieser Bericht, der im Rahmen des H2020-Projekts Build Upon² veröffentlicht wurde, analysiert einige der wichtigsten Änderungen, die die Politik im Gebäudesektor in den kommenden Jahrzehnten beeinflussen werden. Insbesondere werden die EPBD (Energy Performance of Building Directive), die EED (Energy Efficiency Directive), die RED (Renewable Energy Directive) und die GOV (Governance Regulation) betrachtet.
[Report] Benchmarking promising experiences of integrated renovation services in Europe

Die Renovierung von Bestandsgebäuden kann zu erheblichen Energieeinsparungen führen und eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Erreichung des europäischen Klimaziels von 2050 spielen. Gleichzeitig ist der Bausektor entscheidend für das Wirtschaftswachstum und die Beschäftigung in Europa.

Eine fragmentierte Wertschöpfungskette erschwert es dem Bauherrn, Renovierungsarbeiten vorherzusagen und deren Kosten zu schätzen. Durch die Vereinfachung des Renovierungsprozesses für Eigentümer kann die Nachfrage nach energetischen Sanierungen steigen.

Im Rahmen des Horizon2020 finanzierten Projekts Turnkey Retrofit entstand dieser Report, in dem der Forschungsstand zu One-Stop-Shops und integrierten Renovierungs-dienstleistungen beschrieben wird.
 
Future-proof buildings for all Europeans – A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Zwei Drittel des europäischen Gebäudebestands wurden vor 1980 gebaut: Etwa 97% der Gebäude der EU müssen renoviert werden, um das Klimaziel von 2050 zu erreichen, aber nur 0,4-1,2% werden jedes Jahr saniert.

Die geänderte Richtlinie über die Gesamtenergieeffizienz von Gebäuden (EPBD) gibt eine klare Richtung für die vollständige Dekarbonisierung des europäischen Gebäudebestands bis 2050 vor. Sie bietet den Mitgliedstaaten ein klares Ziel und die Instrumente, es zu erreichen. Dieses umfassende Toolkit bietet Leitlinien, Tipps, Fallstudien und Vorlagen, um die EU-Mitgliedstaaten bei der Umsetzung der Richtlinie zu unterstützen und zu inspirieren, sich dieser Herausforderung zu stellen.
EVENTS
28. November: BPIE beim Stakeholder Meeting zur EPBD 19a in Brüssel

Laut Artikel 19a der erneuerten EU Gebäudeenergieeffizienz Richtlinie (EPBD) fertigt die Europäische Kommission bis 2020 eine Machbarkeitsstudie zur Einführung einer Inspektion von eigenständigen Lüftungsanlagen sowie eines Gebäuderenovierungspasses (Building Renovation Passport, BRP) an. Nach einer ersten Stakeholder Sitzung im Juni, bei der die teilnehmenden Experten den aktuellen Stand bestehender Regularien in Bezug auf die Inspektion von eigenständigen Lüftungssystemen und optionale Renovierungspässe diskutierten, wird diese Sitzung am Donnerstag, 28. November, die durchgeführten Analysen vorstellen und die Relevanz, Durchführbarkeit und den möglichen Umfang von Maßnahmen auf EU-Ebene diskutieren.

Sie haben die Möglichkeit das Stakeholder Meeting hier online zu verfolgen.
Workshop: Zusatznutzen im Eigenheim messbar machen

Ende Oktober fand der erste Expertenworkshop des DBU-geförderten Projekts Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung im Rahmen des Symposiums  "Valuing the multiple benefits of energy efficiency" statt. Am 23. Januar findet nun der zweite Workshop für Eigenheimbesitzer*innen - dies können Einfamilienhäuser oder Eigentumswohnungen sein - und Energieberater*innen statt, den wir gemeinsam mit der Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform in Berlin ausrichten. Wir wollen eine Diskussion über die zielgruppenspezifischen Nutzen und gesundheitlichen Vorteile von Sanierungsmaßnahmen im selbstgenutzten Wohneigentum führen und eine Entwicklung von Indikatoren zu deren Quantifizierung anstoßen.

Die Einladungen zu diesem Workshop werden zeitnah verschickt.
COP 25: BPIE bei der UNFCCC Klimakonferenz

BPIE veranstaltet in Kooperation mit dem Global Building Performance Network (GBPN), der UCL und der Ukraine State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Savings das Side-Event Moving towards zero carbon buildings solutions, tools and progress from all around the world, das am 3. Dezember, 18:30 – 20:00, stattfindet. Treffen können Sie uns auch bei Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) sowie beim Launch des Global Status Report der Global Alliance for Building and Construction (GABC). Mehr Informationen zu allen gebäuderelevanten Veranstaltungen finden Sie hier.
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Dear reader, 

Following the recent publication of the Renovation Wave strategy, we are presenting a range of tools and policy instruments which can help governments to implement the strategy and its actions. As I point out in my recent opinion piece, we know what to do, and it’s now time to get going! 

One such action is to enlarge the scope of the well-tested Building Renovation Passport concept to multifamily, commercial and public buildings, as the iBRoad project is suggesting in its latest report. The project is ending this month, join us online on 24 November for its final conference

Increasing transparency on buildings through better management of data provided by Energy Performance Certificates is also key, as the latest report from the X-tendo project concludes, because it helps owners and investors to make the right renovation decisions. Making renovation easy and “turnkey” is instead the goal of the new online platform developed by the Turnkey Retrofit project. The platform will be available in several countries and is already live in its French version.
Last but not least, it’s good to add a financing solution into the action mix: the Ambience project is proposing a range of measures to grow a new form of energy performance contracting, providing incentives for energy demand management in buildings.  

I hope these news provide inspiration to get all hands on deck to deliver the Renovation Wave in Europe.

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
HIGHLIGHTS
Beyond the single-family house: new report explores extension of Building Renovation Passports to multifamily, commercial and public buildings

The report, published by the H2020 project iBRoad, explores how the project's methods can be enable deep, step-wise renovation in multi-family and non-residential buildings. The report describes how the Renovation Roadmap and Logbook, which initially targeted single-family homeowners, can be adapted to meet the requirements of other target groups.

The analysis shows that all building types considered in the report would benefit from having a long-term step-by-step renovation plan and Logbook. However, policy instruments would have to be adjusted to support this approach for these building types.

Read the report
Implementation of Active Energy Performance Contracting in Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain

The H2020 AmBIENCe project published four country factsheets detailing the status of Energy Performance Contracting in Belgium, Spain, Italy and Portugal

The factsheets show that Belgium and Italy are on track to implement the Active Energy Performance Contracting whereas significant barriers remain for Spain and Portugal. A strong legislative background and standards established for energy efficiency in buildings, well-developed Energy Performance Contract market, the establishment of product requirements according to the concept of “technology-neutrality” are among the main enablers for the implementation of Active Energy Performance Contract at country level.

The country factsheets complement the assessment of enhanced Energy Performance Contracts that was conducted with the main goal to analyse the directives, policies and measures in place, as well as those under consideration, at EU level and across EU Member States.
Read the factsheets
 FOCUS ON

Discover BuiltHub, e-SAFE and ComAct three new H2020 projects

BPIE is a proud partner of three newly launched H2020 projects: BuiltHub, e-SAFE and ComAct. 

To tackle the lack of comprehensive and reliable data on the EU building stock, over the coming four years, BuiltHub will develop a structured and inclusive data collection approach, as well as a user-friendly Datahub in the shape of an online platform, which will be fed with data from users and other data providers.

e-SAFE will develop fast, cost-effective and tailorable, integrated solutions for an energy-efficient, anti-seismic and aesthetically pleasant deep renovation system of existing buildings, based on an innovative collaborative co-design process and supported by business models that make deep renovation more attractive and viable.

ComAct will develop new approaches to reduce the high levels of energy poverty in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), as well as in Southeastern Europe. Specifically, the project aims to reduce the costs of high-impact/high-cost energy efficient improvements in multi-family apartment buildings in these two regions. Five pilot cases will be conducted in Bulgaria, Hungary, Lithuania, North Macedonia and Ukraine. Follow ComAct on Twitter and Facebook.
Making renovation easy and "turnkey" with the one-stop-shop Solutions4Renovation

The H2020 project Turnkey Retrofit launched its one-stop-shop for energy retrofitting of homes, Solution4Renovation. The platform provides a homeowner-centric renovation journey which transforms complex and fragmented renovations into a simple, straightforward, and attractive process.

The platform reduces transaction costs, overcomes information barriers such as available financing, and offers integrated solutions for building renovations. Now available in France, Solution4Renovation will be soon made available in Spain and Ireland, with the aim of upscaling home renovations in these markets. Learn more about the platform here.

Visit Solutions4Renovation
Understanding the value of data: new X-tendo report outlines user needs and technical specifications of innovative EPC features

The Renovation Wave Communication published by the European Commission in October 2020 suggested reinforcing existing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) frameworks, including improving data gathering, storage and overall quality.

The latest report published by the H2020 project X-Tendo indeed shows that major strides can be taken without involving additional building assessments tools, but rather by better handling and using EPC data. According to the report, to fully unlock the full potential and benefits of EPCs, existing certification regimes at Member State level must be properly implemented and endorsed, supported by well-functioning management, control and monitoring mechanisms. They should also encourage a more open approach to data sharing and access. 

For each of the five features addressed (EPC databases, building logbooks, tailored recommendations, financing options and one-stop shops), X-tendo describes the status quo, end-users’ needs, and the potential for this feature to be further developed and implemented within certain countries.
Read the report
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iBRoad project final conference - Step by step, measure by measure: Building Renovation Passports – delivering the Renovation Wave for our buildings, 24 November 2020, 9:00 – 13:00 CET
The EU Renovation Wave aims to double the EU annual energy renovation rate by 2030 to cut emissions, boost economic recovery and reduce energy poverty. It is a much needed and ambitious initiative, and its implementation accordingly calls for powerful tools and policies, including Building Renovation Passports & Digital Building Logbooks, and a ‘deep renovation’ standard as part of the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). 

In the last three years, the iBroad H2020 project has successfully delivered and tested Building Renovation Passports and Logbooks for deep renovation. The conference aims to contribute to the dialogue ahead of the EPBD revision by demonstrating the immediate potential of tested solutions, and by highlighting best practices for delivering a decarbonised and healthy building stock to the EU and beyond. 

iBRoad’s final conference will provide participants with the opportunity to review and discuss:
•    The relation of Building Renovation Passports and Digital Building Logbooks with Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)
•    The past, present and promising future of these tools
•    Why public authorities would choose to adopt them and why citizens would want them
•    What policies can turn Building Renovation Passports into catalysts for investments in renovation
 
Download the agenda
Register here

The 5th ZEB Insight - Innovative Business Models for Energy-efficient Buildings in the EU and Korea, November 25, 2020, 7:30-10:00am CET

In Korea, where 37% of the building stock is over 30 years old, buildings claimed 17% of the total energy consumption in 2018. Improving building energy performance is crucial for both the EU and Korea in achieving their climate goals.
The webinar will share innovative business models, such as the H2020 projects AmBIENCe and RenOnBill, and will allow for discussion between EU and Korean experts to foster the exchange of knowledge and best practices. 
Register here

EUKI Academy Web Seminar: The Renovation Wave under the EU Green Deal - New Policy Windows for Accelerating and Financing Building Renovation at the Municipal Level, November 26, 2020, 11:00 – 12:00 CET (Attention: new date)

The EUKI Academy web seminar will present new possibilities that will arise in the coming month for decarbonising the European building stock. Among other things, the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will be revised in 2021 in view of the new proposals of the renovation wave.

The online event will present some important changes that have been announced to boost renovation efforts across Europe. One focus will be on the financing of deep renovation of municipal buildings and the presentation of the results of the EUKI project "Our Buildings" by the project partners from BPIE and Eneffect.

More information is available here.

Climate Chance Observatory is organizing a series of virtual debates from December 1st to 4th.

Climate Chance Association, a global platform for non-state climate actors, will release on December 1st, 2020 its Observatory’s new Sector-based Synthesis Report . This report summarizes the main trends of action taken by local authorities, companies and civil society to mitigate GHG emissions in the 6 sectors that emit the most: energy, transport, building, waste, industry and land use. This year, it also analyzes the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the strategies observed over the last few years.

To support the release of this report, the Climate Chance Observatory is organizing a series of virtual debates from December 1st to 4th. BPIE is proud to participate to the building chapter, which will take place on December 3rd from 3pm to 4pm (Paris time). 

Please note that these discussions will be entirely virtual (via Zoom) and simultaneous French-English translation will be available. Register here.

World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference - which attracts over 400 participants from over 50 countries each year - shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. The conference will be a "hybrid event" and will combine in-person and digital events. The H2020 AmBIENCe project will participate with a workshop: more information coming soon!
Green solutions Awards 2021: applications are open!

BPIE is proud to renew its partnership with the #GreenSolutions Awards 2021. Professionals are invited to submit their best projects to the organisers from Construction21: the buildings, districts, and infrastructures in competition, as well as sustainable solutions that these exemplary projects integrate, will benefit from wide visibility on the platform and social media. The objective is to promote efficient climate solutions to contribute to their adoption by as many professionals as possible and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector. The registration of your case studies is free.
More information here.
Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 April 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021 C4E Forum 2020 will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities.

See the programme outline here.


 
 IN THE NEWS
Words into action: all hands on deck to make Renovation Wave a reality

Member states need to roll up their sleeves and start working on implementing national and local renovation waves across Europe, writes Oliver Rapf, BPIE’s Executive Director. The new opinion piece gives four steps to make the Renovation Wave happen.

Read the opinion piece
Emisyonları Düşürmek İçin Değer Zincirindeki Her Aktörün Bir Rolü Var – Every actor in the value chain has a role to play to reduce emissions

Mariangiola Fabbri, Head of Research at BPIE, was interviewed by Iklim Haber, a Turkish news site on climate science, policies and economy. In her interview, Mariangiola underlines that renovation is at the center of the EU Green Deal as the key solution to reduce emissions and provide better living conditions for EU citizens. She also emphasizes that every actor in the value chain has a role to play, from the European Commission to the end user.

Read the interview (In Turkish) 
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Dear reader, 

2 weeks ago, the European Commission published the Renovation Wave, a comprehensive list of actions to overcome the renovation blockage in Europe. It is a call to action for everyone in the sector, and we have taken a thorough look at it and are suggesting specific steps in our new briefing.  

The Renovation Wave actions are not abstract, they have a real relevance for our daily lives. Just look at the public debate about the right level of ventilation in classrooms. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to renovate schools to a level where an efficient and clean ventilation system would be a standard in every school? And would it not be a motivation for owners and investors to renovate if they simply had more information about the performance of their building, also compared to similar buildings? 

Two projects with BPIE involvement are providing an answer to this question - check out the recent publications on Digital Building Logbooks and on the future of Energy Performance Certificates. And we are proposing further innovations to increase momentum in the Renovation Wave, such as new models for Energy Performance Contracts which reward energy demand management in addition to energy savings. 

I hope our work is inspiring to get the Renovation Wave rolling and keeps us all focused and engaged in the challenge ahead, as we are forced to stay in our home offices and manage the increasing lock down measures all over Europe. 

Stay safe and healthy, and keep in touch! 

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
RENOVATION WAVE ANALYSIS
The European Renovation Wave: From Words to Action, BPIE presents its views on the new communication by the Commission

The Renovation Wave, published by the European Commission on October 14, 2020 recognises that the status quo is not sustainable and introduces a range of actions to “make renovation a win-win for climate neutrality and economic recovery”.

Its premise is that to contribute to a higher 2030 climate target and decarbonise the building sector, a wide range of policies, measures and tools must be put in place at all levels to overcome existing barriers and mobilise all actors, including citizens, local authorities, investors and the construction value chain. But while a vision to decarbonise the building sector is taking shape, success will depend on how well it is turned into action in the coming years.

This assessment sets out BPIE’s views on the key elements of the strategy, and how they can be put into action.
Read the analysis
The European Renovation Wave and its implications for Germany (German only) 

A first BPIE analysis shows that the German Long Term Renovation Strategy needs improvement in many areas. It is precisely these areas that are again being brought to the focus of attention in the Renovation Wave. This briefing highlights the most important aspects of the Renovation Wave for German stakeholders and shows what is planned in the announced revision of the key EU legislation in 2021 (EED, EPBD).

With the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the EU Commission mobilises more than € 670 billion which the German government, as all other EU Member States, should make use of by submitting a plan of climate-related investments with a focus on building renovation measures. Good practice examples from neighbouring EU countries give ideas about innovative measures and initiatives.

Read the analysis
 FOCUS ON: BUILDING LOGBOOKS
New report from European Commission provides first-ever, common definition of a European Digital Building Logbook
 
The lack of common repository for all relevant building data amounts to additional costs and inefficiencies, stifled innovation, increased risk and low investor confidence. A Digital Building Logbook could overcome this through increased data transparency and availability to a broad range of market players.
The new report is part of a study commissioned by EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), on the development of a European Union framework for a Digital Building Logbook. Written by BPIE, with important contributions from Vito and R2M Solution, the report represents an important first step towards developing an EU framework for a Digital Building Logbook, a key element in the European Commission’s Renovation Wave strategy, presented on October 14th. 
Read the report
Building logbooks, financing options and comfort are the most relevant features for new energy performance certificates according to end-users in five countries, X-tendo survey shows
Understanding end-user perspectives is crucial for the development and roll-out of new features for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). Without a full insight into what end-users want and need for the next generation of EPCs it will be difficult to make effective use of these new features.

X-tendo has conducted a survey with (potential future) building owners and occupants in Denmark, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Romania on their needs, expectations, and views on the innovative features of next-generation EPCs.
Responses vary depending on categories including age, employment, tenure, and financial situation, as does interest in specific EPC features. For example, younger people are more interested in smart technologies and good indoor air quality (especially families with children), while older age groups were more interested in comfort, real energy consumption, building documentation and renovation information in general. 

As for the features of EPCs, building logbooks, financing options, and comfort are the most relevant features, followed by tailored recommendations and one-stop-shops.
 
Read the report
 HIGHLIGHTS
Assessment of enhanced Energy Performance Contracts and building demand response services in Europe

The H2020 project AmBIENCe conducted an assessment of enhanced energy performance contracts and building Demand Response (DR) services in Europe, with the main goal to analyse the directives, policies and measures in place, as well as those under consideration, at EU level and across EU Member States.

The report states that DR and consumer empowerment are integral parts of the Energy Union and the Clean Energy Package for all Europeans because they help to reach a competitive, secure, and sustainable economy.

A detailed country analysis shows that in terms of ESCO/energy performance contracting development, the most advanced countries in Europe are Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany and United Kingdom, which are characterized by a more mature market fostered by a well-developed legal framework addressing energy performance contracting and a wider variety of offerings and project facilitators. 
Download the report
Read the factsheet
Untapping multiple benefits: hidden values in environmental and building policies - JRC Technical Report 

The untapped / hidden benefits of environmental policies are huge, this piece of research showcases and places a monetary value on the added benefits to our health, society and the economy that environmental investments and policy linked to energy efficiency can bring.

Findings show that green policies can improve both our health and the economy and can go hand-in-hand. This study provides guidance to policy and decision-makers in developing a methodology for the inclusion of multiple benefits in a cost/benefit assessment of energy efficiency policy. 
Download the report
Insights into Syn.ikia’s concept and Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods
How can plus energy neighbourhoods be the key to environment friendly, climate resilient, safe & affordable living places and communities? The H2020 Syn.ikia project aims to increase the proportion of sustainable neighbourhoods with surplus renewable energy in different contexts, climates and markets in Europe. In four real-life Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods in Norway, Spain, The Netherlands and Austria, syn.ikia will demonstrate the concept to the rest of Europe.
Learn more about syn.ikia by viewing the project’s video in English, with subtitles available in Norwegian, Dutch, Spanish, Catalan and Hungarian
WHERE TO E-MEET US
ACTIVE MANAGED BUILDINGS & ENERGY PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS, FLEXCON2020, 28 October 2020

The H2020 project AmBIENCe will host a workshop during the FLEXCON2020 online conference to discuss about business models and energy performance contracts. This workshop is part of the FLEXCON series of weekly digital Smart Energy tracks. 

The integration of demand response in Energy Performance Contracts is the main focus of AmBIENCe : Energy Service Companies (ESCO’s) are definitely keen on financing energy efficiency measures in their customers’ buildings, but find it hard to estimate the value of energy flexibility. The ABEPeM (Active Building Energy Performance Modelling) tool, which is being developed by AmBIENCe, will help the ESCO to calculate the operational cost savings and return on investment of renovations and smart control of assets. This webinar will present the newest insights on the active building energy performance contracting concept and methodology and introduce the ABEPeM tool.

FLEXCON, organized by the Flexiblepower Alliance Network (FAN) and smartEn, brings together parties who share the common goal to engage consumers in the flexible energy revolution. Their workshops and inclusive talks relate to new smart energy services and business models, with topics like smart grids, blockchain, energy markets, demand response, transactive energy, smart homes etc.
Register here
Sustainable Places conference, 27-30 October 2020

Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of Sustainable Places involves designing, building and retrofitting the places we live and work in a more sustainable way. 
Sustainable Places is a platform for the dissemination of research, the conduct of workshops, EU project clustering and networking between stakeholders of all types. SP2020 will be held over four days in digital event format. Between opening and closing keynote sessions, parallel technical sessions and project-organized workshops will be held on conference topic areas. Register to get to know better the H2020 projects X-tendo, AmBIENCe and Turnkey Retrofit.
 
Register here

REHVA Brussels Summit 2020 - Online Conference
5th November 2020, 9:00 - 11:00 am

The 2020 edition of its Brussels Summit conference must also go online with an adapted structure. The event will consist of two 2-hours sessions. A technical seminar on COVID-19 aftermath will discuss solutions in the HVAC and building sector that faces the unprecedented challenge of the current pandemic with a focus on practical implementation. The following EU policy conference will focus on the Renovation wave tackling key issues in our sector: how EU policies support good quality energy renovation that delivers guaranteed performances also in terms of improved indoor climate quality. We aim to bring together high-level representatives of EU institution and leading representatives of think thanks and NGOs, from the “practitioners” side.

Register here

EUKI Academy Web Seminar: The Renovation Wave under the EU Green Deal: New Policy Windows for Accelerating and Financing Building Renovation at the Municipal Level
19th November, 2020, 10:00 – 11:00 am

The EUKI Academy web seminar will present new possibilities that will arise in the coming month for decarbonising the European building stock. Among other things, the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will be revised in 2021 in view of the new proposals of the renovation wave.

The event will present some important changes that have been announced to boost renovation efforts across Europe. One focus will be on the financing of deep renovation of municipal buildings and the presentation of the results of the EUKI project "Our Buildings".

If you are interested please contact germany@bpie.eu.

World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference - which attracts over 400 participants from over 50 countries each year - shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. The conference will be a "hybrid event" and will combine in-person and digital events. The H2020 AmBIENCe project will participate with a workshop: more information coming soon!
Green solutions Awards 2021: applications are open!

BPIE is proud to renew its partnership with the #GreenSolutions Awards 2021. Professionals are invited to submit their best projects to the organisers from Construction21: the buildings, districts, and infrastructures in competition, as well as sustainable solutions that these exemplary projects integrate, will benefit from wide visibility on the platform and social media. The objective is to promote efficient climate solutions to contribute to their adoption by as many professionals as possible and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector. The registration of your case studies is free.
More information here.
Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 April 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

The 2021 C4E Forum 2020 will offer an engaging blend of practical parallel sessions, workshops, high-level plenaries, a slot for DIY sessions and plenty of social and networking opportunities.

See the programme outline here.


 
 IN THE NEWS
EU Wants to Use Green Stimulus To Clean Up CO2-Spewing Buildings

The commission wants to increase the average rate of energy renovation to 2% per year by 2030 from the current 1%, according to the EU documents. That would mean upgrades of 35 million buildings over the next 10 years, a move that would not only benefit the environment but also create as many as 160,000 green jobs.


READ MORE
How Data can Unlock Europe’s Renovation Revolution

The COVID-19 wake-up call has shifted EU sustainability policy from ambition to action. We have seen decision-makers strive for recovery packages that can both deliver on climate goals and rescue turbulent economies. The EU had already set much of this in motion with its Green Deal and target-based climate law.


READ MORE
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Dear reader, 

Climate change is knocking on our front door. The impacts are felt everywhere, from heatwaves and droughts in Europe, to apocalyptic fires in Australia and the American West Coast, to the disintegration of the Greenlandic ice sheet. Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to reduce Europe’s CO₂ emissions by at least 55% in 2030 is a step in the right direction and has the renovation wave at its center. It is reassuring to hear her message, but it needs to be followed up by a bold Renovation Wave Action Plan, because renovation action is simply too low.

Our current analysis of national Long-Term Renovation Strategies shows that only one out of 14 published strategies is fully compliant. While many strategies contain good elements, we often found a lack of a strategic plan how to trigger much deeper and faster renovation. My hope is that the European Commission and the national governments are aware that people expect political leadership not only in words but also in action.

Launching a European Renovation Wave with clear actions and a timetable would be a strong signal. One such action could be a much better use of energy service business models. Our new report finds that many national energy service markets are immature and would benefit from a supportive regulatory environment.

Much remains to be done, and I am looking forward to an intensive autumn which should bring us some breakthroughs. We need them, you know why. 

Kind regards, 

Oliver Rapf 
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON: KICK-STARTING THE RENOVATION WAVE
A review of EU Member States’ 2020 Long-term Renovation Strategies
BPIE’s latest report highlights that more than half of EU Member States are six months late to submit their national Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS), a key element of Europe’s strategy to decarbonise the building stock. Of those submitted only one is fully compliant with EU legislation.

Analysis on the 14 submitted LTRS reveals that Member States are deficient in assessing the wider benefits of building renovations, in presenting the implementation details of the 2017 renovation strategies, or in consulting with the public on the strategy and its implementation. 
The analysis concludes that many Member States still do not seem to prioritise action in the building sector, which is central to climate mitigation and to improving living conditions of Europeans, with the urgency that is needed.

Second, those Member States that still do not have a fully-fledged LTRS could miss the opportunity to access new funds from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility to help finance its implementation.

Third, a delay in LTRS submission hampers and slows down the work of the European Commission, which still lacks a full up-to date picture of progress (and future plans) on building renovations in each EU country.
On a more positive note, the report draws attention to a number of strategies that deserve singling out for overall performance, or that addressed sections of EPBD Article 2a particularly well, which could be used as examples for other Member States to follow.

These include Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. Spain in particular is the only country found to be fully compliant,  receiving a high score (4 or 5) against most clauses.

Generally, the level of detail provided was excellent. Of particular note is the treatment of energy savings and wider benefits, and a detailed exposition of progress with implementing the 2017 strategy.  
Download the report
 HIGHLIGHTS
The role of the Energy Services market in the Renovation Wave and economic recovery   

Energy service companies (ESCOs) can play a key role in achieving EU economic recovery while aligning investment with the objectives of the European Green Deal, by facilitating immediate, short-term action, as well as long-term energy savings through energy performance contracts (EnPCs).

This report provides an overview of the ESCO market in Europe, followed by concrete policy recommendations to expedite the growth of the ESCO market in Europe.

 

The report argues that the European Commission's Renovation Wave initiative for buildings, expected for October 2020, should put an accent on the importance of EnPCs as a key tool to deliver the necessary renovations, starting from the need to implement existing provisions across different legislation (i.e. the Energy Efficiency Directive).

The Renovation Wave should also provide an assessment of eventual gaps and opportunities to mainstream EnPCs further, including support for local authorities such as specific technical assistance to aggregate residential renovations through EnPCs.
Download the report
WEBINARS AND EVENTS
UNEP and Global ABC Webinar - Green Buildings vs. The Crisis
23 September | 15:30 (CET)

Stimulus programmes for the building sector can boost a Green Recovery after Covid-19. Over 10% of global GDP and 220 million jobs depend on the building sector globally. The programmes can be highly effective to stimulate the economy, while moving the whole sector to a new and greener state. 

Practitioners and development banks present successful green building programmes and discuss possibilities for financing them. The event is organised by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and its Work Area on Finance.  
Register here
ACTIVE MANAGED BUILDINGS & ENERGY PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS, FLEXCON2020, 28 October 2020

The H2020 project AmBIENCe will host a workshop during the FLEXCON2020 online conference to discuss about business models and energy performance contracts. This workshop is part of the FLEXCON series of weekly digital Smart Energy tracks. 

The integration of demand response in Energy Performance Contracts is the main focus of AmBIENCe : Energy Service Companies (ESCO’s) are definitely keen on financing energy efficiency measures in their customers’ buildings, but find it hard to estimate the value of energy flexibility. The ABEPeM (Active Building Energy Performance Modelling) tool, which is being developed by AmBIENCe, will help the ESCO to calculate the operational cost savings and return on investment of renovations and smart control of assets. This webinar will present the newest insights on the active building energy performance contracting concept and methodology and introduce the ABEPeM tool.

FLEXCON, organized by the Flexiblepower Alliance Network (FAN) and smartEn, brings together parties who share the common goal to engage consumers in the flexible energy revolution. Their workshops and inclusive talks relate to new smart energy services and business models, with topics like smart grids, blockchain, energy markets, demand response, transactive energy, smart homes etc.
Register here
Sustainable Places 2020, 28-30 October 2020 

Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of Sustainable Places involves designing, building and retrofitting the places we live and work in a more sustainable way. 
Sustainable Places is a platform for the dissemination of research, the conduct of workshops, EU project clustering and networking between stakeholders of all types. SP2020 will be held over four days in digital event format. Between opening and closing keynote sessions, parallel technical sessions and project-organized workshops will be held on conference topic areas. Register to get to know better the H2020 projects X-tendo, AmBIENCe and Turnkey Retrofit.
 
Register here
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) and online

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference - which attracts over 400 participants from over 50 countries each year - shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. The conference will be a "hybrid event" and will combine in-person and digital events.  You can submit your contribution until October 12, 2020 at this link. The H2020 AmBIENCe project will participate with a workshop: more information will come soon! 
Central & Eastern European-Energy Efficiency Forum, 21-24 April 2021, Poiana Brasov (Romania)

 
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Dear reader,

This year’s summer break may have been a different one, but I trust you managed to recharge your batteries for what promises to be a busy autumn. We are expecting the publication of the Renovation Wave Action Plan, announced earlier by the European Commission, and an intense discussion about the revision of the EU’s 2030 climate target. We will make sure to provide our analysis and ideas to both in the coming months.

We are starting with taking stock of the extensive European policy framework in our new Guidebook to European Building Policy.  However, this framework did not result in a significant increase of renovation activities, and policymakers will have to make bold and ambitious steps to launch the Renovation Wave in the near future.

We are also presenting innovative approaches to financing renovation in the RenOnBill project, and argue for a strong link of national renovation strategies with recovery and resilience plans. Taking a longer term perspective, two new outputs with BPIE’s contribution are looking at the question how we can achieve a climate-neutral building stock by 2050.

In the coming months, we will continue the organisation of online meetings, check out our schedule below and make sure to register! Linking economic recovery and building renovation promises benefits for all, stay tuned for our contributions and join the debate.

Enjoy the reading,
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON: EU BUILDING POLICY
A Guidebook to European Building Policy: Key legislation and initiatives
Within the framework agreement of the Specific Partnerships for Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA), BPIE produced a guidebook on European building policy for the government of Australia and Canada. Beyond these countries, this guidebook can serve as an exhaustive and up-to-date reference point for European policymakers and stakeholders working in energy performance of buildings. 

The guide focuses on the key EU legislation aimed at transforming and decarbonising the European building stock, including the Clean Energy Package for all Europeans, the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), and EU energy product policy including the Energy Labelling and Eco-Design Directives. Within BPIE, it is our expectation that the European Commission will build on this robust arsenal of legislation with even stronger proposals in its Renovation Wave strategy, expected for mid October this year.

 

Download the Guidebook
 HIGHLIGHTS
Bringing buildings back to reach zero-carbon by 2050
A new report, released in July by ECF, prepared by CE Delft, shows that despite the necessity, benefits and urgency to decarbonise Europe’s buildings, the buildings sector is not currently on a trajectory to zero-carbon by 2050. Current policies focusing on incentives and information are not enough to reach this target.

Focusing on three areas where the emission reduction potential is the greatest, namely the energy performance of the existing building envelope, energy carriers, and building materials, the report recommends a first-ever long-term roadmap of policies to deliver essential carbon reductions in the residential building sector.
 
Read the Report
The H2020 project X-tendo responds to the Energy Performance Certificates harmonisation challenge by developing and testing 10 innovative features for the next generation of EPCs
 
This report presents the preliminary scoping and analysis of five of the ten features, introduced by the H2020 project X-tendo, related to developing innovative EPC indicators: smart readiness, comfort, outdoor air pollution, real energy consumption, and district energy. It gives an overview of existing assessment approaches and methodologies for each feature and analyses their suitability and applicability to EPCs in a broader context, including building typologies and ranking techniques.  
Learn more
The 10 Energy Performance Certificates features developed by X-tendo are being tested against four cross-cutting criteria 
 
The Horizon 2020 project X-tendo introduced a set of cross-cutting criteria, which encapsulate the central success factors of EPC development: 
  • quality and reliability, 
  • user-friendliness, 
  • economic feasibility, and 
  • consistency with international standards.   
The #Xtendoproject started the related analysis by developing a guidance note that presents a list of indicators for each criteria. Each feature will be assessed, evaluated and validated against these indicators to ensure compliance with the cross-cutting criteria.
Learn more

[Report] New research identifies barriers to prioritising energy demand reduction in energy system planning in the EU

The Enefirst consortium has released a report identifying persisting barriers to implementing the decision-making principle of efficiency first (E1st) in energy system planning and policymaking. The report, based on the results of a survey to 45 experts in energy efficiency in buildings, infrastructure, and planning from across Europe, identifies political barriers as the most significant barrier to implementation, suggesting that implementing the E1st principle is first and foremost a political decision. Additionally, a majority of respondents stressed the lack of expertise, knowledge, awareness or understanding, which suggests that a proactive dissemination of good practices and case studies is important.

 

Read the Report
Free EUCalc MOOC now available on edX! Learn how to use the #EUCalc Pathway Finder to a low carbon EU-Society
 
In this course you will be introduced to a new tool, the EUCalc Pathways Explorer, which calculates the effects of different adaptations in behavior and changes in technology. This tool consolidates scientific data gathered from researchers world-wide.

Scenarios can be chosen for actions in transport, diet, consumption and homes, and in technology for buildings, energy, transport and manufacturing. Effects on greenhouses gas emissions, land-use, water scarcity, jobs, air pollution and costs can be seen for each setting. This way you can consider which actions and transitions are required to mitigate climate change effects in Europe and/or its separate Member States.

Access the MOOC
On-bill schemes in Lithuania, Italy, Spain and Germany: insights from the RenOnBill national workshops 

The H2020 RenOnBill consortium held a series of national online workshops in the spring of 2020 targeting stakeholders in the four focus countries: Italy, Lithuania, Germany and Spain. The workshops aimed to select the target markets for on-bill schemes in the four countries and to develop the basis for cooperation options between financial institutions and utilities for the selected target market. 

In each national workshop, participants discussed questions related to the relevant target market segments and to the preferences in terms of source of financing for the on-bill scheme. In the four countries, the preferred model for any large-scale intervention turned out to be on-bill repayment (where investment capital is provided by a private third party). 
Read the insights
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
WHERE TO FIND US
Virtual Regional Technical Expert Meetings on Mitigation
27 August | 10:00 – 11:30 CEST


The Covid-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and health emergencies, has affected demand for cooling in different applications: cooling in buildings, domestic refrigeration of food and drinks, cold chains, medical necessities, data centers. Decision makers are required to design and deploy smart solutions with a view of rebulding a global community post Covid-19 that is stronger than before.

The meeting will discuss new sustainable solutions for cooling that take into consideration climate impacts and new societal needs, policies that should be developed and put in place so as to optimize the use of energy and resources, challenges that prevent the private sector from investing on clean and sustainable building and contribute to transformational changes.
  • 10:00 (5 min) – Brief introduction of the topic and speakers (Oliver Rapf, BPIE)
  • 10:05 (5 min) – Opening remarks by TEC and CTCN member (Mr. Stig Svenningsen, Technology Executive Committee
  • 10:10 (50 min) – Presentations and moderated panel discussion
    • Ms. Nursat Abdurashilova, Chief Executive Director, Unisongroup, Kyrgyzstan 
    • Mr. Mohammad Asfour, Head, Africa Regional Network, World Green Building Council
    • Mr. Alexander Handziivanov, Green Economy Specialist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
    • Mr. Ibrahim Ibrahim Al Zubi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Majid Al Futtaim
  • 11:00 (25 min) – Questions and answers
  • 11:25 (10 min) – Summary and closing by the moderator
Register here
[Webinar] Green Recovery in Spain and Italy: Accelerating Home Renovation after COVID
22 September | 15:00 - 16:00


As two of the worst-hit countries in Europe by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping communities recover and stimulating the economy is fundamental for a successful recovery in Italy and Spain. Looking to a forge a “green recovery” largely means enabling home renovation that is accessible to everyone.  This webinar will discuss the current policy accelerating home renovation and the financing tools pushing it forward. Case studies will focus on the situation in Spain and the stimulus efforts in Italy, such as the eco-bonus scheme.
Agenda
  • 15:00 (5 min) – Welcome and Introduction (Jessica Stromback, Joule Assets)
  • 15:10 (15 min) – Europe and the Green Recovery Plan (Arianna Vitali Roscini, BPIE)
  • 15:20 (10 min) – Case Study: Spain (Mart Jacbos, GNE Finance)
  • 15:30 (10 min) – Case Study: Italy (Sergio Olivero, Energy Center – Politecnico di Torino)
  • 15:40 (20 min) – Conclusions and Q&A (Jessica Stromback, Joule Assets)
Register here
World Green Building Week (21 – 25 September 2020)
World Green Building Week is World Green Building Council’s annual campaign that empowers us all to deliver greener buildings. Over five days, the World Green Building Council network of Green Building Councils and partners will showcase examples of global industry leadership. We will deliver a coordinated, collective voice of the industry to demonstrate the existing leadership in the net zero building movement, and call for bolder and more ambitious regulation to unlock these solutions.
More information and registration here
The X-tendo workshop aims to gather views from experts at EU and national level on the framework of the next-generation energy performance certification and on the development of the next-EPC features. X-tendo is currently developing a methodology and an approach to embedding each feature in the existing EPC framework. In order to do so, the workshop discussion will deep-dive into the 10 innovative EPC indicators, to develop their content and potential directions to move forward. If you are interested in joining the workshop, please get in touch with Roberta D’Angiolella
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2021, 24-26 February 2021, Wels (Austria) 

Europe has the ambitious goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal and the EU Climate Law are first concrete steps. The current economic challenges are also an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation and to create a fairer society and a more competitive economy. In 2021, the conference - which attracts over 400 participants from over 50 countries each year - shows how we can make a green recovery happen in practice and how energy efficiency as an investment engine can contribute to this deep transformation. You can submit your contribution until October 12, 2020 at this link
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Dear reader,

Europe has the opportunity to embark on a massive paradigm shift. With the European Commission’s recovery strategy released last month, and the strategy on smart sector integration expected shortly, with the Renovation Wave close behind, it is a critical moment to highlight the enormous positive impact that buildings can have on health and well-being, decarbonisation, and economic recovery.

The research highlighted in this newsletter gives new impetus for why buildings are important, both regarding economic recovery and decarbonisation. Our recent study, undertaken for the Renovate Europe campaign, shows that for every €1 million invested in energy renovation of buildings, an average of 18 jobs are created in the EU. These are local, long-term jobs that will stimulate economic activity across the EU. The Renewables 2020 Global Status Report, also released this month, shows that energy efficiency remains critical for increasing the share of renewables in final energy consumption in buildings.

Beyond why, we also highlight how. This month, the enefirst H2020 consortium released a study showcasing 16 case examples of the efficiency first principle in practice across the EU and the US, which prioritizes demand-side innovations including flexibility measures over direct investments in new energy infrastructure. Our technical study on Building Renovation Passports (BRPs) also confirms the effectiveness of BRPs to simplify the customer journey and improve uptake of residential retrofit in Europe. BRPs could be a viable solution to scaling deep renovation in the coming years.

You will also see below a strong line-up of webinars and web conferences highlighting various solutions that could support in launching a Renovation Wave, within the context of the EU Sustainable Energy Week 2020 this week, and beyond. We especially encourage you to register and attend our webinar today, that will showcase examples from the US and Flanders on Minimum Energy Performance Standards in practice.

We hope you enjoy the reading and wishing you a great summer,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON: BUILDING RENOVATION - A KICK-STARTER FOR THE EU ECONOMY 
Why are Building Renovations essential for economic recovery?

This study, prepared by BPIE for the Renovate Europe Campaign, quantifies the positive impact generated by investments in energy renovation of buildings on variables such as economic growth, job creation and overall health and productivity of European citizens. The findings are encouraging and show we are on the right track by including buildings as a cornerstone to Europe’s recovery strategy.

At the macro-economic level, for every €1 million invested in energy renovation of buildings, an average of 18 jobs are created in the EU.

For citizens, energy efficient office buildings increases productivity by about 12% leading to a potential benefit of about €500 billion to the economy per year.
Read the report
 HIGHLIGHTS

[Report] International experiences with Efficiency First
The new report by the Enefirst H2020 consortium constitutes a step towards achieving the objective of making the Efficiency First (E1st) principle operational in EU decisionmaking. The report includes 16 examples of how E1st has been applied in different contexts, from buildings, finance and planning, to gas and district heating. Each case study details the implementation bodies, the barriers to the implementation of the E1st principle, their replicability and scalability potential. The report analyses why and how E1st has been implemented, and what lessons can be learned from these experiences. The examples show policymakers, regulators, and energy policy actors that the concept of E1st can be implemented and can provide various benefits to the energy transition.
E1st gives priority to demand-side resources whenever they are more cost-effective from a societal perspective than investments in energy infrastructure for meeting policy objectives. It is a decision principle that is applied systematically at any level to energy-related investment planning and is enabled by an “equal opportunity” policy design.

Read the Report
Tune in to view the enefirst consortium’s first public webinar, which showcases two examples on Efficiency First in practice: Social Constraint Management Zones (SCMZ) in the UK, presented by SSEN, and Fabric First Approach in the Better Energy communities scheme in Ireland, presented by SEAI.
Policy brief - Promoting large-scale industrial renovation projects (German only)
 
With its latest Climate Policy Programme in 2019, the German government decided to promote serial renovations (large-scale renovation using pre-fabricated building components) with the aim to accelerate energy savings in the building sector.
 
This policy brief summarises the numerous benefits of the serial approach, and shows how support schemes should be designed to ensure a market uptake of the concept while making sure quality standards and climate targets are met.
 
Read the briefing
Technical study on the possible introduction of optional Building Renovation Passports (BRPs) confirms effectiveness of BRPs to improve uptake of residential retrofit
The study, which comprises 28 European and 5 non-European schemes, confirms that BRPs are effective in alleviating two of the main barriers to investment in home energy renovations; low awareness of the benefits of energy renovation and insufficient knowledge of what measures to implement and in which order. The analysis confirms that tailored renovation advice, together with other support measures, has an impact on the decision to renovate, the number of measures to implement, the performance level of the selected measures, as well as on what kind of measures that are being implemented.
Read the study

Just Launched: Renewables 2020 Global Status Report: energy efficiency remains critical for increasing the share of renewables in final energy consumption in buildings
The report, published by REN21, states that renewable energy is the fastest growing source of energy for buildings, yet in 2017 it met less  than 14% of total energy demand in the sector. The authors also point out that energy efficiency remains critical for curbing demand and for increasing the share of renewables in final energy consumption in buildings. But at the same time policies supporting renewable heating and cooling in buildings grew minimally in 2019. The report finds that green recovery  measures, such as investment in renewables and building efficiency, are more cost effective than  traditional stimulus measures and yield more returns. It also documents that renewables deliver on job creation, energy sovereignty, accelerated energy access in developing countries, reduced emissions and air pollution.

Read the report

Factsheets: The health benefits and business opportunities behind residential deep retrofits  (now available in English)
The two factsheets are a result of the joint project, “Multiple benefits as a driver of energy-efficient building renovation” with the Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform, funded by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU).

For occupants: Increased energy performance of residential buildings can prevent respiratory diseases, psychological harm and increase well-being. A well-insulated building can prevent respiratory diseases and psychological harm for inhabitants, and high thermal comfort can increase occupants’ well-being.

For building owners: Core benefits include increased asset value, reduced risk portfolio, higher reputation, and lower administration costs. Moreover, a stronger involvement of tenants in the renovation process can increase the awareness of the benefits coming from energy efficient buildings and might increase acceptance of the renovation works. Read the factsheets.

Read the factsheets
WHERE TO FIND US
Webinar: Scaling up (deep) renovation: Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for existing buildings in the US and Flanders,
TODAY - June 22, 15:00-16:30 CEST 
Organised and moderated by BPIE, this webinar will provide insights into the current policy landscape surrounding Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) in Europe and abroad, as well as two case examples of MEPS in practice in the US and Flanders. This webinar will provide an ideal platform to learn and discuss best practices and implementation methods with your peers and experts.
Time is limited! Register now!
EUSEW 2020: Spurring Europe’s Renovation Wave – How #BetterBuildingsEU can contribute to #EUGreenRecovery
June 25, 09:00 – 10:30 CEST

In this session, Spurring Europe’s Renovation Wave, BPIE and other stakeholders will outline how energy efficient, flexible and renewable-based buildings should play a key role in any recovery plan while contributing to climate neutral, fostering industrial competitiveness, digital innovation, comfort and well-being of occupants. They will highlight the importance of an integrated approach to renovation to ensure buildings are highly energy-efficient, powered by renewable energy, smart and provide environmental, social and economic benefits to EU citizens and society. An exchange will take place with key policymakers and the audience around five recommendations to shape an ambitious “Renovation Wave” with immediate effects.
Register here
EUSEW 2020: Effective home renovation programs to stimultae the post COVID-19 recovery
June 25, 11:00 - 12:30 CEST

BPIE will participate at the #EUSEW2020 virtual conference session Effective home renovation programs to stimulate the post COVID-19 recovery, presenting the RenOnBill project
This session will showcase successful home renovation programs with the ability to achieve scale and play a pivotal role in achieving the European Green Deal’s goals. It will highlight several initiatives that provide technical support and financing to European citizens, within the framework of broader urban regeneration strategies. The programs featured in this session exemplify how home renovation can be shaped to be inclusive and accessible to all, by offering targeted support, special financing arrangements and grants to vulnerable groups.
Register here
The AmBIENCe webinar series - Exploring the business model and opportunities for Active building EPC
June 29, 10h-11.00h CEST

The Horizon 2020 project AmBIENCe launched a series of interactive webinars in June to discuss with stakeholders the concept of Active Building Energy Performance Contracting (Active Building EPC). The first two webinars focused on the regulatory and flexibility aspects and can be accessed on the Ambience Youtube channel.  
 
In the last webinar of the series, focusing on business models, we will discuss:
  • What are the early AmBIENCe findings on the development of the business concept and model?
  • What are the new insights on the roles of the market actors?
  • What are the main results of the AmBIENCe stakeholder survey for flexibility requestors? 
  • How the AmBIENCe early results on business models, market actor’s roles and specifically on Measurement and Verification (M&V) impact the new AEPC model?
Register here
Webinar: Catalysing the EU Renovation Wave int he Transition to Next-Generation Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) 
June 30, 13:30 - 15:00 CEST

EPCs are not just an informative tool: they can help build trust and trigger investment in energy saving measures and monitor the impact of policies and financial support schemes. Three Horizon 2020 projects, QualDeEPC, U-CERT and X-tendo will come together in this webinar to present the issues related to current EPC schemes in Europe and the potential solutions to shift from just an informative tool to a multifaceted tool supporting all stakeholders in the value chain e.g. call-to-action, quality assurance. The presentations will deep-dive into an overview of the common hurdles of EPC schemes across Europe, such as limited reliability, lack of compliance and end-user acceptance and conclude with the specific solutions brought forward by each of the three projects.
Register here
Webinar on the German-French Office for the Energy Transition (in French and German)
30 June, 9:00-12:00

“Energetische Gebäudesanierung in Deutschland und Frankreich: Fördermechanismen, Akteure und Finanzierung“

The online conference offers the opportunity for a Franco-German exchange on energy-related experience of building policy instruments and funding options:
  • How can renovations be accelerated and funds made available in both countries?
  • What are the current strategies and legal frameworks with which both countries want to achieve the climate targets in the building sector?
  • What are good practices of support mechanisms and effective financing schemes?
Register and get more information here

 
The European Commission is hosting a pair of webinars on Sustainable energy investment in Member State recovery plans, on 16 June 2020 and 30 June 2020, as part of an ongoing series organised for the Sustainable Energy Investment Forums initiative.

Part 2 of the series will focus on Croatia, Spain, Belgium, and the city of Milan.
View agenda and register for 30 June
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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

Seit Mitte März hat sich unser Leben und Arbeiten auf den Kopf gestellt. Die Pandemie hat uns gezwungen, unsere Arbeits- und Alltagswelt und unserer Prioritäten drastisch umzudenken. Trotzdem laufen die Forschungsprojekte weiter und auch die klima- und energiepolitischen Herausforderungen warten nicht.

Bereits 17 europäische Klima- und Umweltminister*innen sowie über 180 deutsche Organisationen haben ein Klima-Konjunkturpaket gefordert. Dies beweist einen starken politischen und gesellschaftlichen Willen, diese Krise gemeinsam und nachhaltig zu bewältigen. Zusammenarbeit und Solidarität sind heute mehr denn je wesentliche Voraussetzungen, anstehenden Herausforderungen zu meistern.

In der zweiten Jahreshälfte wird die EU-Kommission Details zur „Renovation Wave“ veröffentlichen. Die Initiative ist Teil der Umsetzung des Europäischen Green Deals und gewinnt vor dem Hintergrund eines grünen Konjunkturpaketes an Bedeutung. Ideen dafür finden Sie in unserem Aktionsplan An Action Plan for the Renovation Wave, der einen vorrauschauenden Blick in die Zukunft eines klimaneutralen Gebäudebestands wirft und umfassende Vorschläge macht, diesen zu erreichen. Die Renovierungswelle wird die Mobilisierung vieler Akteure entlang der Wertschöpfungskette  erfordern, die alle auf eine gemeinsame Vision hinarbeiten.

Viele Veranstaltungen haben bereits digital als Online-Treffen oder Webinar stattgefunden, deren Erfolg viele positiv überrascht hat. Auch der Abschluss-Trialog des Projekts „Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetische Gebäudesanierung“ hat mit großer Resonanz online stattgefunden und viel Potenzial für weiterführende Diskussionen offenbart. In der nächsten Woche haben Sie wieder die Möglichkeit, an einem Online-Workshop teilzunehmen, dieses Mal zum Thema „Immobilienbewertung und Klimaschutz“, organisiert von unserem Projektpartner DENEFF. Weitere Details hierzu finden Sie unten. Außerdem haben Sie die Möglichkeit, sich an unseren europaweiten Umfragen zu verpflichtenden Mindestanforderungen für den Gebäudebestands sowie zur Implementierung des Efficiency First Ansatzes zu beteiligen.


Bleiben Sie gesund!

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihre Sibyl Steuwer

PUBLIKATIONEN

Ein Aktionsplan für die Renovierungswelle

Im Rahmen des Europäischen Green Deals hat die EU Kommission eine „Renovierungswelle“ angekündigt, die den Herausforderungen der Dekarbonisierung des Gebäudesektors begegnen soll. Komplexe Wertschöpfungsketten, Eigentumsverhältnisse und Interessengruppen, die an unterschiedlichen Phasen im Bausektor miteinander interagieren, erfordern ein vernetztes Denken und gemeinsames Handeln, wie unser „Action Plan for the Renovation Wave“ visualisiert.

Die Europäische Kommission muss in erster Linie den richtigen Rahmen schaffen, um all die verschiedenen Akteure zu mobilisieren und sicherzustellen, dass ihre Maßnahmen auf die Renovierungswelle abgestimmt sind. Der Gebäudesektor kann nur dann erfolgreich zum europäischen Ziel der Klimaneutralität beitragen, wenn sich alle Akteure in die gleiche Richtung bewegen.

[Factsheet] Gesundheitliche Zusatznutzen der energetischen Sanierung im Eigenheim

Noch immer kommt eine tiefgreifende Gebäudesanierung nur langsam voran, obwohl das hohe Energieeinsparpotenzial von Bestandsgebäuden bekannt ist. Das DBU-geförderte Projekt „Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung“ hat deshalb zum Ziel, die nicht-energetischen Vorteile der Gebäudesanierung stärker herauszustellen, um Sanierungsmaßnahmen vermehrt anzustoßen.

Im selbstgenutzten Eigenheim können Bewohner*innen sowohl gesundheitlich von Renovierungsmaßnahmen profitieren als auch von der einhergehenden Wertsteigerung. Dieses Factsheet betont die Bedeutung einer effektiven Kommunikation von guter Innenraumluftqualität bei der Planung von Sanierungsmaßnahmen und stellt Instrumente zur besseren Vermittlung dieser Aspekte vor.

[Factsheet] Zusatznutzen der energetischen Sanierung für Immobilienbesitzer*innen und Mieter*innen

Die energetische Sanierung von vermieteten Mehrfamilienhäusern bietet sowohl für die Besitzer*innen, als auch für ihre Mieter*innen zahlreiche Zusatznutzen, wie Wertsteigerung und Risikominderung auf der einen sowie Gesundheitsverbesserung und Komfortsteigerungen auf der anderen Seite. Bei einer qualitativ hochwertigen Renovierung, die alle Interessengruppen von Anfang an mit einbezieht, können sowohl Vermieter als auch Mieter von den nicht-energetischen Nutzen profitieren.

Dieses Factsheet fasst die Workshop-Ergebnisse aus Sicht von Immobilienunternehmen und privaten Vermieter*innen zusammen und zeigt beispielhaft was die Politik tun kann, um die Zusatznutzen systematisch einzubeziehen.

WEBINARE & VERANSTALTUNGEN
Einladung zum Webinar "Carbon Value Analyser: Immobilienbewertung und Klimaschutz"

In einem gemeinsamen Projekt mit der DENEFF und PwC wurde ein praktikabler Ansatz entwickelt, um mögliche Klimarisiken in Immobilienportfolien finnaziell messbar zu machen. Der Carbon Value Analyser ist ein Modellierungstool, welches aufzeigt, wie sich der Energieverbrauch und die CO2-Emissionen von Gebäuden auf den Immobilienwert auswirken können. Am Freitag, den 15. Mai, organisiert die DENEFF ein 1-stündiges Webinar, um Ihnen dieses Tool vorzustellen.

Nach einer kurzen Einführung in das Projekt durch Susann Bollmann (DENEFF) wird Dr. Anne Michaels (PwC) den Carbon Value Analyser präsentieren und anhand von Beispielobjekten die Ergebnisse der Szenarioanalyse besprechen. Eine Kommentierung aus der Perspektive der Immobilienbewerter und Praktiker wird von Sabine Georgi (RICS) und Anne Gimpel (CBRE) folgen.

Bitte melden Sie sich bis zum 12.05.2020 verbindlich an - die Teilnahme am Webinar ist kostenfrei.

Bei Fragen und Anregungen steht Ihnen Adrian Kraft von der DENEFF (adrian.kraft@deneff.org) zur Verfügung.
Hier anmelden
Agenda herunterladen
Hier finden Sie die Aufzeichnung der Projektvorstellung vom 1. April [English]:
Online-Trialog „Gesundheit, Klimaschutz, Wertsteigerung – Wie Zusatznutzen die energetische Gebäudesanierung vorantreiben können“ zeigt großes Potenzial für weitere Diskussion

Eine qualitativ hochwertige Gebäudesanierung kann dabei helfen Energieeinsparungen und andere Zusatznutzen, wie Klimaschutz, Nachhaltigkeit und Wertsteigerung, weiter voranzutreiben. Diese Zusammenhänge wurden am 3. April 2020 beim zweiten Trialog zum Thema „Gesundheit, Klimaschutz, Wertsteigerung – Wie Zusatznutzen die energetische Gebäudesanierung vorantreiben können“ zum ersten Mal online diskutiert. Der Trialog stellt die Abschlussveranstaltung des Projekts „Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung“ dar, welches BPIE gemeinsam mit der HUMBOLD-VIADRINA Governance Platform durchführt.

Die Vortragenden kamen aus allen Stakeholder Gruppen: Paula Brandmeyer von der Deutschen Umwelthilfe, Rolf Buch von der Vonovia SE und Lothar Fehn Krestas vom Bundesministerium des Inneren. Oliver Rapf stellte außerdem zwei Factsheets vor, die die Vorteile energetischer Sanierung aus Perspektive verschiedener Zielgruppen betrachten (siehe oben). Die vollständigen Ergebnisse des 15-monatigen Projekts „Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung“ werden in einem Abschlussbericht aufbereitet und digital visualisiert.
 
UMFRAGEN
Wir laden Sie ein, durch eine kurze Umfrage zu unserer Studie über verbindliche Mindestanforderungen für den Gebäudebestand beizutragen

BPIE, CLIMACT, CREARA und das Ecologic Institut führen die Studie "Lessons learned to inform integrated approaches for the renovation and modernisation of the built environment" durch, die von der Europäischen Kommission in Auftrag gegeben wurde. Die Studie hat zum Ziel, die politischen Entscheidungen auf europäischer Ebene vor dem Hintergrund innovativer gebäudebezogener Politiken in den EU-Mitgliedsstaaten und darüber hinaus zu informieren.

In einer Online-Umfrage möchte wir Ihre Expertise und Perspektiven sammeln: Was sind die potenziellen Vorteile von verbindlichen Mindestanforderungen für den Gebäudebestand? Was sind die Hauptrisiken? Welches sind die wichtigen Gestaltungsmerkmale? Die Umfrage muss vor dem 10. Mai 2020 abgeschlossen sein und sollte nicht länger als 15-20 Minuten dauern.
Nehmen Sie an der Umfrage teil
Teilen Sie Ihre Erfahrungen zu den Hemmnissen des Efficiency First Ansatzes und helfen Sie so das Prinzip in die Praxis umzusetzen

Die Europäische Union hat sich dem Efficiency First (E1st) Prinzip verpflichtet, der Reduktion von nachfrageseitigen Ressourcen Vorrang vor Investitionen in Energieinfrastrukturen einzuräumen. Diese Priorität der Efiizienz stellt einen Paradigmenwechsel dar, der bislang nicht systematisch in Energie- und Klimapolitiken verankert ist. BPIE ist Teil des Horizon 2020 Projekts Enefirst, welches genau dies zum Ziel hat.

Konkret wird die Anwendung von E1st in bestehenden Politikinstrumenten momentan analysiert und die Übertragbarkeit internationaler E1st-Ansätze bewertet. 

Mit Ihrer Hilfe, wollen wir die Schwierigkeiten und Hemmnisse bei der Implementierung von E1st-Ansätzen identifizieren und analysieren - nehmen Sie bis zum 8. Mai 2020 an unserer Umfrage teil und tragen Sie dazu bei, das Efficiency First Prinzip in der EU einsatzfähig zu machen.
Nehmen Sie an der Umfrage teil
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Dear friends and colleagues,

The world is vastly different today than it was a few weeks ago. Closing our schools and economies was unthinkable at the beginning of this year. Now as the days go by, we are all feeling the impacts of the emergency measures that have been taken. Uncertainty and disruption in routine are immense challenges to face, and anxiety is difficult to avoid.

However, one of the best ways to cope with anxiety is by taking constructive action within the means available to us. Last week, 13 European environment and climate ministers signed a letter urging for the Green Deal to be central to economic recovery post COVID-19. Additionally, an Alliance of 180 signatories, both MEPs and industry, was created to push for a Green Recovery. This is evidence of a strong political and human will to collectively tackle the crisis in a sustainable way. Now more than ever, cooperation and solidarity are essential ingredients to picking up the pieces and moving forward.

This is also true for the Renovation Wave of the buildings sector. Our most exciting feature in this newsletter is the release of BPIE’s Action Plan for the Renovation Wave. Our Action Plan lays out an evidence-based strategy for the buildings sector with clear guidelines specific to each group along the value chain. The Renovation Wave will require mobilization of many actors, all working towards a common vision.

To this end, this newsletter also features a number of solutions that can help trigger a renovation wave while supporting a sustainable, just, and green economic recovery. Three upcoming webinars in particular, will highlight innovative financing mechanisms for both commercial and industrial buildings, as well as financing solutions and streamlined renovation strategies for homeowners.

Within the BPIE team, we are taking things week by week, often day by day. In a time where uncertainty is at an all-time high, our aim is to focus on our values, and on what we can do, reasonably. In solidarity, one thing at a time, it is possible to adapt to a new reality, all while building a better one.

I hope you are all staying well and safe.

Happy reading,

Oliver Rapf
Executive Director, BPIE
FOCUS ON: THE RENOVATION WAVE ACTION PLAN

This week BPIE published an Action Plan for all stakeholders which could support economic recovery post COVID-19, and trigger a renovation wave and achieve climate neutrality for Europe’s building stock by 2050: An Action Plan for the Renovation Wave: Collectively achieving sustainable buildings in Europe.

Read BPIE's Action Plan

[Editorial] Beyond the corona darkness: bringing light, air and sustainability into people’s homes
The European Green Deal presented last December recognized that buildings needs an urgent upgrade, not only to fight climate change but also to lift millions of Europeans out of energy poverty and to ensure that buildings provide a healthy and affordable living and working environment, writes Oliver Rapf, Executive Director at BPIE. Read the editorial.

CALLING ALL EXPERTS: STAKEHOLDER SURVEY 

BPIE, CLIMACT, CREARA and Ecologic are carrying out a one-year study “Lessons learned to inform integrated approaches for the renovation and modernisation of the built environment” commissioned by the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy. The study aims to inform policy making at the European level in light of progressive building-related policies implemented in EU Member States and beyond. Policy instruments in 23 countries and regions are being analysed to learn from experiences of existing policies and understand barriers and success conditions for their implementation. In a stakeholder engagement process, BPIE wants to gather your expertise and perspectives: what are the potential benefits of mandatory minimum requirements? What are the main risks? Which are the important design features? The survey must be completed before May 10, 2020 and should not take more than 15-20 minutes.
 

Contribute to the survey
HIGHLIGHTS
Getting back to basics. What is climate change and why does it matter?
Whether you are looking for a refresher for yourself, or need help convincing a friend, family member, colleague or local authority, these three animated explainer videos developed by the EU Calc team provide a solid and engaging overview, accessible to children and adults alike. The videos explain what climate change is, why it’s so important to get to net-zero, and how this may be achieved.  Check out the videos and share within your network! Watch the videos.
 

Starting a Renovation Wave  - New Report from BUILD UPON²

The BUILD UPON² Horizon 2020 project is currently developing a ‘Renovation Strategy Impact Framework’, that will provide cities with a practical tool for monitoring and scaling local renovation initiatives - which is also aligned with national and EU policy requirements. This new report highlights how leading cities and companies are committing to a net zero emissions building stock - and we’re calling on you to join them. Download the report.

Energy Innovation Magazine: Ensuring equal access to energy efficiency through innovative financing
Finance, and access to finance, means the difference between implementing and not implementing energy access to finance means that viable financing solutions are available for all types of projects, spanning different project sizes and ownership structures: residential (homeowners and renters), commercial (business owners, often Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises), and industrial (also business owners, usually larger enterprises). Read the spring edition.
 

EVENTS
April 21, 15:00 CET - Accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future 

What you will learn:
  • How to extract the most value from a building’s energy assets
  • Which building segments support inclusion of demand-side flexibility with EPC
  • Which countries have the legal framework to support this model now
  • The impact of the dual revenue stream model on occupant comfort and project bankability
Register here
April 21, 12:30 CET - Putting the EU Green Deal in Action

What you will learn:
  • How can innovative financing support implementation of the EU Green Deal?
  • What is home-based financing and the HolaDomus pilot program in Catalonia?
  • What are on-bill schemes and the goals of the RenOnBill project?
Register here

April 23, 11.00 CET - How can EU Member States implement iBRoad?

Join the webinar to learn:
  • What is the iBroadIndividual Building Renovation Roadmap” for homeowners, and how does it work?
  • What were the results of the iBroad field tests in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Germany?
  • How can this approach can be further implemented in other Member States to help simplify and scale up home renovation?
To register, send an e-mail to contact@ibroad-project.eu
You will receive a confirmation within 24 hours.
[Webinar]: How to measure the value of carbon performance in commercial real estate?
 
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Dear friends and colleagues,
 
2020 is an important year for BPIE, the year we are officially celebrating our ten-year anniversary as an organisation. We have come a long way from our humble beginnings. Initially a project of the European Climate Foundation, eceee, and Climate Works, we are now a financially independent think tank, and a thought leader in our own right, providing decision makers with evidence-based policy

Our anniversary is therefore the opportunity to celebrate this growth, and also to look forward and reflect. Now more than ever we need to scale up building renovations in all sectors, and it is our full intention to support Europe in triggering its renovation wave.  
 
With this in mind, please pay close attention for an upcoming webinar on our recommendations for the renovation wave which we will announce shortly. We are also rescheduling our 10-year anniversary celebration and reflection  for later in the year – we will send a save-the-date in the near future
 
This month we were privileged to support the organisation of an expert workshop in Ottawa, with DG Energy and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canada, within the framework of the Specific Partnerships for Implementation of the Paris Agreement (SPIPA).  Another highlight includes a new report defining the concept of “Efficiency First” published in February. The report aims to support policy makers towards implementing the concept across all policies touching buildings and energy systems. Efficiency 1st was enshrined as a guiding principle in the Clean Energy for All (CE4All) package in 2018, however it has yet to be evenly applied precisely due to lack of common definition and understanding of its practical application.
 
And finally, as the official deadline for the submission of national Long-term renovation strategies is today, we produced a series of country factsheets on the topic within the BuildUpon² project. We are keen to see what member states have produced and will be closely following the process.
 
Happy reading,
 
Oliver Rapf
Executive Director
FOCUS ON: ENERGY EFFICIENCY FIRST

Report: Defining and contextualising Efficiency First 

Efficiency First is not just another name for energy efficiency. It is a decision-making tool that explicitly and systematically considers demand-side alternatives before locking in new supply-side infrastructure. A report — led by RAP for the Horizon 2020 project enefirst — dives deep into Efficiency First and its critical role in the energy transition, offering options for its practical application in the EU. 
Read the report

Survey: Help enefirst identify barriers to E1st implementation!

The enefirst consortium kindly invites you to share your expertise on implementation barriers of E1st policies in the EU in a short online survey.

Survey participation will contribute to a comprehensive implementation strategy for E1st across EU policy to assure cost-effective decarbonisation of the European energy system.

Take the survey

enefirst at a glance - enefirst is now online!

enefirst seeks to provide a common vision of the principle of E1st and a holistic pathway to achieving it. Learn all about the project and follow 
Visit the website
Download the brochure

Read the press release
Subscribe to the Enefirst newsletter
Follow #enefirst on Twitter and Linkedin

BPIE 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

 
BPIE is celebrating 10 years! 🎉Watch out for our #BPIETBT campaign on Résultat de recherche d'images pour "twitter logo", we will bring you along BPIE’s achievements over the past 10 years
HIGHLIGHTS

March 3-4th BPIE shares expertise in Canada-EU exchange in Ottawa. Within the context of the Specific Partnerships for Implementation of the Paris Agreement, BPIE supported DG Energy and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) in organizing and moderating the two-day event. European and Canadian policymakers, national and local experts shared best practices with a view to building capacity for implementing building policies at all levels of governance, and explored strategies to increasing uptake of energy efficiency measures in buildings.

Read the press release

EU Calc MOOC:  Explore pathways for buildings as an integrated part of the European energy system 

Learn how the EU Calc model works and explore how buildings can contribute to decarbonising Europe and what impacts they have on other sectors (electricity and industry) and air pollution. 

Watch the MOOC

Long-Term Renovation Strategies, country by country! BUILDUPON2 Fact Sheets

Long-term renovation strategies (LTRS), developed at national level, go hand-in-hand with local building renovation initiatives. These country factsheets, prepared by BPIE national Green Building Councils for the H2020 project Build Upon2, identify which levels of governance must cooperate during the design and implementation of long-term renovation strategies across 8 countries: Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the UK. 

Download the factsheets

Our Buildings: Financial Guidance now available in Romanian and Bulgarian

The guidance, available in EnglishRomanian and Bulgarian, and developed under the framework of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI)  project Our Buildings, maps available financial schemes for energy efficiency improvements in buildings focusing on accessibility of funding in Romanian and Bulgarian municipalities.
 

Read more
Syn.ikia project kicks off in Trondheim, Norway!

In Greek, “Syn” means plus and “ikia” means home. All together brings the word "synikia", which means neighbourhood. Syn.ikia, a new H2020 project that kicked off last month, aims to increase the proportion of sustainable plus neighbourhoods with surplus renewable energy in different contexts, climates and markets in Europe. The project also seeks to stimulate behaviour change and citizen engagement. Led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Syn.ikia brings together expertise from across Europe, including DTU, BPIE, SINTEF, Housing Europe, IREC, OBOS, Area, Incasol, TNO, ENFOR, ABUD, and BP18.
Website available soon, stay tuned!
EVENTS
Carbon performance and real estate value – How to measure the potential of investing in low-carbon buildings?
The rise of sustainability on both the business and policy agendas is accompanied by increasing requests for property owners, investors and managers to better assess the financial and risk implications of carbon emissions.

Join Deneff, PwC and BPIE in a presentation of an impact-based approach to real estate valuation that demonstrates how carbon performance can affect real estate value and helps real estate owners measure and understand the potential of investing in low-carbon buildings.
Register now
3 April, Berlin - Trilogue on multiple benefits of energy efficiency
The DBU-funded project on Multiple benefits as a driver of energy-efficient building renovation (Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung) out by the Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform and BPIE, seeks to analyse how multiple benefits can incorporated into concrete decision-making and advisory tools such as building renovation passports. The event in Berlin will present the preliminary project results and discuss further implementation options with various stakeholders from politics, the business sector, civil society and academia.
C4E forum, Poiana Brasov, Romania, 3-6 June 2020, - Registration and Call for Presentations are open!
The 2020 edition of C4E Forum is organised by the Pro-nZEB Cluster in partnership with Chance for Buildings and the European Climate Foundation.
Submit your presentation
IN THE NEWS
In the run up to EU member states’ deadline to submit their long-term renovation strategies on March 10th, Szymon Firlag, Senior Expert at BPIE, discusses Poland’s requirements for building modernization, in particular, single family homes. Today in Poland, the condition of single-family houses is poor, 70 percent requires thermomodernization, while only 1 percent can be considered energy efficient.
Architecture and Construction, Spain, sites BPIE’s recommendations for the EU Green Deal in a call to decarbonise Spain’s buildings and cities, while also maintaining affordable housing.
WHERE TO MEET US
CER - Center of Energy Efficient Solutions conference
6 March, 10.00 to 15.00, Ljubljana

IENE Conference on Energy Efficiency in public buildings
Friday 20 March, Athens, Greece

Trialog “Gesundheit, Klimaschutz, Wertsteigerung – Wie Zusatznutzen die energetische Gebäudesanierung vorantreiben können”
April 3, 9:00 to 15:00, Berlin, Germany
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Dear reader,
 

The distant future has become the present, and in the blink of an eye. It is now 2020, and we are at a critical juncture in climate and human history.
 
The Von der Leyen Commission has understood this, and the unveiling of its European Green Deal (EGD) is an important milestone for Europe. The EGD has committed the European Union to becoming the first climate-neutral bloc in the world by 2050. For the buildings sector, the EGD’s proposition of a “Renovation Wave” responds to a critical and urgent need: according to the European Commission’s December report, the EU deep renovation rate currently stands at a mere 0.2% annually. This is shockingly low considering that 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in Europe come from buildings.
 
The challenge ahead is great. However, this new political cycle represents the opportunity to collectively shape an ambitious Renovation Wave strategy to reach our climate objectives. In this newsletter, we are pleased to share some of BPIE’s latest work that shows, in practical terms, how the buildings sector can become climate-neutral by 2050 – from implementation of Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) in EU member states, to industrial deep renovation best practices and financing schemes to upscale residential retrofit.
 
Finally – 2020 brings us BPIE’s 10 year anniversary which calls for celebration, and most critically, reflection. Please stay tuned for more information, which will follow in the coming weeks.
 
We wish you a very happy new year and a smooth – and sustainable - entrance into the next decade.


Happy reading,

Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHTS
BPIE Discussion Paper: Buildings should be at the heart of the European Green Deal. Here’s why. 

The European Green Deal (EGD) offers the opportunity to create a carbon-neutral Europe, a fairer society and a reinvigorated industrial powerhouse.
Europe’s citizens must be at its heart – and nowhere is this more apparent than the buildings sector.

Buildings are where we spend most of our time, and much of our money: for those who can afford it, buying a house is likely to be the biggest investment of a lifetime.

In this paper we outline 7 recommendations. 


Read the discussion paper 
[Report] How to include building renovation in your Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan

This report, written by BPIE and published for the H2020 project Build Upon2, maps possible synergies between local and national level policy objectives, namely SECAPs and LTRS (Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans, and Long Term Renovation Plans, respectively) and provides suggestions on how local renovation initiatives can be duly taken into account in the drafting and implementation of LTRS, in order to create strong renovation policy in the buildings sector.

Member States are required to prepare Long-Term Renovation Strategies to achieve a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050.

At the same time, regional and local authorities play a large role in leading and achieving EU climate initiatives, not only in drafting and implementing building policy, but often in implementing even more ambitious local targets.

Read the report

DATA OF THE MONTH

DG Energy Report: Comprehensive study of building energy renovation activities and the uptake of nearly zero-energy buildings in the EU


The report, published in December 2019, shows the deep renovation rate across the EU is currently very low, at only  0.2% - with very little variation in individual Member States.

Read the report


FOCUS ON
Scaling homeowner-centric renovation platform dependent on implementation of ambitious Long-Term Renovation Strategies in Member States, reports Turnkey Retrofit

The latest report published by Turnkey Retrofit analyses factors that encourage implementation of one-stop-shops, homeowner-centric renovation journeys in France, Ireland and Spain, through detailed analysis covering Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors.

While opportunities and barriers vary across countries, the report highlights the fundamental role of effective policy: Political stability, clear and ambitious political priorities, and effective implementation of Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) are crucial to bring streamlined, customer-centric platforms to reality.

Read the report

Can on-bill schemes be replicated in Europe? RenOnBill analyses and compares schemes from all over the world to identiy key issues to be addressed.

RenOnBill aims to introduce on-bill schemes as a powerful tool for financing energy efficiency in the residential sector. Its new report introduces the fundamentals of on-bill schemes, demonstrating their suitability for large scale replication of small investments in residential buildings. The report provides a detailed overview and comparative analysis of schemes that successfully support residential energy renovations in North America, Europe, and in developing countries, highlighting key issues to be addressed to ensure the replicability and scalability of these schemes in the EU. Eager to know more about the project?
Have a look at the RenOnBill brochure, available in EnglishItalian, GermanLithuanian and Spanish.

Read the report
Industrial net-zero renovation in Europe: Case studies from the Netherlands, France and UK

The Energiesprong business model tackles industrial renovation with prefabricated elements. This approach has great potential to achieve accelerated, cost-effective and deep refurbishment of existing buildings, while effectively addressing the shortage of skilled labour in the construction sector and accelerating deep renovation of the building stock. The approach is characterised by the pre-prefabrication of construction modules, innovative process optimisation and digital planning, implementation and monitoring.
 
Developed in the Netherlands a few years ago, Energiesprong has carried out a series of renovation of residential buildings to a net-zero energy consumption level within a short period of time. This factsheet analyses the success factors of its market introduction based on experience in the Netherlands, France, and the UK.

Read the factsheet
X-tendo website is up! Come have a look and discover what X-tendo is about

The H2020 project X-tendo, standing for ''eXTENDing the energy performance assessment and certification schemes via a mOdular approach'', will support public authorities and implementing agencies in the transition towards improved compliance, reliability, usability and convergence of next-generation energy performance assessment and certification.

How will X-tendo reach this objective? By designing a modular web-based toolbox, containing 10 potential features of the next-generation EPC. Visit the website to learn more.
EVENTS
EUCalc Cop21 Ripples - Can the European Green Deal drive us towards a Low Emission Society? Policy Dialogue

When: Thursday, 30 January 2020, (09.30 registration) 9.45 - 16.00
Where: EASME, Covent Garden Building, Place Rogier 16, Brussels
In the context of the European Green Deal, this even aims to investigate the main gaps and opportunities to enhance EU policy-making towards a Paris Agreement-compatible world. Based on COP21 RIPPLES and EUCalc project outcomes, discussion will focus on how, through practical action, the EU can strengthen its domestic and international efforts for a fair and effective transition towards carbon neutrality.

The deadline for registration is January 23rd - Register here
 
Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum – Energy Efficiency Finance Market Place, 18- 19 February 2020, Brussels, Belgium

The Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum – Energy Efficiency Finance Market Place, is the biggest event of its kind of Europe, showcasing successful projects on financing climate adaptation, energy efficiency, clean mobility and innovative energy planning, as well as initiatives working across Europe to facilitate the market for climate and sustainable energy finance.
 
Make sure to find us in two parallel sessions:  We will present on homeowner-centric renovation solutions as part of the Financing home renovation session, and new business models for active buildings as part of the Financing energy efficiency – sources of value.

Register here
European Energy Efficiency Conference, 4-6 March 2020, Wels, Austria 

The European Energy Efficiency Conference held from 4-6 March 2020 in the context of the World Sustainable Energy Days in Wels/Austria is a leading international event on achieving global climate neutrality. The conference will bring together expertise and know-how from all over the world to participants from all over the world.

Each year, over 400 participants from more than 50 countries gather in Wels/Austria for this event. More than half of the participants come from outside Austria and Germany. The 2020 edition of the conference offers you a line-up of over 60 speakers from around the globe including China, Arabia and the USA.

Register now!
seeSUSTAINtec 2020, 7-9 April, Sofia, Bulgaria – Register to attend the H2020 AmBIENCe workshop

seeSUSTAINtec is an international exhibition and forum for Energy Efficiency, Renewables, Waste Management and Air Quality in Bulgaria. The event aims to achieve a positive “domino effect” – to popularize a wider range of solutions, services and model examples, while also provoking interest in consumers and investors towards sustainable change. Within the framework of the exhibit, AmBIENCe will host a workshop on April 7th,  on innovative business in the context of Energy Performance Contracting for Active Buildings.  More details will be available soon.
 
Learn more and register
C4E forum, 3-6 June 2020, Poiana Brasov, Romania - Registration and Call for Presentations are open!
 
The 2020 edition of C4E Forum is organised by the Pro-nZEB Cluster in partnership with Chance for Buildings and the European Climate Foundation.

Register by 31st of January 2020 to take advantage of the early bird registration fee, or submit your presentation outline to present at one of the panel sessions.
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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,

Mit der Verabschiedung des Klimaschutzgesetzes haben wir nun verbindliche Sektorziele zur Treibhausgasminderung – zumindest für 2030. Ihre Umsetzung erfordert ambitionierte Energieeinsparungen im Gebäudesektor und eine schnelle Erhöhung der Sanierungsrate. Leider leistet das im Kabinett verabschiedete Gebäudeenergiegesetz keinen wesentlichen Beitrag dazu und verpasst es auch, einen langfristigen Zielhorizont aufzuzeigen.

Die im Klimaschutzprogramm 2030 erhaltenen Maßnahmen für den Gebäudesektor sollen in großen Teilen noch in diesem Jahr verabschiedet werden und lassen auf erhöhte Sanierungstätigkeiten im kommenden Jahr hoffen. Positiv überrascht waren wir von der Förderung der Seriellen Sanierung. Dieses Thema greift auch unser Factsheet „Serielle Nettonull-Sanierung in Europa“ auf und fasst die Erfahrungen des Energiesprong Geschäftsmodells zusammen.

Nun kommt es darauf an, die Langfristige Renovierungsstrategie, die laut EPBD 2018 im März 2020 vorgelegt werden muss, strategisch für einen ambitionierten Klimaschutz im Gebäudesektor zu nutzen und umfangreich zu konsultieren. Lesen Sie unser Policy Brief dazu.

Wir freuen uns darauf, mit Ihnen in einen intensiven Austausch über die nun anstehenden und klimapolitisch notwendigen nächsten Schritte zu kommen. Gelegenheiten dazu wird es viele geben, zum Beispiel bei unserem Workshop zu den Zusatznutzen energetischer Gebäudesanierung im Bereich der selbstgenutzten Immobilien am 23. Januar 2020.


Ihnen allen eine gute Vorweihnachtszeit

Ihre Sibyl Steuwer

PUBLIKATIONEN

  [Policy Brief] Langfristige Renovierungsstrategien – Strategische Planung für Klimaschutz im Gebäudesektor

Mit der Erneuerung der EU Gebäuderichtlinie EPBD (2010/31/EU) wurde die Pflicht der Mitgliedsstaaten zur Erstellung langfristiger Renovierungsstrategien erweitert. Die Implementierung auf nationaler Ebene soll mit einem breit angelegten Konsultationsprozess verbunden sein, der auch in Deutschland zeitnah eingeleitet werden muss.

Dieser neue Policy Brief fasst einige ausgewählte Anforderungen der EPBD hinsichtlich der langfristigen Renovierungsstrategien zusammen und weist auf die wichtigsten Punkte hin, die die Bundesregierung angehen sollte, um die Chance einer ambitionierten Klimapolitik im Gebäudesektor zu nutzen.

[Innovation Brief] Serielle Nettonull-Sanierung in Europa – Erfahrungen des Energiesprong Ansatzes aus den Niederlanden, Frankreich und GB

Die industrielle Vorfertigung von Fassaden, verbunden mit einer innovativen Prozessoptimierung und der Digitalisierung der Planung, der Ausführung und des Monitorings birgt große Chancen, die Kosten von Gebäudesanierung zu senken und dem Fachkräftemangel in der Bauindustrie effektiv zu begegnen.

Der Energiesprong Ansatz aus den Niederlanden übersetzt die serielle Sanierung in ein erfolgreiches Geschäftsmodell, welches bereits auf die Gegebenheiten in Frankreich und Großbritannien übertragen wurde. Dieses Factsheet fasst die Erfahrungen von serieller Nettonullsanierung nach dem Energiesprong Geschäftsmodell zusammen und zeigt die wichtigsten Erfolgsfaktoren, wie Prozessinnovationen und eine Qualitätssicherung durch digitales Monitoring, die eine erfolgreiche Markteinführung unterstützen.

[Policy Brief] 11 Punkte für einne klimafreundlichen Gebäudesektor

Das Klimakabinett hat seine Pläne für neue Maßnahmen im Klimaschutz Ende September vorgestellt. Aus diesem Anlass hat BPIE „11 Punkte für einen klimafreundlichen Gebäudesektor“ zusammengestellt. Maßnahmen und Instrumente müssen langfristig wirksam und verlässlich in der Zielerreichung sein. Hierfür ist ein Gesamtkonzept nötig, welches die vielen bestehenden und neu zu verabschiedenden Maßnahmen miteinander in Zusammenhang bringt. Die Gebäude, die heute gebaut oder renoviert werden, werden höchstwahrscheinlich nicht vor 2050 wieder einer gründlichen Sanierung unterzogen. Maßnahmen und Instrumente müssen daher langfristig wirksam und verlässlich in der Zielerreichung sein.

EU NEWS (English only)
[Discussion paper] Building renovation in the Clean Energy Package: implications at local, national and EU levels

Das Clean Energy Package der EU ist ein umfassendes Paket von Gesetzgebungen, das die europäische Klima- und Energiepolitik für 2020 und darüber hinaus definiert. Sie besteht aus acht verschiedenen Rechtsakten, die darauf abzielen, die Energiewende in Europa zu beschleunigen.

Dieser Bericht, der im Rahmen des H2020-Projekts Build Upon² veröffentlicht wurde, analysiert einige der wichtigsten Änderungen, die die Politik im Gebäudesektor in den kommenden Jahrzehnten beeinflussen werden. Insbesondere werden die EPBD (Energy Performance of Building Directive), die EED (Energy Efficiency Directive), die RED (Renewable Energy Directive) und die GOV (Governance Regulation) betrachtet.
[Report] Benchmarking promising experiences of integrated renovation services in Europe

Die Renovierung von Bestandsgebäuden kann zu erheblichen Energieeinsparungen führen und eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Erreichung des europäischen Klimaziels von 2050 spielen. Gleichzeitig ist der Bausektor entscheidend für das Wirtschaftswachstum und die Beschäftigung in Europa.

Eine fragmentierte Wertschöpfungskette erschwert es dem Bauherrn, Renovierungsarbeiten vorherzusagen und deren Kosten zu schätzen. Durch die Vereinfachung des Renovierungsprozesses für Eigentümer kann die Nachfrage nach energetischen Sanierungen steigen.

Im Rahmen des Horizon2020 finanzierten Projekts Turnkey Retrofit entstand dieser Report, in dem der Forschungsstand zu One-Stop-Shops und integrierten Renovierungs-dienstleistungen beschrieben wird.
 
Future-proof buildings for all Europeans – A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Zwei Drittel des europäischen Gebäudebestands wurden vor 1980 gebaut: Etwa 97% der Gebäude der EU müssen renoviert werden, um das Klimaziel von 2050 zu erreichen, aber nur 0,4-1,2% werden jedes Jahr saniert.

Die geänderte Richtlinie über die Gesamtenergieeffizienz von Gebäuden (EPBD) gibt eine klare Richtung für die vollständige Dekarbonisierung des europäischen Gebäudebestands bis 2050 vor. Sie bietet den Mitgliedstaaten ein klares Ziel und die Instrumente, es zu erreichen. Dieses umfassende Toolkit bietet Leitlinien, Tipps, Fallstudien und Vorlagen, um die EU-Mitgliedstaaten bei der Umsetzung der Richtlinie zu unterstützen und zu inspirieren, sich dieser Herausforderung zu stellen.
EVENTS
28. November: BPIE beim Stakeholder Meeting zur EPBD 19a in Brüssel

Laut Artikel 19a der erneuerten EU Gebäudeenergieeffizienz Richtlinie (EPBD) fertigt die Europäische Kommission bis 2020 eine Machbarkeitsstudie zur Einführung einer Inspektion von eigenständigen Lüftungsanlagen sowie eines Gebäuderenovierungspasses (Building Renovation Passport, BRP) an. Nach einer ersten Stakeholder Sitzung im Juni, bei der die teilnehmenden Experten den aktuellen Stand bestehender Regularien in Bezug auf die Inspektion von eigenständigen Lüftungssystemen und optionale Renovierungspässe diskutierten, wird diese Sitzung am Donnerstag, 28. November, die durchgeführten Analysen vorstellen und die Relevanz, Durchführbarkeit und den möglichen Umfang von Maßnahmen auf EU-Ebene diskutieren.

Sie haben die Möglichkeit das Stakeholder Meeting hier online zu verfolgen.
Workshop: Zusatznutzen im Eigenheim messbar machen

Ende Oktober fand der erste Expertenworkshop des DBU-geförderten Projekts Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung im Rahmen des Symposiums  "Valuing the multiple benefits of energy efficiency" statt. Am 23. Januar findet nun der zweite Workshop für Eigenheimbesitzer*innen - dies können Einfamilienhäuser oder Eigentumswohnungen sein - und Energieberater*innen statt, den wir gemeinsam mit der Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform in Berlin ausrichten. Wir wollen eine Diskussion über die zielgruppenspezifischen Nutzen und gesundheitlichen Vorteile von Sanierungsmaßnahmen im selbstgenutzten Wohneigentum führen und eine Entwicklung von Indikatoren zu deren Quantifizierung anstoßen.

Die Einladungen zu diesem Workshop werden zeitnah verschickt.
COP 25: BPIE bei der UNFCCC Klimakonferenz

BPIE veranstaltet in Kooperation mit dem Global Building Performance Network (GBPN), der UCL und der Ukraine State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Savings das Side-Event Moving towards zero carbon buildings solutions, tools and progress from all around the world, das am 3. Dezember, 18:30 – 20:00, stattfindet. Treffen können Sie uns auch bei Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) sowie beim Launch des Global Status Report der Global Alliance for Building and Construction (GABC). Mehr Informationen zu allen gebäuderelevanten Veranstaltungen finden Sie hier.
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Dear reader,

Winter has arrived in Europe, reminding us how important it is to have a warm, healthy and energy efficient home. Renovating our ageing and inefficient building stock is imperative; national governments must be reminded that they must deliver ambitious and effective long-term renovation strategies (LTRS) in March next year. BPIE is providing support to them and the many stakeholders which should be consulted and involved. In this newsletter we are sharing a wealth of material related to renovation strategies which is designed for decision-makers at all levels of government.

Renovation strategies need to come with effective policy tools, and I would like to invite you to join us at two upcoming events where we will discuss such tools: on 28 November we are organising the second and final stakeholder meeting on the inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems & building renovation passport, and on 3 and 4 December a Summit organised in the framework of the Build Upon² project will discuss renovation action.

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHTS
[Report] Building renovation in the Clean Energy Package: implications at local, national and EU levels
 
The Clean energy package for All Europeans is a comprehensive set of legislation that defines European climate and energy policy for 2020 and beyond. It is composed of eight different pieces of legislation aimed at accelerating the energy transition in Europe. This report published by the H2020 project Build Upon² analyses some of the most important changes that will influence building renovation policy in the coming decades, more specifically on four core components: the EPBD (Energy Performance of Building Directive), the EED (Energy Efficiency Directive), the RED (Renewable Energy Directive) and the GOV (Governance Regulation). It also identifies the specific role for local, national and European actors in order to implement the legislation and develop ambitious renovation policies in line with the EU 2030 and 2050 targets.
DATA OF THE MONTH
BPIE was created in 2010, celebrating 10 years of existence in 2020!
Stay tuned for the announcement of all events and dedicated material we’ll bring your way next year.
MULITPLE BENEFITS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY 
An introduction to identify and quantify how energy saving projects contribute to a company's value proposition, cost and risk reduction. Visit mbenefits.eu 
FOCUS ON
Stakeholder consultations, guidance and templates: a toolbox to developing national long-term renovation strategies

As Member States are expected to deliver their renovation strategy by March next year, public consultation is now high on the agenda. National strategies can only be successful with the involvement of regional and local authorities, since they will be required to design and implement detailed action plans to deliver National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The project ‘Our Buildings’, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), held several stakeholders’ consultations throughout last summer in cities in Romania and Bulgaria, gathering actors at municipal level from both the public and private sectors. In addition to building capacity at local level, these consultations aimed to determine the various barriers and needs to the development and implementation of the strategies in Romania and Bulgaria. In this framework, the partners have published a guidance for public officers and a template for developing national long-term renovation strategies, both available in English, Romanian and Bulgarian.
Policy brief – Langfristige Renovierungsstrategien: Strategische Planung für Klimaschutz im Gebäudesektor / Long-term renovation strategies: strategic planning for climate protection in the buildings sector (German only)

This policy brief, focusing on Germany, stresses the role of the long-term renovation strategies (LTRS) in the framework of ambitious and coherent national and European climate policies in the buildings sector and reminds that next year submission would be an opportunity for the country to be more ambitious and make the new LTRS raise its standards, after being considered in 2016 by the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission as one of the three “non-compliant” strategies. The paper calls for coherence of the LTRS with existing national policymaking and use it as an opportunity to further advance climate policy in the buildings sector and ambitiously complement national strategy processes.
Green Solutions Awards: discover the international winners of the 2019 edition!

After nine months of competition, twenty-two projects were rewarded at Batimat during a ceremony attended by professionals from all over the world. These sustainable buildings, districts and infrastructures will benefit from high visibility as they integrate replicable solutions to reduce carbon emissions. Discover them, adopt them, share them! 
Discussions on renovation roadmaps have kicked-off at the second round of iBRoad stakeholders' meetings 

An open-source programme providing a simplified standardised energy demand model to assess final and primary energy demand of residential houses. A default database supporting the auditor in the cost assessment of renovation measures brings a list of possible measures (building envelope and HVAC systems) and their costs. These are some of the exciting news from the iBRoad H2020 project. Finally, the second round of formal discussion are happening this week in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden, to review and exchange on experiences, further needs, opportunities and challenges of the iBRoad renovation roadmap and logbook. If you wish to get involved, please get in touch with the project and share your thoughts and ideas on the forum.
SAVE THE DATE!
Dutch gas phase out: a blueprint for decarbonising the buildings sector? 

Join BPIE webinar on 12th December 2019 from 12.30 to 13.30pm. We will host leading Dutch civil society experts to discuss challenges and opportunities to implement the agreed gas phase out in the Netherlands. More information on the agenda will follow soon. Register here.
EVENTS
EPBD19a stakeholder meeting, November 28, Brussels

Following a first meeting in June, where stakeholders discussed the state of the art regarding existing schemes in relation to the inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems and optional building renovation passports, this stakeholder meeting will present the impact analyses and discuss the relevance, feasibility and possible scope of measures at EU level. Join us, on 28 November 2019 in Brussels.
Interesting viewpoints on the concept of the Building Renovation Passport were shared during the EPBD 19a feasibility study 1st stakeholder meeting in Brussels last June. ifeu and VEA presented national approaches. The minutes and presentations from the 1st meeting are available on epbd19a.eu
Delivering net zero carbon buildings for all - BUILD UPON² European Leaders' Summit, December 3-4, Brussels
 
For Europe, delivering a new Green Deal for its citizens will mean cities and companies putting net zero carbon buildings and massive building renovation programmes at the heart of their climate action plans.
In response, the partners of the BUILD UPON project - the European Green Building Council network, BPIE and the Climate Alliance - are convening private and public sector leaders from across Europe at an inspiring and practical summit on 3-4 December in Brussels, to demonstrate that Europe has the will and solutions to lead the world towards delivering net zero carbon buildings and a better quality of life for all. The summit will mix networking opportunities with low carbon building leaders from across Europe, with some very practical / hands-on content. Visit the event webpage and register, last seats available!
Meet us at COP25 – many events happening
  • BPIE, the GBPN, UCL, and the Ukraine State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Savings are organising a side-event at COP25: Moving towards zero carbon buildings solutions, tools and progress from all around the world, on December 3, 18:30 – 20:00 - blue zone accreditation needed.
  • 2019 GABC Global Status Report - are we on track in aligning the sector with the Paris Agreement? High-level Launch Press Conference, 11 December, 10:00 - 10:30 - blue zone accreditation needed.
  • MPGCA Human Settlements Action Event, 7 December, 15:00 - 18:00 - blue zone accreditation needed. Under the topic ‘Climate emergency - time to act for zero carbon cities and buildings’ the Human Settlements Action event organized under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA) focuses on solutions from national and local governments, as well as finance institutions, civil society, and private sector to make our cities and our buildings future proof. The first part, 15:00-16:30 is dedicated to buildings.
  • MPGCA Nexus Roundtable: Circular Economy - Cities and Buildings, 10 December, 10:00 - 10:30 - blue zone accreditation needed. This roundtable will look at how circular economy principles can be applied to cities and in the built environment to drive climate action. The role of cities, other key actors as circular economy agents will be discussed.
For more information on these events, please contact the GABC, and see the overview of events here.
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Dear reader,

The voices on the streets around the world are loud and clear: change needs to happen now!
Change to slow down climate change and cut our greenhouse gas emissions. The recent IPCC report on Oceans and Ice reconfirms the urgency to act. But the big question remains: how fast can change be triggered?
Can we rely on policy leaders to lead the change? The statements made by world leaders at the recent UN Climate Summit did not announce bold steps, and the German government’s climate change package failed to convince that the country is willing to return to its once held climate policy leader position. In the absence of policy leadership, where could change really come from?
As we are highlighting in this newsletter, change can come from the many actions and projects happening at regional or city level. Whether it is the development and testing of new business models and technologies for renovation, or the increasing recognition of the societal benefits of deep renovation, we find that innovation and transformation is happening through many small-scale initiatives.
While the pace of change is still much too slow to respond to the climate crisis, I am optimistic that the many solutions - some are presented in this newsletter - can be scaled up quickly. The pressure from the streets will help.
 
Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHTS
[Report] Benchmarking promising experiences of integrated renovation services in Europe

Renovation of existing buildings can lead to significant energy savings and play a key role in EU’s clean energy transition. At the same time, the construction sector is crucial to Europe’s economic growth and its employment sector. The fragmented renovation value chain makes it difficult for the owner to predict renovation works and estimate their cost. It is undeniable  that by simplifying the renovation process for owners, demand for energy renovations can increase, especially with integrated renovation services where the new business models align multiple services and actors. BPIE wrote a report for the Horizon2020-funded project Turnkey Retrofit, outlining existing research on one-stop-shops and integrated renovation services. The benchmarking exercise presents nine integrated renovation services, deriving lessons-learnt and guidelines for the Turnkey Retrofit service.
 
[Briefing] Deep Renovation Using Prefabricated Components

Innovation is a key driver for the European economy and offers opportunities to speed up adaptation to a greater urbanisation, disruptive new technologies and more in the building sector. Industrial and prefabricated renovation solutions will significantly contribute to accelerating the pace of deep energy renovation in the construction value chain. Extensive building improvement work that substantially increases energy efficiency and reduces energy consumption has a vital role to play in ensuring economic success and can help achieving these goals. A large demand for deep renovation solutions is needed to reduce the related cost. While some solutions exist, a certain scale is required for the business models to become viable. This briefing, available in English and German, highlights the work of 4 Horizon2020 projects in this area.
[Paper] 11 Punkte für klimafreundliche und zukunftsfähige Gebäude (German only)

The German Climate Cabinet, ministers with responsibilities in key climate policy fields, have presented their plans for new measures. The so-called “climate package” has received a lot of criticism from civil society and climate scientists, as its measures are not fit to reach the 2030 goals and keep Germany on track for reaching climate neutrality in 2050. The paper lists 11 points for climate-friendly and future-proof buildings. Sustainable building renovation, a near-zero energy standard for new buildings as well as new and innovative solutions have to be the basis of a climate policy package for the building sector. The buildings built or renovated today will most probably not undergo deep renovation again before 2050. Measures and instruments must therefore have a long-term effect and be reliable in helping reach the climate protection goals. 
FOCUS ON
[Briefing] Multiple benefits as a driver of energy-efficient building renovation (German only)

An increased energy performance of buildings not only reduces energy costs and CO2 emissions, but creates jobs, increases comfort and health for its occupants and brings environmental benefits in terms of improved air quality. Valuing these multiple benefits is key to making investment decisions more viable thus accelerating building renovation. Refurbishments must always provide economic benefits for the building owner or the investor, often limited to the saved energy costs. This means that the manifold benefits coming with a properly insulated building and efficient heating systems are often neglected. These benefits are hardly considered as they are not easily quantifiable and can hardly be monetized by the investor. This briefing kicks off a new project carried out in Germany with the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform (HVGP), to develop target group-specific methods of quantifying multiple benefits.
 
Mapping and improving the energy efficiency of buildings: ExcEED and its geo-clustering tool

Geo-clustered data are extremely valuable to highlight trans-national similarities and provide useful information to policy makers and legislative bodies, for more tailored policy decisions. This is what the H2020 ExcEED geocluster tool offers to its users.
A new factsheet tells more about the tool that enables the user to cluster buildings according to selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and get the resulting clusters on a map.
The tool is part of the free-to-use ExcEED platform, now waiting for contributions with buildings data from its users.
NEW PROJECTS FOR BPIE
Turnkey Retrofit: affording people a smoother renovation journey with guidance, follow up and digital tools

The Horizon2020-funded project Turnkey Retrofit will build upon the promising experiences of integrated renovation services emerging in the EU to develop an economically-viable business model and replicate it EU-wide. Nine partners, from research, consultancy, engineering companies, non-profit organisations and technology centres are joining forces to develop the concept in 3 countries: Spain, France, Ireland. The project partners will develop a platform, Solution4Renovation, a one-stop-shop for homeowners supporting them in their renovation journey with tailor-made solutions, be they about heating & cooling, ventilation, building envelope, renewable energy, financing options and more. Learn more by visiting the website and following us on Twitter and Facebook.
AmBIENce: actively-managed buildings thanks to energy performance contracting

AmBIENCe is a new EU-funded project that aims at redefining the energy performance contract (EPC) and extend it to smart buildings. It will identify and co-create new business models based on ICT and IoT that answer the flexibility requirements of customers and the energy system.
In addition to flexibility, it will also enhance the multiple benefits of having smart buildings such as enhanced comfort and security. The project partners, research institutes in Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Italy will then validate the new Active EPC business models and contracts on 5 pilot buildings in Portugal and Belgium covering a range of uses and climatic areas; and obtain valuable information on the feasibility, barriers and impact of Active EPC. Stay tuned, more info will come soon!
 
RenOnBill: residential building energy renovations with on-bill financing

By promoting the development and implementation of on-bill schemes (OBS), the H2020-funded project RenOnBill aims at scaling up investments towards deep energy renovations of residential buildings. RenOnBill’s four focus countries are Germany, Italy, Lithuania and Spain, chosen to capture the differences that can be encountered when replicating on-bill schemes across wider Europe.
The project's potential success will mean a huge step forward in reaching the 2050 European Union energy and CO2 targets and offers a win-win perspective for different actors: construction and energy service companies, utilities, investors, and ultimately for society as a whole. More about the project on the website, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts.
 
Enefirst: making the energy efficiency first principle operational

Enefirst builds on the principle of “Energy Efficiency First” (E1st), a fundamental principle applied to policymaking, planning and investment in the energy sector, which is enshrined in European legislation. Enefirst will help making the E1st principle more concrete and operational, in order to better understand its relevance for energy demand and supply and its broader impacts across sectors and markets, focussing on the buildings’ sector.
The project partners will define the principle of E1st in practical terms, assess how it has been applied internationally and how it applies to the EU context. The second step will be to assess the value of applying E1st across different policy areas for buildings’ end-use energy efficiency and to quantify the impacts of increased building energy efficiency for the future energy system in the EU. Finally, it will identify key policy areas for the application of E1st and develop policy proposals for its implementation in the EU Buildings Sector, by testing those in specific cases.
BPIE EVENTS
Symposium on valuing the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, October 28, Berlin
 
By quantifying and communicating the multiple benefits of energy efficiency –such as contributions to improved product quality, enhanced employee productivity, better indoor air quality and improved asset value – energy efficiency projects can demonstrate competitive business impacts in the form of improved value proposition and reduced cost and risk. The EU-funded project ‘Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency’ and the German project Multiple benefits as drivers for building renovation are organising a joint symposium on the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, October 28 in Berlin. This symposium will highlight and discuss lessons, methods and tools from both projects, presenting different approaches to quantify the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, how they can be integrated in decision-making and how to communicate them with relevant stakeholders. It is an opportunity to improve synergies and exchange ideas with different stakeholders across sectors, markets and countries. Register here before 14 October to join the event.
http://bpie.eu/event/symposium-on-valuing-the-multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency/
 
How to value real-estate carbon performance? – November 19, Brussels – More news soon!
 
Although commercial buildings significantly contribute to carbon emissions of the European building stock, lack of sound business cases and investment potentials within this real estate segment can put new investments at risk. A project where BPIE partnered with Deneff and CO-Firm developed a common, impact-based approach to real estate valuation that shows how carbon performance can affect the real estate value and help real estate owners understand the potential of investing in low-carbon buildings, through a calculator. Relevant stakeholders were involved to co-create the solution and ensure market relevance. The event will present the project results and allow interactive discussions between stakeholders interested in the topic. Mark your calendars!
PARTNER EVENTS
1st Active House Autumn School, 22-29 October, Italy
 
Under the initiative of Active House Italy and with the collaboration of the architect Alexander Kucheravy, the first international Active House Academy - Autumn School will take place in Barbiano, Italy from 22 to 29 October. Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to use the Active House Radar tool in practice and make calculations; and will visit the certified Active House Casa sul Parco. At the end of the course, participants will receive the Active House diploma. Learn more about the course and register here.
H2020 LAUNCH Investor Forum – Thinking BIG: securitising sustainable energy assets in Europe, 27 November, Brussels
 
Key market players will discuss what is needed to achieve securitisation of Sustainable Energy Assets under performance-based contracts at this event, November 27 in Brussels. The event will introduce the LAUNCH H2020 project which aims to securitise Sustainable Energy Assets with representatives from the European Investment Bank, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe, Fitch Ratings, and more. Project developers, project financiers and equity capital providers will have the opportunity to exchange. More information and registration link here and here.
World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) 2020, 4-6 March 2020, Wels, Austria
 
The clean energy transition is taking on a new dynamic in Europe and worldwide. "Energy efficiency first" is at the centre of this transformation process. This requires strong policies, competitive businesses, technology innovation, investments and the involvement of the citizens. By addressing these topics and more, the annual European Energy Efficiency Conference attracts over 400 participants from over 50 countries each year. 2020’s edition comes with a lot of news, such as the Start-Up Sessions, the Innovation Circles and more. The deadline for the submission of your work is October 10, 2019.
EE & RE, Smart Cities and Save the Planet now merged under the new brand seeSUSTAINtec – an exhibition and forum on sustainable technologies for South-East Europe, 7-9 April 2020, Sofia, Bulgaria
 
BPIE is pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with the Energy Efficiency & Renewables (EE & RE) conference, that this year joins Smart Cities and Save the Planet under a new brand – seeSUSTAINtec. The goal is to achieve a positive “domino effect” – to make the event a place for popularizing a wider range of solutions, services and model examples, while also provoking a bigger interest in consumers and investors towards sustainable change. The word “sustain” symbolizes the future, rotation, connection and predictability. “see” identifies South-East Europe as a market with the potential for sustainable development, and the best interaction between the participants of an event is achieved through the format “exhibition – conference”. Once again, the focus will be on technologies – the necessity for progress.
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Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, 
Wir freuen uns, Ihnen nach der Sommerpause einen neuen BPIE Newsletter vorzustellen. Neben den fest etablierten englischsprachigen Newslettern werden wir jetzt auch wieder regelmäßig über unsere Arbeit in Deutschland und neue Forschungsbeiträge berichten, die zum Wissensaustausch eines treibhausgasneutralen Gebäudebestands beitragen sollen.  Ihr Einverständnis ist notwendig, damit wir Sie auch in Zukunft über unsere Aktivitäten informieren können.

 
Hier klicken und über BPIE informiert bleiben

Bei uns hat sich dieses Jahr bereits viel getan: Im April sind wir in unser neues Büro am Moritzplatz gezogen, wo genug Platz für das mittlerweile 6-köpfige Team ist. Seit Mai/Juni 2019 unterstützen drei weitere KollegInnen die europäischen und nationalen Forschungsprojekte zu verschiedenen Aspekten der Energieeffizienz im Gebäudesektor, der Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien im und am Gebäude und der Innenraumluftqualität.  

In der Praxis muss sich noch viel tun: Es ist bekannt, dass sich die Sanierungsquote von momentan ungefähr 1% drastisch erhöhen muss, um den notwendigen Renovierungsumfang zu erreichen und den Gebäudebestand auf einen klimaneutralen Pfad zu bringen. Bei Investitionsentscheidungen von Gebäudesanierung stehen meist Energiekosteneinsparungen im Vordergrund, obwohl renovierte, gut gedämmte Wohnungen viele weitere Nutzen bieten. Unser neues Projekt „Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung“ zusammen mit der Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform, bringt die umfassenden Nutzen von Sanierungen, wie eine verbesserte Wohngesundheit, Wertsteigerungen der Immobilie oder Aufwertung des Quartiers, in die gesellschaftliche Debatte. Die Auftaktveranstaltung der Workshop-Reihe am 5. September führt die Perspektiven zahlreicher Stakeholder aus Politik & Verwaltung, der Wirtschaft und der organisierten Zivilgesellschaft zusammen und diskutiert Chancen und Schwierigkeiten der Quantifizierung. Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme.

Innovative Geschäftsmodelle, wie der Energiesprong-Ansatz aus den Niederlanden, bündeln Sanierungsprojekte, die den Energieverbrauch auf ein Netto-Null Niveau senken. Die Nutzung industriell vorgefertigter Baumodule kann die Baukosten, bei gleichzeitig hoher Qualität, stark senken. Unser Innovation Briefing stellt die Ergebnisse verschiedener europäischer Forschungsprojekte vor.  

Durch die Verstärkung im Team können wir zukünftig unsere Forschungsergebnisse auch stärker in aktuelle politische Debatten in Deutschland einspeisen, um gemeinsam mit anderen Akteuren die Umsetzung der geänderten EU-Gebäuderichtlinie (EPBD 2018) voranzutreiben. So haben wir an der Konsultation des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) zum nationalen Energie- und Klimaplan (NECP) teilgenommen und einen Policy Brief zum Referentenentwurf des Gebäudeenergiegesetz (GEG) vom 28. Mai 2019 veröffentlicht. Der Gesetzentwurf verpasst die Chance, die aktualisierte Fassung der EU-Gebäuderichtlinie, frühzeitig, in deutsches Recht umzusetzen und so einen ambitionierten und umfassenden Regulierungsrahmen zu schaffen.  

Wir würden Sie gerne weiter über unsere Aktivitäten in Berlin auf dem Laufenden halten. Melden Sie sich doch oben für unseren Newsletter an.  

Ihnen allen einen guten Start in einen produktiven Herbst  

Ihr Oliver Rapf 

PUBLIKATIONEN

  [Research Brief] Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung

Bekanntlich ist eine verbesserte Energieeffizienz des Gebäudebestands ein wertvoller Beitrag zur Erreichung der Klimaziele. Damit umfassende Sanierungsmaßnahmen umgesetzt werden, muss die Renovierung einen Nutzen für die Eigentümer oder den Investor bieten, wobei meist nur die Energie- und Kosteneinsparungen einbezogen werden.

Energetische Sanierung bietet jedoch viele weitere – individuelle und gesellschaftliche – Nutzen, wie in unserem Briefing aufgezeigt wird. Beispiele sind Wertsteigerungen der Immobilien, gesteigertes Wohlbefinden und Gesundheits-schutz durch verbessertes Innenraumklima, Aufwertung des Wohnumfeldes und Ressourcenschutz.

[Innovation Brief] Tiefgreifende Sanierung mit industriell vorgefertigten Komponenten

Die Bauindustrie ist durch stärkere Urbanisierung, digitale Technologien und globalisierte Wertschöpfungsketten enormen Veränderungen ausgesetzt. Gleichzeitig spielt der Gebäudesektor eine wichtige Rolle in der Zielerreichung des Pariser Abkommens und muss die Herausforderung eines energieeffizienten, kostengünstigen Bauens sowie eines treibhausgasneutralen Gebäudebestands in 2050 ambitioniert angehen.  

Die Beschleunigung der tiefgreifenden energetischen Sanierung in der Wertschöpfungskette der Bauindustrie trägt entscheidend zum Erreichen der Klimaziele bei und stellt langfristig die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der Branche sicher.  Dieses Briefing trägt Erkenntnisse aus vier zukunftsweisenden Forschungsprojekten (Horizon 2020) in diesem Bereich zusammen.  

[Policy Brief] Chancen aus der EPBD für das Gebäudeenergiegesetz

Die Bundesregierung hat Ende Mai einen neuen Referentenentwurf für das lang erwartete Gebäudeenergiegesetz veröffentlicht. Ziel der Regierung ist es seit langem, die heutige Regulierung im Bereich Gebäudeenergie - Energieeinsparungsgesetz (EnEG), Energieeinsparverordnung (EnEV) und Erneuerbare-Energien-Wärmegesetz (EEWärmeG) - in einem Gesetz zusammenzuführen. Der aktuelle Gesetzesentwurf steht jedoch nicht im Einklang mit den letzten Änderungen der EPBD [2018/844]. Der Gesetzesentwurf enthält weder ehrgeizige Niedrigstenergiegebäudestandards (nZEB), Maßnahmen zu den langfristigen Sanierungsstrategien noch einen Hinweis auf die Intelligenz von Gebäuden, wie unser Briefing aufzeigt.

EU PUBLIKATIONEN (English only)
[Discussion paper] The Zero Carbon and Circular Economy Challenge in the Built Environment - Policy Options for the European Union and its Member States

Die EU schätzt, dass sich die durch den Klimawandel verursachten Schäden an der Infrastruktur verzehnfachen könnten, wenn wir weitermachen wie bisher: Um das Ziel der Treibhausgasneutralität bis 2050 zu erreichen, ist es von größter Bedeutung den Gebäudebestand an die Herausforderungen anzupassen.

Prinzipien der Kreislaufwirtschaft und die zunehmende Vernetzung von Politikfeldern können die Schaffung einer nachhaltigen Gebäudelandschaft beschleunigen. In diesem Artikel wird daher die Notwendigkeit unterstrichen, eine umfassende Strategie für die Bauindustrie zu entwickeln, die auf den Prinzipien der Nachhaltigkeit und der Zirkularität aufbauen sollte.

 
[Policy paper] How to integrate indoor environmental quality within national long-term renovation strategies
 
In der neuen Fassung der Gebäudeeffizienzrichtlinie (EPBD 2018/844)  heißt es, dass die von den EU-Ländern festgelegten Anforderungen an die Gesamtenergieeffizienz die Gesundheit, das Innenraumklima und den Komfort optimieren sollen. Es wird aber nicht festgelegt, wie eine zufriedenstellende Innenraumluftqualität (Indoor Environmental Quality) erreicht und die Anforderungen an den Raumkomfort in den Mitgliedstaaten vereinheitlicht werden können. Jetzt, da die Richtlinie in nationales Recht umgesetzt werden muss (bis März 2020), gibt es große Chancen, die Bedeutung von Innenraumluftqualität zu erhöhen. Dieses Briefing enthält Empfehlungen, wie die Mitgliedstaaten Gesundheit und IEQ in nationale Renovierungsstrategien und Energieausweise (EPCs) integrieren können.
Future-proof buildings for all Europeans – A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Zwei Drittel des europäischen Gebäudebestands wurden vor 1980 gebaut: Etwa 97% der Gebäude der EU müssen renoviert werden, um das Klimaziel von 2050 zu erreichen, aber nur 0,4-1,2% werden jedes Jahr saniert.

Die geänderte Richtlinie über die Gesamtenergieeffizienz von Gebäuden (EPBD) gibt eine klare Richtung für die vollständige Dekarbonisierung des europäischen Gebäudebestands bis 2050 vor. Sie bietet den Mitgliedstaaten ein klares Ziel und die Instrumente, es zu erreichen. Diese umfassende Guidance bietet Leitlinien, Tipps, Fallstudien und Vorlagen, um die EU-Mitgliedstaaten bei der Umsetzung der Richtlinie zu unterstützen und zu inspirieren, sich dieser Herausforderung zu stellen.
 
VERANSTALTUNGEN
Trialog: Gebäudesanierung - nicht nur gut fürs Klima. Was sind die Zusatznutzen wert?
 
Das Projekt "Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung", wird von BPIE zusammen mit der HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform durchgeführt, mit dem Ziel, die vielfältigen Nutzen von Sanierungsmaßnahmen in den Fokus zu rücken und effektive Quantifizierungsansätze mit Vertretern aus der Wissenschaft und Praxis zu entwickeln.

Die Auftaktveranstaltung findet am 05. September 2019 in Berlin statt und bringt die Perspektiven von Stakeholdern aus Politik & Verwalting, der Wirtschaft und der organisaierten Zivilgesellschaft zusammen. Gemeinsam wird diskutiert, wie Zusatznutzen in Wirtschaftlichkeitsberechnungen einfließen können, um den kompletten Wert einer energetischen Sanierung sichtbar zu machen. Das Ziel ist, einen Konsens über wichtige Zusatznutzen der energetischen Sanierung zu erlangen und diese in die praktische Anwendung zu bringen.
Experten-Workshop: Multiple Benefits Projekte bündeln Kräfte
 
Am 28. Oktober findet ein gemeinsamer Experten-Workshop der aktuellen Multiple Benefits Projekte in Berlin statt. Um Akteure über beide laufenden Projekte zu informieren und Synergien herzustellen wird der nächste Workshop des Horizon2020 Projekts MBenefits mit dem ersten Experten-Workshop des DBU-geförderten Projekts "Zusatznutzen als Treiber der energetischen Gebäudesanierung" zusammengelegt. Dabei wird ein besonderer Fokus auf die Teilnahme von Investoren und Wohnungsgesellschaften im urbanen Raum gelegt. Merken Sie sich den Termin schon heute vor, eine Einladung wird zeitnah versandt.
 
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Dear reader,

As temperatures in Europe are again hitting record highs, it is obvious that we need to speed up our actions on climate change. In a new discussion paper, we describe solutions which put the buildings and construction sector on track to reduce its climate impact and to adapt to a changing society and to a changing climate.

We know that national regulations are essential to make our buildings fit for the future. Transforming our built environment must be achieved as a just transition to a carbon-neutral society, and we need to ensure that we don’t miss the opportunity to put the right policy framework in place. One of the many benefits will be a significant improvement of the indoor environmental quality if regulation reflects specific issues which we summarise in a new paper on the topic. Many national governments are working on new regulation, in Germany we are contributing to this process with a new policy brief highlighting the opportunities. Looking at the building sector in Turkey together with our partner Shura, we found that energy demand in the sector is growing with over 4% every year. In our joint paper, we are suggesting measures which would enhance policies to avoid energy waste.

Yes, the renovation challenge is a big one. But with the right tools and instruments in place, change is possible. A recent stakeholder meeting hosted by the European Commission discussed opportunities for the Building Renovation Passport and for improving ventilation systems. If you missed the event, you can watch the recorded live stream. The consortium will also welcome any further written feedback from stakeholders, please send it by 15 July via the contact channel provided on epbd19a.eu.

Finally, I encourage you to look at the recent results which support the transition to a zero-carbon building stock, such as the iBRoad project testing the Building Renovation Passport, and the Exceed project increasing transparency on real buildings performance.
We will be back with more after the summer break, I wish you relaxing weeks wherever you will spend them.

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHTS
[Discussion paper] The Zero Carbon and Circular Economy Challenge in the Built Environment - Policy Options for the European Union and its Member States
 
The EU estimates that the climate change-related damage to infrastructure could grow tenfold under a business-as-usual scenario: in order to achieve the net-zero carbon goal by 2050, adapting the built environment is paramount.

Circular economy principles and increasing interconnections of policy fields can accelerate the delivery of a sustainable built environment. To do so, this paper advocates the need to come up with a comprehensive strategy for the building and construction sector which should build on the principles of sustainability and circularity. It also highlights the societal benefits generated by energy renovation and building upgrades, putting forward several policy recommendations for the sector.
The ExcEED platform and its tools are now available and free to use!
 
With the target established by the European Commission of a full decarbonisation by 2050, the EU recognises the need to steer to a high-quality building stock. However, it is often the case that buildings do not perform as originally planned, because of their design and/or use. The H2020-funded project ExcEED launches a new platform orchestrating seamless integration of heterogeneous data related to building energy performances, providing insights on the energy performance of buildings and districts in operational conditions, both for energy consumption and indoor environmental quality. The platform is made of a range of tools allowing the automatic calculation of dedicated Key Performance Indicators, as well as algorithms for geo-clustering and benchmarking. ExcEED calls on building managers, public officers, homeowners, building professionals and more to upload data coming from building monitoring systems, projects, other databases as well as from Indoor Environmental Quality surveys to the platform. Data is anonymous and confidential, in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The platform is free until September to those uploading data upon filling of the following form. To know more, check out the ExcEED webinar, the presentations or brochure.
Mariangiola Fabbri, BPIE's Head of research, was invited to join an expert debate on how increasing buildings' energy efficiency can answer some of the challenges brought by climate change consequences such as the ongoing heat wave on France24.
FOCUS ON
[Policy paper] How to integrate indoor environmental quality within national long-term renovation strategies
 
The amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive mentions that energy performance requirements defined by governments in all EU countries should optimise health, indoor air quality and comfort levels, but doesn’t specify how to achieve satisfactory Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and harmonise indoor comfort requirements across Member States. Now that the Directive must be transposed into national legislation (by March 2020), there are great opportunities to increase the importance of IEQ.
This paper gives recommendations on how Member States can integrate health and IEQ in national renovation strategies and EPCs, as well as ensure comprehensive compliance and quality control and finally integrate IEQ in inspections, commissioning, performance assessments and the cost-optimal methodology.
To know more on the topic, check the report and the briefing of the same series.
[Paper] Enhancing Turkey’s policy framework for energy efficiency of buildings, and recommendations for the way forward based on international experiences
 
Turkey’s building sector’s energy demand is growing rapidly, at a rate of 4.4% on average, effectively rendering it the one sector with the largest energy consumption among all end-use sectors, representing around one third of the country’s total final energy consumption.
This paper draws lessons-learnt and inspiration from international policies and projects relevant to the Turkish building sector, highlights the ones currently in place in Turkey, and provides recommendations to enhance Turkey’s building energy efficiency policy framework.
BPIE and the SHURA Energy Transition Center wrote the paper to provide support to a Turkish-German Cooperation project for energy efficiency in public buildings, receiving funding from GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit).
[MOOC] Climate Change explorer: transitions to 0-emissions

The EUCalc EU-funded project is developing an open source model combined with a “Transition Pathways Explorer”, as well as learning tools: the project partners are now preparing an internet-based, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) with the aim to provide insights in climate change mitigation pathways and their impacts on future policy-making. The module, freely accessible and available from October, will consist of 6 videos with linked assignments. More information.
Material from a recent event during the EU Sustainable Energy Week is also available, to get a sneak peak into the calculator!
[Policy brief – in German only]
 
The German government published, on May 28, a legislative proposal for the long awaited “Energy in Buildings Act”. The current draft law is not in line with the latest amendments of the EPBD from 2018.

The Policy Brief (available in German only)  Chancen aus der EPBD für das Gebäudeenergiegesetz 2019 (Opportunities brought by the EPBD for the German Building Energy Act) shows the benefits of already implementing the most recent amendments of the Directive into national law.

The new Act should contribute to a consistent regulatory framework for a nearly-zero carbon building stock in 2050 and be in line with other ongoing national policy-making processes in 2019 (Climate Action Law, National Energy and Climate Plan including the long-term renovation strategies). 
Design, develop and demonstrate individual building renovation roadmaps and logbooks
 
The H2020-funded project iBRoad, developing an integrated concept for a building renovation passport suitable for differing national conditions, is already halfway with much to report. Published results include:
  • a review of the implementation of energy performance certificates in eight countries,
  • an in-depth analysis of four frontrunner examples of the passport,
  • a survey analysis of the potential user needs and markets for Individual Building Renovation Roadmaps in Bulgaria, Poland, and Portugal,
  • the development of a concrete model for the iBRoad tools,
  • a training toolkit for auditors in the pilot countries.
In addition, iBRoad was presented during a webinar hosted by BUILD UP.
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EVENTS
News from the eceee Summer Study
 
BPIE’s team was at the eceee Summer Study which took place in sunny South of France June 3-7. At the VELUX solution workshop, BPIE gave a presentation on how the long-term renovation strategies can facilitate the improvement of indoor environmental quality in our buildings, building from the latest publications on the topic. On this occasion, a quiz on indoor environmental quality in schools, hospitals and offices is available online until the end of June: click here to test your knowledge on the topic!

BPIE organised a session on the topic of industrialised renovation in an effort to gather new ideas on how the cost for these types of renovations can be reduced. We also hosted a joint innovation lab session on “Business models for net-zero renovation on an industrial scale using prefabrication”. A presentation on minimum efficiency standards and how this instrument can contribute to a decarbonised building stock filled the room. The paper was the result of a collaboration with the Regulatory Assistance Project.

As the topic of building renovation passports was widely discussed following two iBroad-related presentations from ifeu and TU Wien, BPIE organised an informal session to gather views and experiences from the participating experts.
Lauch of a new GlobalABC Webinar series on Nationally Determined Contributions
 
Organised by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, this first webinar of a series will take place on July, 2. “How to Incorporate Fundable Buildings Sector Action in NDCs, a series of four webinars: Global, Asia, Africa and Latin America” will present practical steps that countries can take to identify opportunities for incorporating ambitious building sector climate actions into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The first webinar will look at Global Best Practices from UNFCCC, NDCs Partnership, and GlobalABC with examples from Argentina, China, and Mongolia. It will outline examples on necessary levels of ambition, stakeholder engagement, governance and monitoring, and verification and reporting required for fundable building sector actions that contribute to achieving the Paris Climate Goals.
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Dear reader,

Last year, national governments agreed to deliver a highly-efficient and decarbonised building stocks by the middle of the century. Our new guide on the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is designed to inspire policy-makers and stakeholders in Member States to achieve this objective. It provides examples of good policy practices from countries around Europe and gives step-by-step guidance on many topics. Getting the policy framework right is not an easy task, and I hope that our guide will be a useful tool and inspire a dialogue between decision-makers and citizens about the future of our buildings. National governments agreed to put the necessary policies in place by March 2020.
Such policies should also ensure that the indoor environment is of good quality, as we argue in a new policy briefing. Renovation strategies can make sure that air quality, ventilation, daylight and comfort are considered when buildings are made fit for the future. Our recent guidance for municipal decision-makers in Bulgaria and Romania covers all relevant aspects to include in a local renovation strategy.
The topics of ventilation and renovation passports will be debated during a stakeholder meeting which we are organising on behalf of the European Commission, together with INIVE. Registration will soon open for the event, held June 24 in Brussels.
These are just some of the highlights of the coming weeks, I invite you to check out the many reports and upcoming events we are presenting here, and to join us in constructive debates about the best ways to achieve a zero-carbon, fair and sustainable Europe for all.

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHTS
Future-proof buildings for all Europeans – A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Two-thirds of the European building stock was built before 1980: about 97% of the EU’s buildings must be upgraded to achieve the 2050 decarbonisation goal, but only 0.4-1.2% are renovated each year.
The recent amendments [2018/844] to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) [2010/31/EU] set a clear direction for the full decarbonisation of the European building stock by 2050. It provides a clear goal for Member States and the tools to achieve it. However, implementation is rarely a straightforward task:  this comprehensive toolkit provides guidance, tips, case studies and templates to support and inspire EU Member States to meet this challenge. Long-term renovation strategies, financing of renovation, EPCs and building renovation passports, smart readiness indicator and how to calculate energy performance: the publication focuses on articles were requirements evolved or were added. Grab your printed copy at EUSEW or download it today!
 
Briefing: Integrating indoor environmental quality in national long-term renovation strategies

About 2.2 million Europeans suffer from asthma due to their living conditions and 110 million live in buildings with high concentrations of hazardous pollutants resulting from inadequate levels of ventilation.
Since we spend about 90% of our time indoors, it is crucial to ensure suitable levels of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) to promote healthy and comfortable indoor environments. Renovation is an opportunity to improve the indoor air quality and the comfort and quality of life for building occupants, while at the same time achieving a high energy performance.
The EU building legislation is a starting point, but strong action and implementation are needed at Member State level. BPIE demonstrates in this short publication how the amended EPBD (2018/844) can ensure measures promoting IEQ are integrated into national long-term renovation strategies and Energy Performance Certificates. It presents how Member States can integrate IEQ in inspections, commissioning, performance assessments and the cost-optimal methodology.
 
FOCUS ON
New IPSOS study: European citizens willing to renovate their home but held back by investments to be made
European citizens would be willing to carry out energy renovation in their homes in order to increase their thermal comfort, pay less in energy bills and improve their quality of living. However, most of them are held back by the perceived financial investments to be made as well as by the hassle of organising the renovation works. This was revealed in a new study conducted by IPSOS and commissioned by the European Climate Foundation to better understand citizens’ motivations and barriers to carry out energy renovation in their homes. Carried out with home-owners and tenants in five European countries, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland and Spain – this survey offers EU and national decision-makers an opportunity to better understand and hear European citizens’ concerns around health and social equity related to the renovation of their homes.
The results are based on group discussions per country in August 2018 and an online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1000 citizens in each country (2000 in Germany) in November 2018.
Briefing: Making buildings responsive to the users’ needs with the smart readiness indicator and the ExcEED database
The H2020 project ExcEED published a new briefing to show the relation between its platform, available from the end of May 2019, and the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), introduced by the European Commission (EC) in the amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. ExcEED can contribute to the SRI development with its European platform for measured and qualitative data on beyond the state-of-the-art buildings and districts. Having a huge set of operational data enables to choose the most important building functioning parameters and indicators that should be considered in the SRI calculation.
Providing the right tools to energy auditors: a series of reports to improve renovation guidance, by iBroad
One of the main barriers to renovation is that building owners do not know where to find information on how to plan, finance and implement it. Providing the right tools to energy auditors can contribute to overcoming this barrier, increasing building owners’ trust and giving them easy access to information on renovation works. The training toolkit launched by the iBRoad project and presented by a series of reports, consists of a handbook, presentations, questionnaires for both energy auditors and building owners, and a hotline for questions and doubts. IBRoad aims at developing a Building Renovation Passport, whose features, the iBRoad Logbook and Roadmap, together with the training toolkit, are being field-tested in three pilot countries: Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal. 
If you want to know more on how individual building renovation roadmaps can make a difference for building energy efficiency and deep renovations and to share your ideas with others interested in the same topic, you should register to the iBRoad forum. To stay updated on the projects’ news, register to the News Alert
The EPBD19a stakeholder meeting held June 24 (see in Events) is another opportunity to learn more and share on this topic!
Logbook functionalities mindmap

For further information, read the Report "The iBRoad Concept in practice"
EVENTS
[Webinar] ExcEED - Energy efficient buildings Platform, June 4, 12:00 -13:30
Would you like to check if your building is energy efficient? Do you want to calculate your building’s performance in relation to the key performance indicators of an energy efficient building? Do you want to benchmark your building in different time periods and with other similar buildings? And do you want to know more about the H2020-funded project ExcEED? This webinar is a great opportunity to answer these and more questions. Organised by ExcEED partners and supported by the BUILD UP team, this webinar will present the project´s goals and results, its platform and related tools, how to upload building data into the platform and much more. Stay updated with the latest news on the project here.
Green Solutions Awards 2019: participate before June 10!
For the 7th year in a row, the Construction21 network launched its Green Solutions Awards, of which BPIE is a proud supporter. This contest promotes existing solutions, integrated in building, districts and infrastructures, which, if replicated on a broad scale, have a real capacity to alleviate climate change. You have less than one month to submit your best projects on Construction21, deadline is June 10. The competing buildings, districts and infrastructures, as well as the integrated sustainable solutions, will benefit from a wide visibility both at national and international levels. Apply now!
Eceee Summer Study, 3-8 June 2019
At this year eceee Summer Study on energy efficiency, 3-8 June 2019 in the South of France, BPIE will host a joint innovation lab session on “Business models for net-zero renovation on an industrial scale using prefabrication”. This will be the opportunity to discuss process barriers as well as potential support instruments to bring so-called industrial renovation solutions into the mass market, bringing down costs. To know more, contact Sibyl Steuwer.
Energy Efficiency Global Forum 2019
For this 12th edition, BPIE is partnering again with the EE global event, held June 11-12 in Washington D.C. Over the last 12 years, EE Global has established itself as a key energy efficiency gathering place – drawing together business executives, government leaders and advocates from across sectors and continents for actionable dialogues on advancing energy efficiency. This year, EE Global will be Doubling Down on Energy Efficiency, with an agenda focused on facilitating faster, broader implementation of innovative energy efficiency solutions to help mitigate climate change and drive economic growth. For more information, visit www.eeglobalforum.org.
Towards a clean planet for all: what pathway would you choose for the EU to get there? A sneak peek into EUCALC! June 20, Brussels, Belgium
Trade-offs and pathways towards sustainable and low-carbon European societies, the H2020 European Calculator project – EUCalc will build an innovative open source new model for a scientific underpinning of future CO2 emission scenarios and the societal, environmental and land use impacts.
The project will provide decision-makers with an accessible modelling solution and will launch the Beta version of the new model during the European Sustainable Energy week. The model enables decision-makers to get real-time policy support underpinned by comprehensive trade-off and co-benefit analyses considering different sectors. Participants to the event will be invited to discuss "live" transformation pathways and explore the impacts of trade-offs and co-benefits arising from interventions at sectoral (buildings, transport, agriculture, etc.), behavioural, country or incremental levels of emissions and warming. Register here.

A building renovation passport in Europe? 1st EPBD19a stakeholders meeting, June 24

The EPBD (EU 2018/844) which entered into force in July 2018, introduced several new provisions. In particular, Article 19a introduces the requirement to perform a feasibility study addressing two issues: the possible introduction of inspections of stand-alone ventilation systems and the possible introduction of an optional building renovation passport. DG ENER awarded the contract to perform the study to a consortium led by INIVE and BPIE.
The partners are actively engaging stakeholders, collecting their input and viewpoints, and considering their feedback in relation to study results.
The first stakeholder meeting is taking place in Brussels on 24 June 2019, providing an opportunity to make your voice heard. The meeting consists of two independent parts. The morning session (10-13h) focuses on the “inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems”. The afternoon session (14h-17h) will focus on “building renovation passports”. Location: Centre Albert Borschette, room 0.D (ground floor) - Rue Froissart 36, Brussels. Registration will open soon, check the website for updates.
WHERE TO MEET US
  • May 16, Le Monde Events, Lutter contre les passoires énergétiques: comment passer à l’action en Europe?, Strasbourg, France
  • May 20, “The clean energy transition from the stakeholders perspective”, Energy and Managing Authorities (EMA) Network, Brussels, Belgium (upon invitation only)
  • June 3-7, eceee, Minimum energy efficiency standards for rental buildings in Germany  - untapping health benefits, Presqu’île de Giens, France
  • June 19, EUSEW, Policy Session "Clean Energy Ministerial Investment and Finance Initiative", Brussels, Belgium
  • June 19, EUSEW, Implement, Industrialise, Imagine Future Building Renovation, Brussels, Belgium
  • June 20, EUSEW, Towards a “Clean Planet for All”, What pathway would you choose for the EU to get there – A sneak peek of EUCalc!, Brussels, Belgium
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Dear reader,

Every profession needs tools, whether it is a hammer, a sophisticated software, a clearly defined process or any combination of these. Policy making is often happening in an abstract environment, and we intend to make it more tangible with a tool for stakeholders developing local renovation strategies. Our latest publication supports municipal decision-makers in Bulgaria and Romania but is also applicable in other Member States. Such strategies should be part of the climate plans which are required by the Paris Agreement. A new guide by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) explains how policies in the building sector should be integrated into national action plans, the so-called NDCs.
 
Successful policies are designed with stakeholder input. You will soon have an opportunity to make your voice heard on the implementation of specific aspects introduced in the EPBD 2018. Please check the website to participate in our online survey on the Building Renovation Passport, part of a project for the European Commission, and mark your diary with the stakeholder event in June.
 
The latest results from the HRE project provide a wealth of resources to inspire joint-up thinking in heat energy supply and demand reduction to reduce CO2 emissions in the built environment. The right data should be at the heart of any policy or business decision-making, and the ExcEEd project defined a new set of indicators to be collected in the coming months.
 
A wealth of material to look into, and I hope you find our tools useful for your professional decisions.

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHT
New guidance to support and inspire public officers in Romania and Bulgaria to improve their national renovation strategies
 
By March 2020, Member States must provide their new renovation strategy to the European Commission, first introduced in 2012 by the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). 
The project ‘Our Buildings - Accelerating climate action buildings - Strengthening civil society and policy-makers in Bulgaria and Romania’, supported by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), aims at developing capacity and transferring knowledge to enable municipalities and civil society to integrate building renovation strategies in local and National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) in Romania and Bulgaria. This guide defines the steps that should be taken and the content that should be included to meet the new requirements and produce a thorough and successful strategy, highlighting specific areas that need to be addressed in Bulgaria and/or Romania and examples of good practice by different Member States.
FOCUS ON
Save the date – Stakeholder consultation for the EPBD implementation, Article 19a and survey
 
The revised EPBD entered into force in July 2018, introducing several new provisions. Article 19a of the revised Directive puts as requirement to perform a feasibility study addressing two issues: the possible introduction of inspections of stand-alone ventilation systems and the possible introduction of an optional building renovation passport. DG ENER from the European Commission awarded the contract to perform the feasibility study to a consortium led by INIVE and BPIE under the project “EPBD 19a“. We will engage with stakeholders to collect their input and viewpoints, through:
 
a)      A digital survey to collect stakeholders’ expert feedback on ongoing schemes and initiatives. Check the website where soon you will be able to register your interest in the feasibility study stakeholder engagement and to be updated about the project progress and get involved on the topics relevant to your organisation. The survey link will be shared as well in the next newsletter!
 
b)      Two stakeholder meetings, in which results of the study will be shared and discussed. The first is organized on 24 June 2019 in Brussels: join us to hear the first results and exchange on the two issues. Further details about the scope, agenda and practical details of the meeting will be sent to registered stakeholders in due time.
Heat Roadmap Europe 4 – the project ends with loads of useful material to get!
 
To decarbonise the energy system by 2050, we need to decarbonise the heating and cooling sector, which currently represents almost half of the energy demand in Europe. Over the past years, HRE has mapped and modelled the heating, cooling and energy systems of the 14 largest users of heat in the EU, covering 85-90% of all H&C demand in Europe. The unique value of this project has been the combination of mapping and modelling to understand not just the energy system effects, but also the spatial and time dimensions. Numerous project results support the development of new policies at local, regional, national and EU levels, ensuring the uptake of efficient, sustainable and affordable heating and cooling solutions. See for instance material from the Berlin Heat Roadmap Germany event, results from the project final conference, the EU-level and 14 national Heat Roadmaps (including energy mapping, energy profiling, savings cost-curves, energy modelling and future scenario building), policy guidelines, business strategies and cases to address the barriers hindering the uptake of solutions for the H&C market and the final brochure: the HRE legacy which summarises previously-listed documents.
Finally, to stay up to date with project-related news and topics, you can join the HRE Legacy list.
27 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) included in the ExcEED database for buildings of the future, now ready to be populated with buildings data
 
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to measure the performance of buildings and provide easily accessible and useful information about buildings and their components to building designers, energy managers, and policy-makers.
The ExcEED EU-funded project presents in an infographic 27 KPIs included into its database, now ready to be populated with energy and environmental data of energy efficient (and not) buildings. Do you want to know more about the functionalities of ExcEED KPIs? Are you willing to contribute with buildings data to its database? Are you interested in having privileged access to it, with free KPIs, cluster and specific benchmark analyses? Get in touch with the project: the more the data, the higher the value of the database!
News from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC): NDC guide released, flagship report available in many languages
 
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, in partnership with the UN Environment and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) of the Federal Republic of Germany, released 'A Guide for Incorporating Building Actions in NDCs', designed to address the urgent need for further extending the scope and ambition of building sector actions in Nationally Determined Contributions. Only 136 parties have referenced action required by the buildings and/or construction sector in their NDCs, much more are needed to be on a “below 2°C” pathway. Their other flagship report, '2018 Global Status Report — Towards a Zero-Emission, Efficient and
Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector' is now available in several languages: Full Report in French and English, Executive Summary in Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, English and Russian. Finally, videos from COP24 are also available from the launch of the Global Status Report at COP24. Brian Dean, International Energy Agency (IEA) and GSR co-author. Oliver Rapf, BPIE. Peter Graham, Executive Director, GBP Network. Christine Lemaitre, Chief Executive Officer, German Sustainable Building Council. Brian Motherway, Head of Energy Efficiency, IEA
Subscribe to the GABC newsletter to receive these updates.
News from Construction21: the 2019 edition of the Green Solutions Awards kicks off on Thursday, March 14, 11am at the BNP Paribas Real Estate booth

The Construction21 network will launch the 7th edition of its Green Solutions Awards, of which BPIE is a media partner, on March 14, at MIPIM. The event will take place on the BNP Paribas Real Estate booth (R7.E73), sponsor of this competition for exemplary buildings, districts and infrastructures. The Green Solutions Awards is an international contest of sustainable solutions for buildings and cities. Powered by the Construction21 network, these awards feature a national stage – where candidates compete in their country – and a subsequent international stage gathering the champions selected on each Construction21 platform. This contest is the concrete embodiment of all statements about ecological transition: it promotes existing solutions both at a national and international level. If you missed the 2018 edition, you can relive it with the video of the international ceremony (COP24, Poland) and the winners.

JOIN US
BPIE is hiring: application deadline for the project lead and management, as well as admin support positions in Brussels and Berlin on March 11
 
Are you interested in working for a dynamic think tank supporting climate change actions and sustainable energy policy in the built environment? Would you like to work in a multinational team where personal initiative, creativity and innovation are valued and put into practice every day? We are growing our team in Brussels and Berlin and are offering several opportunities in our centrally located offices in these two exciting cities. We work to realise Europe’s climate change objectives. We analyse which building policies really reduce CO2 emissions, what innovative ideas can accelerate the transformation of the building sector and how governments, stakeholders and civil society can work together to make buildings fit for a sustainable, zero carbon future. We are looking for (senior) project managers and an administration and finance intern.
BPIE IN THE NEWS
WHERE TO MEET US
Eceee Summer Study, Presqu’île de Giens, June 3–8
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Dear reader,
 
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2019. This year should have a strong focus on taking action on our buildings. EU member states have to finalise their national energy and climate plans (NECPs) by the end of the year. The building sector should play a substantial role in these plans, not least because national renovation strategies will have to be developed in parallel.
 
This is a unique opportunity for stakeholders to shape national policies and support programmes, as the new EPBD requires governments to organise stakeholder dialogues and consultations for new ideas. A new BPIE paper discusses how the speed and dissemination of innovative policies can be increased. We see that cities have become dynamic centers for policy innovation and the challenge to learn from innovation is increasing. An example for such innovation is the Buildings Renovation Passport which is developing its service offers, described in a new report. And the project M-Benefits is developing a platform focusing on the multiple benefits of energy efficiency and developing tools for decision-makers. All these initiatives are providing many innovative ideas and tested concepts for decision-makers and influencers to speed up the transformation of our buildings, reaching zero carbon by the middle of the century.
 
The increasing number of young people raising their voice in many countries to fight climate change cannot go ignored anymore. If we don’t make the changes today, they will have to deal with buildings in a decade or two which are neither future-proof nor fit for purpose.  This is not the legacy I want to leave behind for my daughter. What legacy do you want to leave behind?
 
Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf
HIGHLIGHT
Policy Innovation for Building Renovation – How can policy innovation scale up the decarbonisation of the building stock in Europe?
 
Several countries and local authorities have introduced innovative policies and programmes to stimulate deep renovation and reduce the CO2 emissions of the building sector, yet a broad dissemination and application of these policies are not taking place. BPIE presents in this study ideas on how to improve policy innovation for renovation, real life cases and derives key takeaways for policy innovation.
Policy innovation is challenging, and it requires novelty in all its stages including the design (and its drivers), the implementation and evaluation. Policymakers at local level would benefit from the availability of funds and from more and improved opportunities to share experience and learn from each other. The BPIX initiative, which supported this research through a Climate KIC grant, will further explore the opportunity to develop this model in the future.
FOCUS ON
New report on the concept and benefits of the Individual Building Renovation Roadmap
 
To achieve the European climate goals, it is necessary to move the existing building stock to higher energy performance standards and tap into the full potential of energy savings through renovation. The challenges towards this goal are significant, the main ones being the lack of finance and awareness at the building owner level on how to handle this renovation process. The iBRoad EU-funded project has the goal to guide the building owner through their building renovation process by providing a customised step-by-step renovation plan. The report “the iBRoad concept in practice” gives an overview of the potential services provided by a software that will be developed, as well as of the potential links with other tools or services available on the market, and presents the ones that are to be actually implemented and tested under the iBRoad EU-funded project.
The new iBRoad report coincides with the launch of the Woningpas in the Flemish region of Belgium, the first Building Passport becoming a reality. More information on the Woningpas website and in a video.
New energy efficient building used as demonstration case to test the functionalities of the ExcEED database for buildings of the future
 
The ExcEED EU-funded project collects data from new and energy efficient buildings (such as energy performance, CO2 emissions, etc.), gathered into a database. Through the data collected, the buildings´ performance will be evaluated. The database will support users to better design energy efficient buildings and define innovative building construction policies. Before its launch, a new energy efficient building was used as demonstration case to test the functionalities of the ExcEED database: Casa Hoval, a nearly-Zero Energy Building responding to the needs of the occupants.
A short story, available in English, French and Italian, and an infographic, present the main features of Casa Hoval. If you want to contribute with your data and get a privileged access to the database, get in touch with the project
M-Benefits: collaborating with businesses to improve competitive advantage and energy performance

By quantifying and communicating multiple benefits of energy efficiency – like improved product quality, enhanced worker productivity, improved indoor air quality, reduced maintenance costs – energy efficiency can become strategic, contributing to create, maintain or develop a sustainable competitive advantage and convincing more companies to invest in energy efficiency. The EU-funded Horizon 2020 project “Multiple benefits: Valuing and Communicating the Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency” will serve as a platform for collaboration between project partners and businesses to make energy efficiency investments a lasting competitive advantage, with a training platform and toolkit, including analysis methods and communication tools. Partners will work directly with at least 50 businesses to analyse, communicate and evaluate the strategic impacts of energy-saving actions. In parallel, partners will compile a public evidence base of case studies, project examples and results to bolster investment proposals. Read a column by BPIE on how health and well-being in green offices will benefit businesses.
Construction21 Green Solutions Awards 2018 – Discover the winners and the videos!
 
The 2018 winners of the Awards were revealed on December 6 in Katowice, during COP24. The winning teams were rewarded by the Construction21 network at a ceremony featuring nearly 200 professionals of the construction sector from all around the world. BPIE was part of the jury for two categories – Energy & Hot Climates and Energy & Temperate Climates. Discover these buildings, districts and infrastructures, winners among 143 candidates! Already in use, they integrate solutions which will help the industry to reach the climate objectives. You can watch the time-lapse video of the ceremony or deep dive into it with 11 videos, one for each section of the event.
EVENTS
Roadmaps are ready: now what?? Exploring the realities of the heat transition
 
This one-day event is jointly organised by the Horizon 2020 projects Heat Roadmap Europe 4 (HRE4) and ReUseHeat. For HRE4, it is the closing event where the final low-carbon heating and cooling strategies will be presented, their contribution to the EU 2050 long-term strategy and implementation at the national level will be discussed. The complementary ReUseHeat workshop will focus on mapping of urban excess heat sources, business models and bankability of such projects. The detailed programme is available. Registration is compulsory by February 6. 
The World Sustainable Energy Days, February 27 – March 1, 2019, Wels, Austria

The World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 will focus on the "Energy efficiency first" concept, at the core of Europe’s commitment to a clean energy transition that serves the needs of citizens, economic development and the environment. Achieving a smart, socially fair and sustainable energy system requires strong policies, competitive businesses and technology innovation. Mastering the digital transformation of energy and buildings will be crucial for creating a thriving economy and for the success of the global clean energy transition. BPIE will present how to integrate indoor climate indicators in building legislation at the Young Energy Efficiency Researchers Conference on 27 February.
15th South-East European (SEE) Exhibition & Conference – Energy Efficiency and REnewables (EE & RE), April 16-18, 2019, Sofia, Bulgaria

The 15th Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Exhibition and Conference for South-East Europe, organized by Via Expo, will promote energy-efficient & environment-based solutions. Laying the ground for face-to-face meetings between international providers and new local business partners, the event welcomes advanced technologies and good practices at the SE European market. For more information, the Brochure ’19 is available.
WHERE TO MEET US
  • Annual General Assembly of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) in Ottawa, February 20-21
  • World Sustainable Energy Days in Wels, Austria, February 27 – March 1
  • Eceee Summer Study, Presqu’île de Giens, June 3–8
BPIE IN THE NEWS
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Dear reader,
Getting a renovation project right can be a real challenge; developing an effective renovation strategy for a whole city or country is even more daunting. A comprehensive analysis of the starting point is a good way to tackle the task. Our case study on Belgrade is a practical illustration how to start and to bring planning on district energy and building efficiency in alignment. And a new set of publications produced for Buildings 2030 presents evidence that building renovation results in societal and individual benefits with a measurable monetary value, in addition to reducing energy costs. While a lot more research is necessary, the figures speak for themselves.
But people are key in triggering renovation. We are working with partners in Bulgaria and Romania to train and support civil servants in cities developing renovation roadmaps, and a new report from the iBRoad project highlights the importance of consulting stakeholders, with examples from 8 countries. Poland is one of the examples, the country will host the UN climate negotiations during COP24 in early December. The COP24 Buildings Action Symposium organised by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) will present an overview how countries are including buildings in their national climate plans to meet the Paris Agreement. And the forthcoming 2018 Global Status report will present the progress in building policies and support programmes towards zero carbon buildings.
A recent report on Germany to which BPIE contributed confirms that high energy efficiency in buildings is a condition for affordable renewable energy supply in buildings. Further down you will find more news and events not to be missed. As the final weeks of the year promise to still be busy I would like to wish you already now a successful conclusion of the year and relaxing and joyful days over Christmas.

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHTS
Building 4 People: Valorising the benefits of energy renovation investments in schools, offices and hospitals

Hospitals, schools and offices account for nearly half of the total floor area of non-residential buildings in Europe. They will be with us for decades to come, yet the vast majority needs to be renovated. The renovation benefits for health, well-being and productivity are worth billions of Euros and would cover more than 200 million Europeans. A new project by BPIE, commissioned by Buildings 2030, takes an important step towards defining, measuring and monetising the impact of indoor environmental quality in these buildings. The findings reveal a major business opportunity to invest in people-centric renovation: focusing on the health, well-being and performance of staff, students and patients will boost property values, financial returns and societal gains through increased productivity, boosted academic performances and improved healing processes. The right policies could secure the substantial societal benefits identified in the research.
Aligning district energy and building energy efficiency
 
Renovation programmes often target single buildings in a fragmented way and do no exploit the synergies between reducing delivered energy and primary energy demand.
Shifting the perspective to a district system approach would help capture interdependencies between supply and demand, which are traditionally treated individually.
Our recommendations provide areas of focus for policy-makers in Belgrade, applicable to other cities and regions wishing to develop and implement district energy and energy efficiency approaches.
With this project, BPIE supported the UN Environment Programme and the City of Belgrade, as part of the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) Initiative under the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative.
FOCUS ON
[Paper] Buildings passports:  informing and engaging stakeholders

The iBRoad EU-funded project works on developing an Individual Building Renovation Roadmap for single-family houses.

Earlier this year, 114 stakeholders from Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Greece, Belgium and Romania, from public authorities to industry, finance institutions, academia, NGOs & more, provided insights on how the project, and more generally building passports, can benefit owners & tenants.

Read the summary.
[Map and scenario] Heat Roadmap Europe: discover the latest Peta4 version
 
Peta4.3, the Pan-European Thermal Atlas designed by the EU-funded project HRE4, was just released. The new version, covering the project 14 countries and about 90% of the EU’s total heat market, includes now 6 new or updated map layers (4 supply, 1 infrastructure and 1 demand). The Heat Roadmap Europe project will end in 2019, after 6 years of research that helped build the knowledge, skills and capacity required to enable new policies and encourage new investments in the heating and cooling sector. HRE4 provided new capacity and skills for lead-users in the heating and cooling sector by developing the data, tools, methodologies and results necessary to quantify the impact of implementing more energy efficient measures on both the demand and supply side of the sector. HRE4 found that Member States would be able to already decarbonise 86% of Europe’s CO2 emissions by using existing technologies available on the market today: the HRE decarbonisation scenario 2050 is available. 
[New project] Romania and Bulgaria in action: delivering ambitious local and national renovation strategies
 
BPIE, Energy Cities Romania and EnEffect have started a new project under the EUKI framework to develop capacity and knowledge in municipalities and civil society on building renovation strategies within local and National Energy and Climate Plans of Bulgaria and Romania.

The project will increase exchange between Romania and Bulgaria and disseminate results in all of South East Europe, will train national and local public officers and enable civil society and national stakeholders to proactively contribute to the National Energy and Climate Plans.
[Report] The value of Energy Efficiency in Buildings for the Energy System

A study commissioned by Agora Energiewende and the European Climate Foundation finds that high energy efficiency is a precondition for an affordable renewable energy supply in buildings. Efficiency reduces costs and risks, creates many benefits and opportunities. The study, to which BPIE contributed, assesses how climate targets can be achieved at the lowest possible cost and what role building efficiency plays in the energy system.
Five different scenarios explore different technology options. The report finds that the cheapest way to a climate-friendly heating system is through greater efficiency efforts in the building sector and especially the insulation of existing buildings. It analyses the impact of the different building sector paths on the other sectors and calculates the total economic costs.
The study is in German, with an English summary from p27 – 36.
[Survey] Participate in the STUNNING survey on barriers for energy-efficient refurbishments
 
The EU-funded Horizon2020 project STUNNING, which promotes knowledge exchange and interaction in the field of energy-efficient building renovation, is conducting a survey on barriers for energy refurbishments. Based on the survey’s evaluation, STUNNING will provide insights on the processes that need to take place for the alleviation of the most common obstacles and market failures. The deadline to answer the survey is the December 31, 2018. For further information on the project, visit the STUNNING website and their digital platform, the STUNNING Renovation Hub
[Project] EU Calculator: three things to know about the project
 
The Horizon2020-funded project "EU Calculator: trade-offs and pathways towards sustainable and low-carbon European societies” (EUCalc)
1. is building an innovative new model for a scientific underpinning of European energy, emissions policy AND the consequent societal, environmental and land use impacts; 
2. is aimed at policy-makers in EU institutions, Business and Civil-society organisations as potential end-users;
3. is one of three critical HORIZON 2020 projects whose results contribute to the work of the EC High-level panel of the European Decarbonisation Pathways Initiatives (EDPI).
ExcEED database: call for interest
 
The H2020 project ExcEED is establishing a “European Energy Efficient Building District Database” to gather a diverse range of data coming from building monitoring systems, projects, building managers, public authorities, other European databases as well as Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) surveys, and enable anonymised benchmarking on the energy performance of buildings.

If you are interested in knowing more about it and contributing to the database with your data about office buildings, get in touch with the project; you will have a privileged access to the database and its functionalities.
BPIE EVENTS
Buildings Policy Innovation Exchange Workshop - December 12, 2018

Regional and local decision-makers often face the challenge of designing and implementing policies and programmes aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings. BPIE is organising a workshop to explore ways of helping decision-makers develop innovative policies, sharing some ideas on how policy innovation is defined and how it is applied to building renovation. Approaches and ideas to boost policy innovation in the areas of deep renovation through better gathering and sharing of experiences will be presented (including financing building upgrades and triggering new business models/service offers). The main goal of this workshop is to design and develop an approach to replicate and scale up innovative policies for deep renovation. The results of the workshop will be used to identify what drives innovative policy making and to create a roadmap to boost the design and replication of policy innovation for renovation.
Heat Roadmap Germany: Aligning district energy and building energy renovation - A vision on strategic integrations, January 24, 2019
 
BPIE is organising a workshop in Berlin on 24 January 2019, in the context of the Heat Roadmap project. The morning session will focus on the link between district energy and building renovation and how to align governance in a strategic approach to combine and integrate the two areas, with presentations from the project and frontrunner cities.
In the afternoon, a Market Uptake Dialogue will present business cases and business strategies to encourage market uptake. The event will focus on how to decarbonise the energy system, gathering and discussing cases from the audience to investigate replicability. How to address barriers for the market uptake of recommended heating and cooling solutions? Registration for both parts of the event, held in English, is to be done separately here. We ask you to register for the afternoon session if you are willing to contribute to the debate and be part of an active discussion, as few seats are available.
OTHER EVENTS
Meet BPIE at COP24, December 6, 2018 in Katowice, Poland for the Buildings Day
 
On December 6, Construction21 organises the Green Solutions Awards 2018: Oliver Rapf, BPIE’s Executive Director, is president of the Jury for two categories rewarding the most inspiring buildings, districts and infrastructures.
On the same day, the Building Action Symposium, organised by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) will also take place, welcoming buildings and construction stakeholders to discuss how to develop meaningful, potent Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to put the buildings and construction sector on a well-below 2-degree path, and launching the report Guidance Tool on Incorporating Buildings Sector Climate Actions in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).  The latest GABC Global Status report will then be launched on December 7, BPIE is among the contributors. While energy efficiency remains a top priority for buildings, the report also looks at minimising the carbon footprint of building materials, as well as increasing the resilience of buildings to climate change.
World Sustainable Energy Days, February 27 – March 1, 2019, Wels, Austria

The World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 will focus on the "Energy efficiency first" concept, at the core of Europe’s commitment to a clean energy transition that serves the needs of citizens, economic development and the environment. Achieving a smart, socially fair and sustainable energy system requires strong policies, competitive businesses and technology innovation. Mastering the digital transformation of energy and buildings will be crucial for creating a thriving economy and for the success of the global clean energy transition. 
15th South-East European (SEE) Exhibition & Conference – Energy Efficiency and REnewables (EE & RE), April 16-18, 2019, Sofia, Bulgaria

The 15th Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Exhibition and Conference for South-East Europe, organized by Via Expo, will promote energy-efficient & environment-based solutions. Laying the ground for face-to-face meetings between international providers and new local business partners, the event welcomes advanced technologies and good practices at the SE European market. For more information, the Brochure ’19 is available.
BPIE IN THE NEWS
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Dear reader,

Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees to avoid unprecedented change and damage is possible, the new climate science report by the IPCC concluded earlier this week. But it would require “rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities”. I am convinced that we have the technologies and the knowledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector to zero. I am supported in my opinion by a large majority of experts who participated in our survey on this very topic. But the survey also confirmed that respondents do not see the EU on track to achieve a zero emission building stock by 2050. We therefore need faster and deeper action to make our buildings fit for a zero emission future.

Our actions must not be incremental nor linear, as climate change impacts are increasing in an exponential way. Our response must be equally dynamic. Which is why we are arguing for an introduction of minimum performance standards for existing buildings in our paper analyzing the threat of energy poverty in Germany. And which is why we think that the “inner quality of buildings” should be a driver to improve a building’s energy performance. Calculating the economic value of efficiency investments beyond energy cost savings is not a trivial task but could provide strong additional arguments for action. We will present our approach and the results from new modelling in an event with Buildings 2030, registration is open and seating is limited!

Renovating our building stock is essential to fight climate change, but equally important for buildings which are fit for purpose. If you want to have an overview of the many other positive effects of renovation, have a look at our infographic on urban regeneration. And individual renovation projects can be made much easier with a Building Renovation Passport approach, as a new video explains. Another way to increase renovation rates is through “industrializing” renovation, a response to the need to have exponential change in the buildings sector which we will discuss in an expert workshop in late November.
 
Yes, the IPCC report provides us with scary scenarios of a future with far reaching climate change. But it equally shows the way to limit the damage and choose a future which is safer and more humane.

We just need to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I hope you will join us!

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHTS
[Factsheet] Minimum energy efficiency standards for a fair energy transition / Energetische Mindeststandards für eine sozial gerechte Wärmewende

In this joint factsheet, available in English and in German, BPIE and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) recommend the introduction of minimum energy performance standards for rental buildings.
Energy poverty is an issue in Germany and those affected are almost exclusively tenants.
The people who suffer most from energy poverty consequences, such as respiratory diseases or increased risk of stroke, have the least ability to trigger change or implement energy renovations to address the problem.
Minimum energy performance standards for rental buildings can help increase the rate of deep renovations, becoming an important instrument to strive to eradicate energy poverty, alleviating negative health impacts and reaching climate targets in the building sector without crowding out tenants.
 
[Report] The inner value of a building – Linking indoor environmental quality and energy performance in building regulation
 
Building policies are increasingly demanding in terms of energy performance and reduction of CO2 emissions. At the same time, people spending 60-90% of their life in indoor environments (homes, offices, schools, etc.), indoor air quality ensures health, quality of life and performance of buildings’ occupants. This report defines how the concept of indoor climate could be reflected in the implementation of the European regulatory framework on the energy performance of buildings: which Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) parameters should be considered? What indicators are used for the indoor environment evaluation? It presents national cases and initiatives and provides recommendations on how to integrate IEQ’s parameters in national and EU policies. BPIE identifies four areas of opportunity: long-term renovation strategies, Energy Performance Certificates, smart-readiness indicator and compliance and quality control measures.
[Factsheet] Towards a decarbonised EU building stock: Expert views on the issues and challenges facing the transition

The results from a recent survey developed by BPIE, summarised in this factsheet, show that a large majority of respondents support a full decarbonization of the buildings sector, while at the same time concede that the EU is not on track to achieve this goal by 2050. In order to garner the views on issues and challenges facing the transition, BPIE developed a survey to ask building professionals from across Europe their views on the policies and actions needed to accelerate and realise the transition to a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock. Whilst this survey flags up the key issues affecting the sector, further effort is required in order to develop an appropriate policy mix in a given market, and to ensure that supporting measures, financing options and engagement strategies are properly aligned to engage building owners in the transition to a decarbonised building stock.
VIDEO
Individual Building Renovation Roadmaps: developing customised tools for deep renovation and comfortable energy efficient homes
 
What are the building logbook (iBroad-Log) and individual building renovation roadmap (iBRoad-Plan)? How will they enable deep renovation? The video answers relevant questions by interviewing some of the key experts from the iBRoad EU-funded project.
FOCUS ON
[Infographic] Urban regeneration: success factors and benefits

Developed in cooperation with ROCKWOOL, this infographic highlights success factors and benefits of a sustainable urban regeneration. The infographic is built on the results from the report ‘Upscaling Urban Regeneration: European frontrunner cases are leading the way’, sharing key learnings from successful urban regeneration projects across Europe and featuring best practices for breaking the unfortunate cycle that can afflict cities struggling with disadvantaged neighbourhoods characterised by multiple social challenges, including inadequate living conditions and bad reputations.  A video featuring an interview with BPIE’s Executive Director is also available.
[Article] Building renovation: the sustainable path to improving energy security in Central and South-Eastern Europe

BPIE published an article in the Energy Efficiency Journal (Springer Netherlands) about gas supply security and building renovation in the CESEC region.  The aim of this paid paper is to assess the vulnerability of the building sector to gas supply interruptions, the impact of energy efficiency infrastructure upgrades to the building stock of the region and also the availability of funding for demand-side measures, such as building renovation. Whilst the Security of Gas Supply Regulation aims to ensure deliveries of gas to protected consumers (i.e. households), its operation in a real crisis is uncertain. The authors suggest deep renovation of buildings as one of the options to mitigate the gas supply risk.
[Factsheet] Indoor Environmental Quality Survey- ExcEED contribution to healthier buildings
 
A good Indoor Environmental Quality encompassing air quality, thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics, is a cornerstone to ensure health, comfort, well-being and productivity of building occupants, therefore the best placed to provide important feedback on how buildings perform. This factsheet presents the Indoor Environmental Quality Survey tool, collecting primary information coming from the “most valuable sensor in a building”, its occupants. The tool combines Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) survey results with data collected onsite from the Building Management System (BMS). The tool added value lies in mixing research, onsite measurements and perceived IEQ. ExcEED is an EU-funded project, establishing a robust and durable return of knowledge mechanism by collecting actual buildings’ energy performance data.
The Heat Roadmap Europe (HRE) series of webinars for autumn 2018
 
The H2020-funded project HRE created the scientific evidence required to support the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector in Europe: in a series of 14 webinars, the most important take-aways of the project are presented. 
The webinars are held on Thursdays 14.00 – 15.00 CET. Next dates and sessions are:
- 11 October: HRE results & H&C strategies for countries and regions with a developed gas sector,
- 18 October: The energy transition, combining the strengths of different energy models
- 25 October: HRE results & H&C strategies for countries and regions with traditions of heat planning.

More dates will follow. Missed a session? The recordings and slides are all available after the webinars on the http://www.heatroadmap.eu/Webinars.php!
[Report] Creating an energy efficient mortgage for Europe – towards a new market standard

The EeMAP Initiative launched a new report on energy efficient mortgages that looks at a key part of the jigsaw for making them happen – establishing market standard energy performance criteria and an approach to measuring performance upon which lenders can base the mortgage.
In establishing a common set of measurement criteria, the report defines a product that will reduce risk for both borrowers and lenders, driving forward improvements to millions of buildings across the region.
The new market standards set out in this report pave the way for banks to act now to mainstream the energy efficient mortgage market, not only de-risking their mortgage portfolios but also playing a key role in securing the future of the planet. BPIE is part of the EeMAP Energy Efficiency Technical Committee.
BPIE IN THE NEWS
BPIE EVENTS
Industrial prefabrication to boost renovation in Europe, November 26, 14:00 – 17:30 CET, Brussels, Belgium
The workshop will present preliminary results of an ongoing research project on industrial renovation in Europe and Germany, funded by the German environmental protection agency (UBA). If you are interested in participating in an in-depth discussion on the main drivers and barriers for large-scale markets for industrial renovation to take off, please register your interest at this link.
 
Building 4 People: Discovering the Impact of Better Buildings, November 27, Brussels, Belgium
There is ample evidence to show that buildings impact our health, wellbeing and productivity. We need to reshape how we think about designing, operating, renovating and investing in buildings. The broad alignment of environmental and health agendas presents an opportunity to invest in enhancing the quality of life of all Europeans, alongside improving building performance. At this event, we will launch the impact modelling study conducted by BPIE, focused on assessing and monetizing the impact of schools, offices and hospitals on our health, wellbeing and productivity. Presentations and discussions on the day will highlight the latest research findings, policy landscape, and business cases. The event program will be released three weeks before the date of the event. Registration
OTHER EVENTS
6th Active House Symposium, November 7-8, Lecco , Italy
This 2-day event will dig into the latest trends on holistic approaches for healthy and sustainable buildings. Key notes will be delivered on how to (e)valuate and program with users in mind. Participants will learn about Comfort Economy tools and developer viewpoints on energy-efficiency priorities, through keynote speeches, workshops on tools, monitoring and policy discussions as well as the presentation of the best Active House projects globally. Early bird rate until this Friday, with the member rate available to the recipients of this newsletter. For more details about the event
Internet of Things Build 2018, November 13-14, London, United Kingdom
BPIE partners with IoT Build 2018, designed to provide enterprises, industry and the public sector with a clear roadmap to IoT implementation whilst also clarifying the range of technologies that make up the Internet of Things (Platforms, Connectivity, Edge Computing, AI, blockchain, cloud, analytics, security….). The event counts more than 1,000 pre-qualified, senior level attendees from a multitude of sectors including manufacturing, banking and finance, logistics & supply chain, construction, energy & utilities, transportation, retail and more. Agenda and tickets are available at this link.
Construction21 Green Solutions Awards 2018 - international winner gala at COP24, December 6, Katowice, Poland
BPIE is a supporter of the Green Solution awards, a contest highlighting exemplary building districts and infrastructures around the world. The 9 international winners of the 2018 edition will be revealed at COP24. To know which buildings, districts and infrastructure will be rewarded in presence of 150 professionals from around the world, you can register here. The Awards ceremony can be also followed in real time through social networks. The competition is part of the actions of the Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction.
World Sustainable Energy Days, February 27 – March 1, 2019, Wels, Austria
The World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 will focus on the "Energy efficiency first" concept, at the core of Europe’s commitment to a clean energy transition that serves the needs of citizens, economic development and the environment. Achieving a smart, socially fair and sustainable energy system requires strong policies, competitive businesses and technology innovation. Mastering the digital transformation of energy and buildings will be crucial for creating a thriving economy and for the success of the global clean energy transition. 
15th South-East European (SEE) Exhibition & Conference – Energy Efficiency and REnewables (EE & RE), April 16-18, 2019, Sofia, Bulgaria
The 15th Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Exhibition and Conference for South-East Europe, organized by Via Expo, will promote energy-efficient & environment-based solutions. Laying the ground for face-to-face meetings between international providers and new local business partners, the event welcomes advanced technologies and good practices at the SE European market. Early-bird fee until November 1. For more information, the Brochure ’19 is available.
WHERE TO MEET US
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Dear reader,

Our first newsletter after the summer break highlights policy action in European members states, but also the occasional lack of progress. With agreements reached both on the Buildings Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive, national governments now have to get active to stimulate investments. Our recent analysis of selected renovation strategies gives a mixed picture on the national level, while a second report presents convincing examples of renovation action by local actors. These actions do not only reduce energy costs but contribute also to Urban Regeneration, as we document in a report and video.
 
We know that results can only be achieved with the right tools. The Building Renovation Passport can be such a tool, and I would like to invite you to join our event which will present the latest results of pilot projects and experiences from a variety of countries including Germany, France and Belgium.
And while we need policy action now, we also need to define pathways for future energy and climate policies. In our joint paper with Climact and Climate-KIC we discuss ideas for improved modelling approaches that better meet the Paris Agreement and its goal to stay below 2°C global temperature increase. As the objective of modelling is to support policy makers in their decisions, we see a need for innovate models.
 
Finally, I would like to invite you to join us in a range of events which we are organising in the coming weeks. We will provide opportunities to engage in deep discussions with experts, all with the intention to support effective and innovative policies to make our buildings fit for a zero carbon emission future. And in case you want to find out more about our work in the past, I recommend to read our biennial report summarising our activities and results during the past two years. I hope to see you soon at one of our events.

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHTS
[EmBuild Report] A snapshot of building renovation strategies: Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Romania, Slovenia

This report, developed under the framework of the EU-funded project EmBuild, assesses the compliance of the five countries’ updated renovation strategies with the EED. The analysis shows that there is a mixed picture in terms of compliance across the five strategies. There were improvements in some areas, and new measures have been put in place by some countries. However, little has been done to significantly improve the 2014 strategies and consequently increase rate and quality of renovation at a pace that would significantly contribute to the achievement of the EU 2030 targets and the Paris commitment.
 
[EmBuild Report] Experiences of developing local renovation strategies

The H2020 project EmBuild applied a step-by-step approach to support municipalities with their renovation strategies: planning, investing  and capturing the benefits of renovation. The report presents selected examples of these steps and explains how tools developed by EmBuild have been used to support the development of renovation strategies. Challenges which have hindered the development of strategies include the lack of a national renovation strategy to set the framework, lack of data, insufficient capacity and knowledge, and financial barriers. The conclusions and recommendations of this report describe how EmBuild overcame some of these challenges.
[iBRoad Report] The logbook data quest - Setting up indicators and other requirements for a renovation passport

The new report launched by the EU-funded project iBRoad, defines the scope and use of a buildings renovation logbook, setting the boundaries which data can be accessed and used to design renovation plans while protecting confidentiality at the same time. As the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to generate greater confidence among European consumers on personal data processed by third entities, it is essential to understand which data will be in the logbook and how they will be used. The logbook can become a tool to collect up-to-date information about national building stocks, supporting the quest for data needed to develop long-term renovation strategies for renovation, as required by the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
FOCUS ON
[Activity report] Activities. Impact. Achievements. BPIE biennial report 2016-2017

BPIE presents its first public activity report about activities, impact and achievements, covering 2016 and 2017. During these two years, BPIE implemented projects which contributed to defining the policy agenda for energy in buildings, increased activities in many countries providing advice and guidance to national governments and stakeholders, and convened meetings and workshops to discuss and present new ideas and concepts to reduce the climate change impact of the built environment. This report gives an overview of BPIE’s work and invites you to collaborate with us.
 
[Report] Upscaling Urban Regeneration: European frontrunner cases are leading the way

Developed in cooperation with ROCKWOOL and EIT Climate-KIC, this report, highlights key learnings from successful urban regeneration projects across Europe, combined with insights from experts in the field. Based on inspiring case studies from four countries around Europe, the report features best practices for breaking the  cycle that can afflict cities struggling with disadvantaged neighbourhoods characterised by multiple social challenges, including inadequate living conditions and bad reputation.  The case studies show that a comprehensive renovation strategy comprising both physical and social initiatives can transform whole areas into attractive and liveable spaces and can turn around the negative trend experienced in such neighbourhoods. A video featuring an interview with BPIE’s Executive Director is also available.
[Briefing] Bridging the Gap between Modelling and New Policy Expectations
 
In this joint paper with Climact and Climate-KIC, we identify key gaps between previous modelling approaches and the expectations and demands for new, improved approaches that better meet policy expectations consistent with Paris Agreement goals. The paper is intended to be a thought starter, based on interviews with members of some of the key modelling teams in Europe, as well as with users of modelling results such as policy makers and civil society. The objective of modelling is to support policy makers so that they can develop a better sense of what is possible now and what shall be done in future and take better informed decisions. This paper is structured around three main issues: highlighting some of the developments required to be in line with well-below 2°C trajectories; illustrating some of the barriers policy making is striving to break and where modelling fits to do so; and proposing ways to improve the link between models and their use by policy makers.
Construction21 Green Solutions Awards 2018

BPIE is a supporter of the Green Solution awards, a contest for sustainable solutions that highlights exemplary buildings districts and infrastructures around the world. The deadline for the project submission has been extended to June 17. The 2018 edition counts 143 candidates, 103 buildings, 16 districts and 24 infrastructures. The winner of each contest will represent its country with the other champions for the international final. This year, the awards ceremony will be held during COP24, in Katowice, Poland. The competition is part of the actions of the Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction
BPIE EVENTS
Building Renovation Passports: the journey to better renovation, October 8, 13:30 – 17:30 CET, The Office, Brussels, Belgium

Building renovation passports can support the renovation process with targeted advice, resulting in deep renovation of buildings. This workshop, supported by the EU-funded project iBRoad, will give an overview of the concept and present case studies and experiences from various European countries. Participants will discuss the market readiness of the concept. The workshop is held in association with the Renovate Europe Day on the following day.  Registrations are open. More information on the event and agenda will be available soon.
Buildings Policy Innovation Exchange Workshop, October 11, 09:30 – 13:00 CET, The Office, Brussels, Belgium

Policy Innovation is often happening on the regional and municipal level where authorities have the power to introduce new initiatives improving the energy performance of buildings. However, the dissemination of these innovations is often hampered for many reasons. The BPIX project will develop strategies and solutions to document and share innovative policy approaches for deep renovation, supporting the faster decarbonization of the building stock. The workshop is targeting especially local and regional authorities to discuss their needs and ideas to foster policy innovation. Registrations of interest are open.
Industrial prefabrication to boost renovation in Europe, November 26, 14:00 – 17:30 CET, Brussels, Belgium
The workshop will present preliminary results of an ongoing research project on industrial renovation in Europe and Germany, funded by the German environmental protection agency (UBA). If you are interested in participating in an in-depth discussion on the main drivers and barriers for large-scale markets for industrial renovation to take off, please register your interest at this link.
 
OTHER EVENTS
Renovate Europe Day 2018 (REDay2018), October 9, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium

The amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) contains a vision for 2050 for the buildings stock in the EU – it will have to be highly energy efficient and decarbonised, reaching cost-effective nearly zero energy levels.  As a result, it is time for action and the Member States will need to be armed with all the right tools and resources to achieve this challenging and necessary vision. This year’s Renovate Europe event will look at how to plan properly for the achievement of this 2050 vision, with presentations from all levels of governance from the EU to the local, city level passing through the national and sub-national levels.  The conference will be followed by a networking lunch and site visits to two buildings in the Brussels area. Registration is possible at this link.
The Heat Roadmap Europe (HRE) series of webinars for autumn 2018

The H2020-funded project HRE launched a series of 14 webinars presenting the most important take-aways of the project. HRE aims at creating the scientific evidence required to support the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector in Europe. After the summer break, the project is ready to launch the autumn series, starting from September 27 at 14:00 CET.  The schedule for autumn 2018 is available.
World Sustainable Energy Days, February 27 – March 1, 2019, Wels, Austria
After a successful edition in 2018, the World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 will be held from 27 February - 1 March 2019 in Wels/Austria. The new edition will focus on the "Energy efficiency first" concept, at the core of Europe’s commitment to a clean energy transition that serves the needs of citizens, economic development and the environment.. The deadline for the Call for Papers & Speakers for this edition is 10 October 2018.
WHERE TO MEET US
  • September 19: Delhi, India - EU India Clean Energy Days, RE Expo.
  • September 26-27: Zagreb, Croatia - Energy Efficiency in buildings- for a better tomorrow.
  • October 15: Nuremberg, Germany - ASERCOM & EPEE Symposium.
  • October 16: Kiev, Ukraine - SEF 2018 KYIV, the 10th Sustainable Energy Forum and Exhibition in Eastern and Central Europe.
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Dear reader,

BPIE is very happy to present the first public report about our activities, impact and achievements, covering 2016 and 2017.
 
During these two years we implemented projects which contributed to defining the policy agenda for energy in buildings, increased our activities in many countries providing advice and guidance to national governments and stakeholders, and convened meetings and workshops to discuss and present new ideas and concepts to reduce the climate change impact of the built environment.
 
The Paris Agreement, achieved in late 2015, inspires us to design projects which we hope are cutting-edge, innovative and relevant. Our ambition is to be a driver and enabler of positive change in the buildings and construction sector, but this ambition is best achieved in partnership with many. This reports intends to give you an overview of our work and hopefully inspires you to continue the journey with us.
 
Read through our report and share our excitement about our achievements.
 
Thank you for your interest and your support!
 
You can read BPIE Privacy Policy here.

If you have any concerns please send an email to info@bpie.eu.
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Dear reader,

We have recently updated our Data Privacy Regulation to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation. In case you have not done so yet, please agree to keep receiving messages from us to avoid that this is the last BPIE newsletter you are receiving. 
While we are waiting for the publication of the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in the Official Journal of the EU, expected now any day, our attention is moving towards the implementation of the Directive. Member States will have 20 months to transpose the Directive into national law, and many of our projects are designed to provide support to governments, both on national and subnational level. The Embuild project created a practical tool for policymakers to support the development of a renovation strategy. In Poland, we are suggesting standards for the renovation of single family houses. And in Serbia, we are supporting the authorities in Belgrade with a suggestion for a renovation strategy. This is not a complete list, and I hope that this newsletter encourages you to have a closer look at the many innovative projects we are involved in.

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHTS
[Briefing] A Proposal for Defining Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) Requirements for Renovation of Single-Family Houses In Poland
 
It is estimated that more than 70% of the detached single-family houses in Poland have no, or inadequate, thermal insulation. Heating technology is outdated, and the most frequently used fuel is coal burned in old boilers, largely contributing to air pollution. Only 1% of all houses in Poland can be considered as energy efficient and were mainly built in the last few years. The briefing presents possible nZEB requirements for the renovation of single family houses in Poland and highlights the need to accelerate the cost-effective renovation of existing buildings in Poland as the easiest and fastest way of gaining energy savings.
[Report] Financing the Renovation of Buildings in Poland: An overview of public funding allocation for the renovation of buildings in Poland

Poland is the biggest beneficiary of EU funds under the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), receiving up to around €80 billion from the Cohesion Policy budget. It has also some of the worst air quality in Europe, with 33 of the continent’s 50 most polluted cities. In order to address the air quality problem and reduce energy consumption, the available funds should be shifted towards demand-side infrastructure, notably the renovation of single-family houses.  Furthermore, there needs to be better utilisation of funding that achieves higher leverage of third party resources so that a larger share of the building stock can be renovated. The report concludes listing a series of reasons why the impact of available funds on building renovation investments is limited and suggests potential measures to overcome this lack of investments in energy efficiency of buildings.
[Tool] The H2020 EmBuild project launched the Navigator, a practical guidance for the formulation and implementation of an effective renovation strategy for buildings

The EU-funded project EmBuild worked directly with public authorities in towns and regions in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Germany, to generate new tools, better processes and enable higher capacity in local governments to design ambitious but realistic renovation strategies. Some of these efforts resulted in the Navigator, an online practical guidance that will navigate the reader through the steps and milestones of preparing a renovation strategy. The EmBuild Navigator was launched on the final event of the project Energy Efficient Buildings: Plan. Invest. Renovate! And it is structured around three main pillars: Plan, Invest, Benefits, which all are all aimed to provide local municipalities with the right toolbox to construct a successful strategy for the renovation of public buildings.
[Report] Renovating Belgrade - A framework for exploring the potential to renovate the City of Belgrade

The UN Environment Programme is supporting the Belgrade public authorities to improve energy efficiency of buildings and associated energy systems, as part of its role in the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) and District Energy in Cities (DES) Initiative under the Sustainable Energy for all (SE4ALL) Initiative. To support this undertaking, this report by BPIE outlines the potential and approaches to increasing renovation activities in Belgrade. Using the available data, BPIE estimates the potential for renovation in Belgrade under three different scenarios, ranging from low/minor renovation to deep renovation, and considers a scenario focusing on renovating buildings connected to district heating system. BPIE proposes five recommendations to increase renovation activities in Belgrade.
FOCUS ON
[Report] Understanding Potential User Needs: A Survey Analysis of the Markets for Individual Building Renovation Roadmaps in Bulgaria, Poland and Portugal

An analysis of user-profiles in three Member States from the EU-funded project iBRoad shows that, despite energy efficiency being considered an important aspect when buying or renovating a house, reliable and easy-to-use resources for information and guidance are still missing. This fact demonstrates a clear knowledge barrier that needs to be solved with the development of easier and more accessible user-friendly tools, like the Building Renovation Passports.
[Tool] EnerFund: the innovative tool rating and scoring deep renovation opportunities
 
The EU-funded project Enerfund launched its new tool, aimed at rating and scoring deep renovation opportunities. The tool is based on a set of parameters such as Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), number of certified installers, governmental schemes running, etc. By providing a rating for deep renovation opportunities, energy service or product companies can identify customer segments based on their needs, environmental departments can assess and compare buildings when prioritising deep renovation and deciding on fund allocation, and financial institutions can provide targeted loans for building retrofits.
Scenarios for Decarbonising European Buildings: EUCalc Expert Consultation Results

EUCalc is an EU-funded project that will build an innovative open source new model for a scientific underpinning of future CO2 emission scenarios and their societal, environmental and land use impacts. Halfway through the project duration, EUCalc organised a co-design workshop for the buildings module. Participants from architecture to building automation, with a balanced weight of industry, science and policy, vividly discussed, questioned and evaluated the approach form diverse perspectives. The workshop was framed by introductory presentations and highlighted by spark talks from the Commission and EuroACE representing the industry sector. The atmosphere was engaged with an attentively following audience and vibrantly interacting and exchanging group work. The word that most of the participants used to conclude the workshop was ‘complexity’, but the approach was considered to fit the needs to assess transition to a decarbonised building sector. To learn more about the project, you can subscribe to the newsletter, follow the project on Twitter and read more on the website.
Deadline extended: Construction21 Green Solutions Awards 2018

BPIE is a supporter of the Green Solution awards, a contest for sustainable solutions that highlights exemplary buildings districts and infrastructures around the world. The deadline for the project submission has been extended to June 17.  Participants have one extra week to run the contest, by publishing a case study in one of the Construction21 databases. This year, the awards ceremony will be held during COP24, in Katowice, Poland. Hurry up and participate in one of the most interesting competitions for buildings. The competition is part of the actions of the Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction.
[News from EU projects] The EU-funded project STUNNING is setting-up its stakeholder community around a knowledge sharing platform

The H2020 project STUNNING aims to identify and promote innovative packages for renovation to accelerate their acceptance by the market players and consumers and increase the renovation rate in Europe. The project is now aiming at building up a stakeholder community around a Renovation Hub designed as a knowledge sharing platform, providing information on innovative solutions for building renovation and novel business models for their adoption and large-scale replication. Representatives of the industry or a SME from the construction sector, of energy utilities or capital providers, municipalities, local authorities, building or home owners and tenants are invited to join the community by registering as a follower, expert or ambassador.
[News from the US] The City Energy Project Communities Launch New Energy Savings Programs 

The City Energy Project, a joint initiative of the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Institute for Market Transformation,  is a national initiative to create healthier and more prosperous American cities by improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Working in partnership, the Project and cities support innovative, practical solutions that cut energy waste, boost local economies, and reduce harmful pollution. The pioneering actions of the 20 cities involved in the City Energy Project aim to be models for communities nationwide and around the world. Providence City, for example, recently announced RePowerPVD, a voluntary energy savings program that challenges large buildings to help meet the city's climate goals through progress on energy efficiency.
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS
The Central and Eastern European Energy Efficiency (C4E) Forum, June 13-16, Serock, Poland
BPIE is partnering with the C4E Forum, aimed at building and strengthening the Central and Eastern Europe’s energy efficiency community and building upon the many interesting efficiency projects happening in the region. The interactive programme will combine practical sessions, creative workshops, evening plenaries with high-level speakers and plenty of informal networking opportunities. BPIE is hosting a session titled “Successful approaches to trigger renovation”. The session will cover solutions solutions overcoming barriers to renovation which are tested in “real life”. Find the programme here.
1st European conference | BIM and energy performance of building, 25 June 2018, Brussels, Belgium
INIVE EEIG, the International Network for Information on Ventilation and Energy Performance European Economic Interest Grouping, on behalf of the QUALICHeCK platform, is organizing a conference focused on BIM (Building Information Modelling) and energy performance of buildings. This first conference aims to present the status of BIM and opportunities and challenges regarding BIM use for the regulatory assessment of the energy performance of buildings. The aim is  to explore possibilities and challenges for an accelerated interaction and integration.
World Sustainable Energy Days, 27 February – 1 March 2019, Wels, Austria
After a successful edition in 2018, the World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 will be held from 27 February - 1 March 2019 in Wels/Austria. The 2018 conference focused on Energy efficiency and sustainable energy use as key to boosting the economic competitiveness of the EU, its member states, regions and individual businesses. The conference featured a combination of specialised conferences, site visits, a poster presentation and a tradeshow. Pictures of the events can be found on the conference website: www.wsed.at. The deadline for the Call for Papers & Speakers for the next edition is 10 October 2018.
WHERE TO MEET US
  • June 13-16th, Serock, Poland – C4E Forum.
  • June 20th, Burgas, Bulgaria - Norms and Practices for implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 
  • June 26th, Washington, USA – ACEEE International Energy Efficiency Symposium.
  • September 26-27th, Zagreb, Croatia - Energy Efficiency in buildings- for a better tomorrow.
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Dear reader,
 
What are your ideas and expectations how the building sector could respond to mitigate climate change? The recently agreed EPBD defines the goal to “decarbonise the building stock” by 2050. BPIE would like to hear your opinion how this could be achieved, and I would like to invite you to provide your perspective through our online survey.
 
Creating momentum to renovate our building stock can happen in many ways. Making access to finance easier is an important step, and the upcoming revision of the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021 to 2027 is an opportunity not to be missed, as we explain in our new discussion paper on the topic. At the same time, promising national initiatives to make renovation easier are already happening, described in the recent report on Individual Renovation Roadmaps which BPIE prepared within the iBRoad project. In the coming months, there will be many opportunities to meet, discuss and launch new ideas how we can innovate to speed up the transformation of the building sector. Check out the many events which are providing new food for thought and make sure to join us!
 
Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
[Report] Progress in Individual Renovation Roadmaps – four case studies                  
 
Lack of knowledge about what to do, where to start, and in which order to implement renovation steps remains one of the main obstacles to improving the energy performance of buildings. The report The concept of the Individual Renovation Roadmap presents recent developments of four real life examples from Denmark (BetterHome), Flanders (Woningpas and EPC+), France (Passeport Efficacité Énergétique) and Germany (Individueller Sanierungsfahrplan). The publication includes definitions, drivers and barriers, and a SWOT analysis to further develop the concept of Building Renovation Roadmaps. It is a result of the EU-funded project iBRoad.
FOCUS ON
[Discussion Paper] Multiannual Financial Framework beyond 2020: Five principles to reform financing of building renovation and nearly zero energy buildings in the EU
 
In a new discussion paper on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) revision, BPIE highlights the need to operationalize the transition to a clean and sustainable future for Europe and argues that buildings are not yet acknowledged as an essential energy system infrastructure. BPIE presents 5 principles for the better allocation of funds while increasing accessibility for cities and local communities.
[Survey] Net Zero Emissions 2050 survey - buildings
 
Together with the European Climate Foundation, BPIE is conducting a cross-cutting project aiming to examine non-linear decarbonisation pathways in 4 key emitting sectors: mobility, power, buildings and land-use. The initial phase of the project includes an online consultation to examine the potential disruptive moments in the transition to a net zero carbon emission economy, and to understand and identify areas of consensus around the factors affecting the transition. BPIE invites you to share your views around the possible future trends and factors affecting the transition in the buildings/energy efficiency sector in the EU through our online survey.
The survey is conducted in collaboration with RAND Europe and should not take more than 15-20 minutes to complete. For any questions or comments, please contact the survey team at NZ50@rand.org

[News from the US] Putting Data to Work: New tool for US cities to trigger energy efficiency investment

Across the US, cities are implementing building performance reporting laws regarding building energy and water use in commercial and multifamily buildings.
These programs generate large quantities of useful data on the energy consumption of a region’s buildings. Putting Data to Work follows New York City and the District of Columbia on their pathways in doing just that. The project, led by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), examines how this data can and is being deployed to reap an array of benefits for cities, energy efficiency service providers, utilities, and building owners. The resulting toolkit and associated resources will enable other local governments, utilities, and program implementers to replicate DC’s and New York City’s success—engaging the private sector to maximize energy and greenhouse gas savings from their built environments.
Green Solutions Construction21 Awards 2018

BPIE is again partnering with the Green Solutions Awards 2018, an international competition organised by Construction21 aiming to inspire all actors in the buildings industry, by accelerating the dissemination of best practices and new technics. The competition is divided in 5 main stages and includes 3 contests (buildings, districts and infrastructures), with 11 categories in total. In addition to these categories, the “user’s choice” prize will be organised for Buildings, Districts and Infrastructures (national level only). To contribute to the emergence and promotion of these innovative projects towards thousands of professionals, you can follow this link and be part of this year’s Green Solution Awards! The competition will be launched on March 15 at the MIPIM real estate international fair, Cannes.
EVENTS
Building Integrated Photovoltaics Innovation & Energy Efficiency in buildings, towards Sustainable Cities, March 19-20, Berlin, Germany

The conference, organized by the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), together with SETA Network, London and ETIP PV, will discuss energy efficiency in buildings and cities with a focus on innovation in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). BPIE will give a key note speech, Registrations are still open, please use the code VIP0318 for a reduced registration fee.
The Heat Roadmap Europe (HRE) series of webinars for spring and autumn 2018

The H2020-funded project HRE launched a series of 14 webinars presenting the most important take-aways of the project. HRE aims at creating the scientific evidence required to support the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling sector in Europe. The project's methods and results will be introduced by the webinars and the value of the findings will be explained to the audience in 14 one-hour sessions, stretching from March to December with a summer break. The schedule for spring 2018 is already available, the next one will be held on March 22 at 14:00 CET.
[Save the Date] Beyond energy savings – accounting multiple benefits of local building renovation, EmBuild Webinar, April 19, 15:00

Save the date for the EmBuild webinar on the wider benefits of building renovation. Energy renovations are not just about saving on utility bills or cutting CO2-emissions. They can also have a windfall of other effects for our social, economic and personal lives, the so-called multiple benefits. The webinar will focus on these benefits, which are too often overlooked in the balancing of a renovation project. The Horizon2020 project EmBuild is developing a novel approach to help assessing the multiple benefits of public buildings renovation. The knowledge-based method eases the weighting and evaluation of benefits for public authorities. For the first time, municipalities can use this comprehensive approach to implement wider benefits in their decision-making processes and the necessary reporting and evaluation schemes for deep renovation measures.
Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global), May 22, Copenhagen, Denmark

BPIE is partnering with the EE Global Forum and hosting a session on “Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency: Overpromised or undervalued?” These benefits often are claimed to be visible on societal level, but they hardly ever make it on the balance sheet. The session will discuss whether there is hard evidence that energy efficiency does create benefits outside the immediate energy system.
EE Global is part of the Nordic Clean Energy Week and supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The forum will draw together business executives, government leaders and advocates from across sectors and continents for actionable dialogues on advancing energy efficiency.
Scenarios for Decarbonising European Buildings: EUCalc Expert Consultation, June 4, Brussels, Belgium

EUCalc is an EU-funded project that will build an innovative open source new model for a scientific underpinning of future CO2 emission scenarios and their societal, environmental and land use impacts. The project is organising several expert consultation workshops, aiming to engage with stakeholders and inform, shape and co-design the Calculator, on April 19, 2018 in Vienna (focus on transport, during the TRA conference) and June 4, 2018, in Brussels during the EU Sustainable Energy Week (focus on buildings). If you are interested to participate, please get in touch with Judit Kockat (judit.kockat@bpie.eu) or Vivian Dorizas (vivian.dorizas@bpie.eu).
To know more about the project, you can subscribe to the newsletter, follow the project on Twitter and read more on the website.
Energy Efficient Buildings: Plan. Invest. Renovate!, EmBuild Final Conference, June 7, Belgrade, Serbia

The EU-funded project EmBuild is in its closing year and can already count many positive results which will be showcased at the EmBuild Final Conference. The event is organised in partnership with the Energy Community and will explore how cities and municipalities can be the engine for achieving the deep renovation targets of Europe's building stock. Gathering local and national authorities from Southeastern Europe and experts in the energy efficiency field, participants will share best practices of local plans to inspire further action and will present tools to facilitate the formulation of these plans. The detailed event agenda will be available soon. Registration to the event is required by filling out this form.
The Central and Eastern European Energy Efficiency (C4E) Forum, June 13-16, Serock, Poland

BPIE is partnering with the C4E Forum, aimed at building and strengthening the Central and Eastern Europe’s energy efficiency community and building upon the many interesting efficiency projects happening in the region. The interactive programme will combine practical sessions, creative workshops, evening plenaries with high-level speakers and plenty of informal networking opportunities. BPIE is hosting a session titled “Successful approaches to trigger renovation”. The session will cover solutions solutions overcoming barriers to renovation which are tested in “real life”. To register, follow this link
World Sustainable Energy Days

The World Sustainable Energy Days 2018 had a very successful event with more than 600 delegates from over 50 countries from business, public sector and the research community. BPIE was present with a poster on the State of the building stock.
The new dates for the 2019 conference are already set, it will take place from 27 February - 1 March in Wels/Austria. Clean energy for economic competitiveness and how to make the clean energy transition work for business, planet and people will be the core themes, save the date!
WHERE TO MEET US
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Dear reader,
 
With the first month of 2018 already behind us, we are looking at a year where the political discussions about the EU’s Clean Energy Package will come to an end and focus will move to implementing the new regulation. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) was the first of many files to be agreed just before Christmas, and while the final text has not been formally adopted yet, we can say with some confidence that the EPBD 3 will generate new momentum for the renovation of our buildings.
One tool to support renovation is the provision of reliable advice about the energy consumption of a building. A recent analysis in the context of the iBRoad project of national systems of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) shows a wide range of standards and practices. This project will develop and launch national building renovation passports, taking inspiration from three European initiatives. And a new factsheet by the BPIE office in Germany analysed cost data for construction and real estate and found that the significant price increase on the German real estate market is not driven by energy efficiency requirements as often claimed.
And as the year had a busy start, I would like to draw your attention to the many events and webinars for which you can find recordings and presentations on our website, or an opportunity to register for upcoming events. The BPIE team will be happy to meet you there!

Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
[Factsheets] Current use of Energy Performance Certificates in 8 EU countries and potential links to iBRoad
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduced Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) with the aim to create more transparency about the energy performance of individual buildings. To date, the implementation of this instrument varies significantly across Europe in terms of scope, information, comparability and user-friendliness, limiting its acceptance by users as well as its market penetration. Since the iBRoad EU-funded project will introduce individual building renovation roadmaps as a scheme complementary to EPCs, an analysis of the current use of EPCs, energy audits and renovation activities in participating countries (Bulgaria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Sweden) is central to the project. The 8 factsheets findings are based on existing literature, Member States renovation strategies and interviews with national stakeholders.
FOCUS ON
[Clean Energy for All Europeans] Revised EPBD – final approval
On December 19, the European Council, European Parliament and European Commission reached a provisional political agreement on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The text of the Directive will be formally approved by the Council and the European Parliament in early 2018 (probably before March). The updated EPBD will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and will enter into force 20 days after publication. Member States will have 18 months to transpose the new elements of the Directive into national law.
When the final EPBD text will be ready to be shared with the world, BPIE will make sure to upload it on its website, stay tuned!
[Factsheet] Energieeffiziente Gebäude: Motor für die Wärmewende statt Kostentreiber für Mieten und Immobilienpreise – Energy efficient buildings: the influence on real-estate renting and buying costs
BPIE analyses in this factsheet (in German) to what degree the construction of energy efficient buildings has been driving up the costs for new homes in Germany. The factsheet finds that the real estate prices for both rented and owner-occupied residential buildings have decoupled from construction prices between 2007 and 2016. The main reason for that is the price increase of building land. At the same time, many construction services related to energy, like insulation of external walls, helped mitigating this increase. The factsheet therefore suggests to focus the debate on affordable housing in Germany rather on the main cost driver: the land prices. As efficient buildings reduce energy demand and energy costs, Germany should not fall behind the existing minimum energy performance standards. Instead, the country should further develop the standards and make them more ambitious.
[Factsheet] New EU data protection reform strengthens citizens’ rights. Insights from the ExcEED project
From May 25, 2018, the most important change in European data privacy regulation in two decades will come into force. The EU General Data Protection Regulation aims to protect all EU citizens from privacy and data breaches. Although the key principles of data privacy still hold true, data collectors will have to abide by new rules such as: clear consent requests, timely breach notifications, the right to be forgotten, privacy by design, etc.  The EU-funded project ExcEED, together with other projects/initiatives dealing with data on the energy performance of buildings, must implement these new rules. Some of the main changes and their impact are highlighted in this latest factsheet. ExcEED considers data privacy of paramount importance when designing its database on state-of-the-art buildings and districts (available from mid-2018).
[Follow the project] EU Calculator: Trade-offs and Pathways towards Sustainable and Low-Carbon European Societies
EUCalc, an EU-funded project that will build an innovative open source new model for a scientific underpinning of future CO2 emission scenarios and the consequent societal, environmental and land use impacts, releases its first newsletter. You can subscribe to it, follow the project on Twitter and read more on the website. A new section has been added to detail the work done on buildings (module design, data and assumptions, implementation). First reports are also available, summarizing the workshop on lifestyle changes in Europe toward 2050, introducing the EUCalc data management plan, the co-design process and more.
Several expert consultation workshops are in the pipeline, aiming to engage with stakeholders and inform, shape and co-design the Calculator: in April 2018 in Vienna (focus on transport, during the TRA conference) and June 4, 2018, in Brussels during the EU Sustainable Energy Week (focus on buildings). More details will be available soon, but you can already demonstrate your interest by contacting BPIE.
[Heating and cooling demand data] Heat roadmap Poland event summary and new resources available
On January 25, over 60 stakeholders from various sectors met in Warsaw to discuss the supply of heat through district energy systems in Poland, presenting the pros and cons of other heating sources traditionally used in Poland and presenting best-practice local and international examples. The workshop, organised under the framework of the EU-funded Heat Roadmap Europe 4 project, in cooperation with Forum Energii, focused on available financing options and existing support programmes. HRE4 studies the heating and cooling sectors in Europe by quantifying the effects of increased energy efficiency on both the demand and supply sides, in terms of energy consumption, environmental impacts and costs, to develop low-carbon heating and cooling strategies. Final heating and cooling demand data per country is now available.
[Webinar recordings] Industry stepping up to the challenge of deep renovation
BPIE, in collaboration with BUILD UP, presented the BetterHome (BH) renovation model in a webinar end of 2017.
A successful industry-driven initiative proving that a more service-oriented supply-side coupled with a deeper awareness of demand-side can change the landscape and essentially drive the renovation market. What is the innovation behind BH? How does it work in detail? What are the key success ingredients? How can it be applied in other contexts? Find out more in the webinar recordings now available.
Shopping centres - continuous commissioning tool
The aim of this tool is to analyse monitored data and compare them in real-time with expected performance parameters, thresholds or previous monitored data. Useful for energy managers and owners of shopping centres to understand the behaviour of their buildings in terms of energy consumption, costs and comfort, the tool, developed in the framework of the EU-funded project CommONEnergy, can help wisely manage the building and improve its performances. The tool performs a continuous monitoring of the installed active systems, shows the real building performance, verifies and communicates to operators faults or malfunctioning, always operates the building at its higher levels of IEQ and efficiency and analyses the impact of retrofit solutions.
[News from the US] New York Building Energy Grades
A new building rating system launching soon in New York will give buildings grades on their energy performance. This is the second US city in the last months to do this after Chicago also passed a law late last year requiring energy grades for buildings. This new New York’s law will raise awareness of building energy performance among tenants, investors and the public by requiring that energy grades be posted at building entrances.  Read about this interesting city initiative, the mechanics of the new law and its impacts in a blogpost by IMT and the Urban Green Council.
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS
Financing Energy Efficiency in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria - February 1, Bucharest
This event aims at sharing best practices from Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria on how energy efficiency investments can be financed. This includes the use of private funds and innovative financing instruments, notably in the building and industry sectors. Speakers will focus on practical experience in developing and structuring investment programmes. The event contributes to the new cooperation on energy efficiency initiated by the Central and South-Eastern European Gas Connectivity group (CESEC). Registrations are open. More information on the event and agenda.
World Sustainable Energy Days 2018 – book your seat!
The World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) are coming back in Wels, Austria, from February 28 to March 2, 2018. Energy efficiency, technology innovation, e-mobility and smart buildings will be core themes of the event. The annual conference brings together more than 700 delegates from over 50 countries from business, public sector and the research community. Come meet us in the poster section with an overview of the state of the European building stock and possible solutions to improve its energy performance.
Building Integrated Photovoltaics Innovation & Energy Efficiency in buildings, towards Sustainable Cities
The conference, organized in Berlin March 19-20, is part of a series of European conferences and workshops on energy efficiency in buildings and cities with a focus on innovation in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), as well as smart grid, storage of renewable energies in cities, e-mobility and Internet of Things. The German event is organized by the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), together with SETA Network, London and in collaboration with the BIPV group of the European Technology & Innovation Platform Photovoltaic (ETIP PV), supported by national industries and stakeholders & associations, including BPIE. Registration opens February 1.
[Call for Abstracts] 10th international conference on Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings and Smart Communities, March 21-22, Frankfurt
IEECB&SC'18, held in Frankfurt during the Light+Building trade fair, aims to promote and spread the concept of energy efficiency in new and existing commercial buildings and enlarge the market for low consumption and sustainable non-residential buildings. The conference will also cover the topic of smart and sustainable districts, communities and cities. A call for abstracts is open until February 5 on several topics, selected presenters will get a free registration to the event.
Energy Efficiency Global Forum (EE Global), May 21-22, Copenhagen
The Forum, co-organized by the Alliance to Save Energy and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency, and supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will once again draw together business executives, government leaders and advocates from across sectors and continents for actionable dialogues on advancing energy efficiency.  From Washington, D.C. to Brussels, Belgium, the Forum has spurred public-private partnerships, generated investment in efficiency and delivered a lasting global impact. As a partner of the event, BPIE has a few VIP Invitations, please get in touch with us if you wish to benefit from them.
WHERE TO MEET US
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Dear reader,

The remaining weeks before the Christmas break will see intensified negotiations about the future European Buildings legislation. National governments are doing very little to move towards a constructive compromise with the European Parliament, even though this would bring enormous benefits for their citizens and would stimulate economic growth, in particular in small regional businesses. The lack of national political will to agree an effective and innovative framework which would improve the poor quality of our buildings is simply astonishing, even more so considering the political statements made in global events like COP23. Europe’s credibility as promoter of the energy transition and as a global leader on fighting climate change is at stake.
 
But some countries are grabbing the opportunity to stimulate their economy with innovative renovation initiatives, as we found in our progress analysis of national renovation strategies. Our results suggest that if there is political will combined with effective stakeholder participation in developing strategies, a market for efficiency solutions and services is evolving, to the benefit of citizens.
 
I believe we have reasons to be optimistic. The commitments at COP23 in Bonn to accelerate actions and funding for climate change mitigation, the fact that a huge number of US entities said “We are still in”, and the growing actions of cities and regions to fight climate change are all contributing to the sustainable transformation of our society. Many incremental changes are adding up to achieve tipping points which will change our investment and decision-making logic, helping us to turn around the fate of our planet. But we also need to understand that we are running out of time and better speed up.
 
With these thoughts I wish you a peaceful pre-Christmas time and a relaxing holiday period. And on behalf of the BPIE team, I would like to thank you for your interest in our work and all the positive feedback we received from many of you during this year!
 
Kind regards,
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
A snapshot of national building renovation strategies
Article 4 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive requires Member States to develop renovation strategies for the national stock of public, commercial and private buildings. April 2014 was the deadline for the first strategies, to be updated every 3 years. Now that some of the revised 2017 strategies have been published, BPIE, in partnership with some Renovate Europe national partners, has undertaken a review of the strategies of Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Spain. Against the five EED requirements rated, Croatia and the Czech Republic appear as good examples, with detailed and comprehensive overviews of the national building stock and cost-effective approaches to renovation identified. Hungary, Greece, Poland and Ireland were added to a review of the implementation progress, highlighting some good practices.
FOCUS ON
[Report] Cleaner, Smarter, Cheaper: responding to opportunities in Europe’s changing energy system 
A new report by the Energy Union Choices group updates the outlook for Europe’s power sector transition by 2030, highlighting that a higher share of demand flexibility increases the speed with which the EU can phase out fossil fuel power generation, making faster progress to deliver the Paris Agreement commitment. Buildings are the place where to install a lot of this flexible demand management, benefitting the climate and the wallet of the consumer at the same time.
The report demonstrates that the reductions in technology costs over the last past few years, coupled with the smart retirement of inflexible baseload generation and smart electrification of the buildings and transport sector, are an opportunity for a greater uptake of renewable electricity, up to 61% by 2030, at a lower overall cost.
[Report] Building 4 People: people centric buildings for European citizens
Buildings 2030, an initiative dedicated to promoting health, wellbeing and productivity in buildings in Europe, released a white paper that describes a “state of the art” for the debate about healthy, comfortable and productive buildings by looking at both policy and market dimensions. They underline that a strong focus on people will contribute to increasing the rate of renovation in Europe and bring concrete benefits to all Europeans. The broad alignment of environmental and health agendas presents an opportunity to not only invest in better performing buildings, but also to improve the quality of life for people using these buildings.
Winners of Green Solution Awards revealed
Since their launch in 2013 by Construction21, the Green Solutions Awards draw more candidates in every year with the 2017 edition counting 150 contestants.
The prizes reward the winners of 9 categories, including Sustainable Cities and Infrastructures.
Originally, for European projects only, since 2015 and COP21, other non-EU countries joined the competition. The winners of the Green Solution Awards 2017 have been revealed in Bonn, during COP23. Learn more about this year’s winners by reading the Awards’ booklet or watching the video.
[Follow the project] EU Calculator: Trade-offs and Pathways towards Sustainable and Low-carbon European Societies
EUCalc, an EU-funded project that will develop an innovative open-source modelling-tool for future CO2 emission scenarios based on a multi-sector approach (power and heat generation, transport, industry, buildings, agriculture and food and more), now has a Twitter account and a website where to follow the project updates. A workshop will be organised in April 2018 in Vienna, focusing on transport, during the TRA conference: more information coming soon.
[Maps and baseline modeling] More from the Heat Roadmap Europe 4 project
HRE4, an Horizon2020 EU-funded project mapping and modelling the heating and energy systems of the 14 largest users of heat in the EU, to develop new policies at local, national, and EU level reports this month new outputs. The new version of the Pan-European thermal atlas Peta4.2 is now available with information on 90% of the EU’s total heat market, freely accessible. Peta4.2 supplies a range of useful inputs for energy planning and developing those conditions necessary for driving the decarbonisation of heating and cooling across Europe. EnergyPLAN baseline energy system models for 2015 and 2050, are also now available, covering 14 countries in terms of heating demand. The models were created based on annual baseline data from the JRC-EU-TIMES model. The scenarios and a brief guide of how to load and run the models in EnergyPLAN are available.
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS
[Presentations available] Smart buildings empowering energy consumers. From policy to real-world cases
BPIE and the European Copper Institute held an event this November to discuss how smart buildings can benefit not only the energy system, but also consumers. Real-world case studies (from Leanheat, DEERNS, Alliander, E.ON) further supported the ideas that consumers can be empowered by living and working in smart buildings. The presentations are now available.
[Conference] Heating Poland: potential sources, financing options and support programmes – From a local to an international perspective - January 25, 2018 in Warsaw
The supply of heat through district energy systems is a common technology used by local municipalities across Europe, but far from all are efficient and many of the local actors’ struggle with the challenge of transforming these systems into efficient systems. Polish district heating needs modernisation, important to improve air quality and reach the European climate goals.
How could municipality district heating systems be upgraded, and what are the benefits compared with other heating sources traditionally used in Poland? What are the available financing options and existing support programmes?
The workshop will focus on answering these questions and present best-practice local and international examples and business models, to learn about effective solutions from other countries which could be implemented in Poland. This workshop is organised in the framework of the EU-funded Heat Roadmap Europe project in cooperation with Forum Energii within its framework of “Clean Heat” project. The event is free but registration is compulsory. The agenda will be uploaded here in the next days.
ONE LAST THING ...
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Dear reader,

The climate change reports published in the past days, whether from UNEP or from American scientists, speak a clear language: we need to act faster and with more determination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. No time to waste, no hesitation acceptable. In the EU, we have an opportunity to agree legislation which would bring us on the right track to deliver on our commitment to the Paris Agreement.
The negotiation about the future Buildings Directive is the first opportunity of the many files in the Clean Energy Package. Our recent analysis shows that over 97% of the building stock is not ready for a “Paris Agreement future” which would avoid the most severe impacts of climate change. Renovating our buildings is essential, and I hope that the negotiators from Council, Commission and Parliament will have the latest climate change science in their mind when they meet on several occasions in the coming weeks to define the future of our buildings.
Don’t miss the opportunity to follow the debates!

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
[Factsheet] The real efficiency of the European building stock
BPIE’s new analysis of EPC data finds that 97.5% of the building stock cannot be considered as highly efficient. Less than 3% of certified buildings are complying with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) class A. But a decarbonized building stock by 2050 requires that the largest share of European buildings are highly energy efficient, most European buildings should therefore be upgraded. EPCs are currently the only available EU-wide source of information on the energy performance of the building stock. The factsheet lists recommendations to ensure that the revised buildings Directive (EPBD) provides clear and effective requirements and support tools for the renovation of the building stock.
 
FOCUS ON
[Innovation briefing] Boosting renovation with an innovative service for home-owners
Achieving the full market potential of renovation calls for a paradigm shift, where a more service-oriented supply-side together with a deeper awareness on the demand-side play key roles. The BetterHome case study shows how innovative business models can drive energy renovations across Europe. The success of the home-owner-centric model can be explained by the advanced service-oriented role of the installers. BetterHome trains and guides them on how to approach the customer, from the first contact to the process finalisation. In support, it also simplifies and structures the renovation process for the installer, through supportive and innovative digital tools, enabling a better evolution for all involved. Find out what makes it a success story and what innovation lies behind it in BPIE’s briefing and infographic.
BetterHome: An industry-driven one-stop-shop solution
[Webinar, today] Industry stepping up to the challenge of deep renovation, November 6, from 14.00 to 15.30
BPIE, in collaboration with BUILD UP, is presenting the BetterHome (BH) renovation model. A successful industry-driven initiative proving that a more service-oriented supply-side coupled with a deeper awareness of demand-side can change the landscape and essentially drive the renovation market. What is the innovation behind BH? How does it work in detail? What are the key success ingredients? How can it be applied in other contexts? Join us and find out!
[Follow the project!] Individual Building Renovation Roadmaps driving deep renovation
iBRoad, funded by the Horizon2020 EU programme, aims at exploring, designing, developing and demonstrating the concept of individual Building Renovation Roadmaps. Representing an evolution of the Energy Performance Certificates and energy audit systems, these roadmaps will serve as a tool outlining a customised renovation plan with a long-term horizon for deep step-by-step renovation of individual buildings, combined with a repository of building-related information. With a target focus on residential buildings, the project will analyse and build upon relevant examples from Germany, France and Belgium (Flanders). The concept and tools will be tested in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Germany. You can follow the project on a website (and newsletter), Twitter and LinkedIN.
[Thermal atlas] Major enhancements made to the Heat Roadmap Europe energy planning tool
Heat Roadmap Europe added major new features to its energy planning tool, the perfect basis for European governments, businesses, consultants, academics, and planners to make informed decisions about investments in energy efficiency measures and use of untapped alternative energy sources for heating and cooling. The free online Pan-European Thermal Atlas (Peta4) assesses heating and cooling demand, efficiency, and supply across Europe. Peta4.2 incorporates various innovative new features: users can search for a specific location, select and combine up to ten layers of information, creating a detailed picture of where heating networks and low-carbon technology solutions could be implemented, whether they are economically viable, and how new networks could meet current heating and cooling demand, thereby helping to identify regional planning priorities and much more. Heat Roadmap Europe 4 is a Horizon2020 EU-funded project mapping and modelling the heating and energy systems of the 14 largest users of heat in the EU, to develop new policies at local, national, and EU level to ensure the uptake of efficient, sustainable and affordable heating and cooling solutions.
[Report] Existing building energy efficiency renovation - International review of regulatory policiesIPEEC, the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation, through its Building Energy Efficiency Taskgroup (BEET) on Regulatory Policies for Existing Building Energy Efficiency Renovation, publishes this report aiming to provide an overview of key regulatory policies used internationally to require improvements to existing commercial and residential buildings at the point of renovation, refurbishment, retrofit, alterations, or additions. One of the concepts highlighted is the building passports (focus of the iBRoad project, mentioned above, and of BPIE’s recent analysis). BPIE contributed to the report.
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS

Smart Buildings empowering energy consumers. From policy to real-world cases, Brussels, November 21

BPIE and the European Copper Institute invite you to an event on smart buildings covering both the policy aspects of integrating such a concept in EU legislation as well as real-world examples. This event will debunk myths about smart buildings and explore how consumers can be empowered by living and working in them. We also aim to demonstrate the links between smart buildings and other sectors such as ICT or mobility. The event will be held in Brussels, at L42, on Rue de la Loi 42. You can demonstrate your interest by registering to the event filling out this form. The agenda is available.

Heating Poland: potential sources, financing options and support programmes – From a local to an international perspective - January 25, 2018 in Warsaw
The supply of heat through district energy systems is a common technology used by local municipalities across Europe, but far from all are efficient and many of the local actors’ struggle with the challenge of transforming these systems into low-carbon systems. How could old municipality district heating systems be upgraded, and what are the benefits compared with other heating sources traditionally used in Poland? What are the available financing options and existing support programmes? The workshop will focus on answering these questions and present best-practice local and international examples as well as business models. This workshop is organised in the framework of the EU-funded project Heat Roadmap Europe. You can demonstrate your interest by pre-registering, sending an email to BPIE.
WHERE TO MEET US
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Dear reader,

In a few weeks, the negotiations between the three European Institutions about the future Buildings Directive will begin. At the same time, policy-makers are starting to discuss the future of the EU budget for the period 2021 to 2027. From a timing perspective, both policy areas will take effect early in the next decade. We therefore have now an opportunity to design instruments included in the future EU budget which will trigger and multiply investments in the building sector. In our latest report, we reveal why this is important. The report analyses EU and international funding streams targeting Central, East and South-East Europe and finds that only 3% of energy-related investment is targeting the building sector. A big missed opportunity, given the many reasons for upgrading the building stock in this region. Our research concludes that a regional Energy Efficiency Financing Platform could make a dramatic difference and increase the impact of the under-used funding instruments. But providing funding alone will not be sufficient as it will equally be necessary to define the investment case.
The Building Renovation Passport (BRP) is a tool which defines renovation options for a given building and guides the investor where and when to invest. Using the reliable information from the BRP for pooling many renovation plans into a bigger investment portfolio could provide a much needed aggregation mechanism.
This concept and many other workable ideas presented in this newsletter could speed up the transformation of the building sector, so that it can achieve the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Let’s get working!

Kind regards,

Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHTS
Financing the future of buildings in Central, Eastern and South-East Europe
A recent analysis reveals that only 3% of the public funds that could be used to support energy-efficiency investments in the region is dedicated to upgrading buildings. The overview of EU, international and regional investment programmes highlights the need to increase the effectiveness of funding for building upgrades. The future design of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework and the implementation of the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings initiative provide opportunities to introduce the necessary changes. BPIE suggests a regional energy efficiency financing platform to increase the impact and reach of available funding, to develop regional capacity, as well as to leverage and attract private and institutional investment. An Executive Briefing summarizing the findings is also available.
Factsheet - Building Renovation Passports: consumer’s journey to a better home
BPIE looks into how the individual Building Renovation Passport (BRP) can drive deep renovation across Europe. The BRP is a document – in electronic or paper format – outlining a long-term (up to 15-20 years) step-by-step renovation roadmap to achieve deep renovation for a specific building. It supports owners with personalised advice on renovation options and clarifies the renovation stages for all involved parties. The revision of the EPBD should embed the concept of the Passport in legislation as a tool to increase the renovation rate across Europe, thus bringing us a step closer to meeting the Paris agreement goals and the EU 2030 targets.
FOCUS ON
Useful resources on shopping centres’ renovation
CommONEnergy, a research project funded by the European Union, developed new strategies and solutions to retrofit existing shopping centres, in order to reduce energy consumption, increase energy efficiency and comfort. The project presented the latest results and solutions in a full day event in Brussels, where the “how-to” guide on renovating shopping centres was launched, dedicated to energy managers, architects, designers, facility managers as well as owners or investors, and all interested in the topic. A project award, the Sustainable Building Challenge, in 3 categories, Super, Hyper and Mega malls, was presented to three projects which adopted sustainability principles in refurbishment in a varied and innovative way using different assessment schemes. Dedicated leaflets to discover the winners and all event presentations are available, as well as an overview article published on the BUILD UP portal.
Heat Roadmap Europe: quantitative comparison between the electricity, heating and cooling sectors for different European countries
This paper, recently released by the Heat Roadmap Europe EU-funded project, compares the electricity, heating, and cooling sectors at national level for various European countries. The results indicate that the heat demand is currently the largest of the three demand types considered in terms of both annual and peak demands: it is the largest annual demand in 25 of the 28 EU countries, and it represents the largest peak demand in all four countries analysed.
A guide for public sector renovation strategies, developed by the EmBuild EU-funded project
This guidance and template aims to support public authorities in developing renovation strategies, with a particular focus on public buildings. For small and medium-sized municipalities, the renovation of public buildings could be considered “lighthouse projects”, which can demonstrate the potential of similar initiatives and stimulate the market.
Renovation of public buildings could be financed partly by EU funds, alleviating the financial burden from the municipalities.
Co-creating Europe's National Renovation Strategies -  Recommendations from Build Upon
How should governments create strong and robust ‘national renovation strategies’?
The Green Building Council, in the framework of the Build Upon project, compiled key recommendations, prepared by (and for) every country involved, in order to unlock the energy saving potential of their building stocks.
The 13 countries involved include Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey, as well as Romania where BPIE a partner.
News from the US: market analysis on financing energy efficiency through mortgage loans
The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) recently released a market analysis on financing energy efficiency through mortgage loans in the US, with a blog post providing the context. The analysis examines the current landscape for building owners and lenders seeking to integrate energy efficiency and utility savings into building assessments and retrofit plans, and to use the data to enhance traditional loans. Guidelines for the mortgage lending community and building owners on how to roll energy efficiency retrofits into traditional mortgages in an effective and seamless manner are therefore available.
October 5 is National Energy Efficiency Day in the US. You can follow up what is happening on social media (#EEDay2017).
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS

Save the date: Smart Buildings empowering energy consumers. From policy to real-world cases, Brussels, November 21

BPIE and the European Copper Institute invite you to a workshop on smart buildings covering both the policy aspects of integrating such a concept in EU legislation as well as real-world examples. This event will debunk myths about smart buildings and explore how consumers can be empowered by living and working in them. We also aim to demonstrate the links between smart buildings and other sectors such as ICT or mobility. This event will be held in Brussels, at L42, on Rue de la Loi 42. You can demonstrate your interest by registering to the event filling out this form. The agenda will be available shortly.

Financing local energy transition roadmaps: focus on the renovation challenge, Brussels, October 12, 9am
This event organized by PUBLENEF aims at assessing the needs of local and regional authorities for financing their sustainable energy projects, with a focus on private buildings renovation; as well as linking those seeking to implement projects with those who can provide financing or be “enablers” in other ways. This event shall also assist the refinement of energy efficiency roadmaps for participating countries, prepared by the project, to enhance public authorities’ capacity to implement energy efficiency pathways towards sustainability. BPIE will moderate a session focused on innovative solutions and challenges of public authorities and their partners in implementing energy renovation programmes for private residential buildings. You can register here.

World Sustainable Energy Days 2018 - call for papers

The World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) are coming back in Wels, Austria, from February 28 to March 2, 2018. Energy efficiency, technology innovation, e-mobility and smart buildings will be core themes of the event. The Young Energy Researchers Conference and Award will present the work and achievements of young researchers in the fields of biomass and energy efficiency, from Feb. 28 to Mar. 1, 2018. Further information: www.young-researchers.eu. Submit your paper or suggest a speaker before October 10, 2017.

WHERE TO MEET US
  • On September 28 and 29, BPIE will speak at the regional workshop “Accelerating Building Efficiency: Challenges and opportunities in Central & Eastern Europe” in Belgrade, organized by the Buildings Efficiency Accelerator and the UN Environment Programme.
  • BPIE will be a panellist in the Intelligent Buildings Europe Hub session ‘Empowering buildings to fulfil their role in the European Market’ of the EU Utility Week, October 3 in Amsterdam.
  • BPIE will present the main barriers to deep renovation and the future of EU renovation strategies at CroEnergy, October 4, Bracak.
  • BPIE will speak at the EUFORES annual High-Level Experts Conference 2017 in Brussels, October 17.
  • BPIE will also speak at the yearly event Renovate Europe Day, in Brussels, October 10, about the 2.0 national renovation strategies.
  • BPIE will be talking about the EPBD opportunities for BIPV at the PV Days in Halle (Germany), October 23.
  • On November 22, BPIE will speak at the bilateral German – United Arab Emirates expert workshop organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in Berlin, presenting on „Opportunities for demand-response in buildings in Germany“. 
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Dear reader,

Negative and often horrific news dominate our daily media download which sometimes makes it difficult to see positive change towards a more sustainable world. But setbacks also inspire forward looking reactions, such as those reported from the US by our sister organisation IMT, keeping the momentum of climate action in the US. Other inspiring news in this last newsletter before the summer break include the conclusion of renovation projects in several shopping malls in Europe, showing that smart solutions can be found in all climates and architectural styles. Don’t miss the conference which we are organising in Brussels on 7 September.
Also reassuring is to see that a broad variety of Polish stakeholders, including the private sector and non-profits, are calling for an ambitious overhaul of the EPBD and EED, as reported from an earlier BPIE workshop. In addition, we are contributing to the ongoing debate about the revision of these two Directives with a policy paper on the use of the Primary Energy Factor to calculate energy efficiency performance – a technical but important topic, well-explained by our experts.

And to keep your reading list for the summer complete, make sure you take a look at the new underwriting guide for efficiency investments released by EEFIG, the new factsheets assessing the barriers to be addressed by the forthcoming renovation strategies in South-East Europe and the latest data brochure of the Heat Roadmap Europe. And finally, if you like new challenges, consider applying for our latest vacancy, we are looking for a project manager!

With my best wishes for a sunny and relaxing summer,

Kind regards,
 
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
Innovative technologies and tools for energy-efficient shopping centres retrofit
With a renovation rate of about 4.4% per year, more than 60% of the shopping centre stock will be upgraded by 2030: this is a unique trigger point to realise sustainable energy-saving solutions along the planned aesthetic renovations. The EU-funded project CommONEnergy developed systemic approaches including technology solution-sets, methods and tools to support deep renovations (presented in 14 flyers), spanning from lighting, ventilation, refrigeration, building management systems, to insulation, greenery integration and more. The project will end with a final conference in Brussels, September 7 (few seats still available) and a webinar on Build UP, September 19 at 10am CET (registration opening soon), going through the technologies and the tools supporting their implementation and assessing their environmental and social impact.
VIDEO: discover the project in 6 minutes!
Shopping centres renovation across Europe: focus on the EU-funded project CommONEnergy
JOB OFFER: BPIE is looking for a Project Manager
BPIE is recruiting a Project Manager - expert in buildings’ energy performance. Reporting to the Head of Research, her/his roles and responsibilities include managing research projects in relation to energy performance in buildings, from conceptualisation to completion, undertake research in relation to buildings policies, draft reports, present and discuss complex technical issues, implying excellent understanding of current challenges and opportunities regarding the EU policy framework of building's performance at large. Deadline to apply is 9 July, 2017.
FOCUS ON
The role of the primary energy factor in determining the energy performance of buildings
The primary energy factor (PEF) describes the efficiency of converting energy from primary sources (e.g. coal, crude oil) to a secondary energy carrier (e.g. electricity, natural gas) that provides energy services delivered to end-users, such as warmth or light. As Member States have flexibility in setting its value, it has become a political decision, with a direct negative impact on the actual energy consumption of a building. BPIE therefore suggests, in this new policy briefing, setting delivered energy as the main building performance indicator.  Using the calculated delivered energy rather than primary energy would put into practice the ‘Energy Efficiency First’ principle and make energy performance more understandable and relevant, as it would be closely related to running costs.
Clean Energy for All Europeans package: position of Polish stakeholders on the proposed changes of the EPBD and the EED
BPIE organised a workshop in Warsaw March 20, 2017, inviting key stakeholders and interested parties to discuss BPIE’s proposed amendments to both Directives and to garner feedback from those engaged in the sector in Poland. The results of the joint work is presented in this document with key messages, focusing on Polish needs in this area. The policy paper is available in English and in Polish.
EEFIG Underwriting Toolkit, building skills to evaluate value and risks of energy efficiency projects
Maroš Šefčovič launched a few days back, at the EU Sustainable Energy Week, EEFIG’s Underwriting Toolkit for the financial institutions currently reviewing and establishing internal procedures to review and approve energy efficiency projects. The Toolkit provides information aimed specifically at the different units and individuals within financial institutions whose task is to evaluate, assess, approve and process energy efficiency transactions. This guide develops a standardised approach, completing the database on energy efficiency projects across Europe (the DEEP database), gathering real numbers from real projects with new additions all the time.
EmBuild addresses barriers to deep renovation in a series of factsheets
EmBuild, a EU-funded project, released factsheets drawing on research and interviews with national experts to assess the barriers that must be addressed by the forthcoming renovation strategies (for Germany, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia & Bulgaria). Potential measures - adapted to each country - are also given to overcome communication, quality, legislative and financial related barriers. The factsheets are available in English and national languages. 
Training material on driving renovation at local levels
EmBuild publishes several guides to support public authorities in South-East Europe to develop forward-looking local renovation strategies. One report presents possible measures for improving the investment climate at local level, while a guide was developed to support the work of local energy efficiency practitioners trying to convey the benefits of renovation. A survey testing local knowledge and understanding of renovation lays at the basis of this work.
Heat Roadmap Europe: facts and figures
HRE released a short factsheet, presenting updated data on Europe’s energy demand, zooming into the industry, services and residential heating and cooling sectors.
The EU-funded project was recently selected as most innovative project in the technology category of hybrid systems by the Steering Committee of the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating & Cooling (RHC-ETIP). HRE use of a holistic and inclusive analysis, by combining the expertise of different sectors in four models to accurately understand and quantify the impacts of energy efficiency and renewables in 14 EU member states made the project stand out. 
Building Renovation Roadmaps: developing customised tools towards deep renovation and better homes
Lack of knowledge about what to do, where to start, and in which order to implement renovation steps remains one of the main obstacles to improving the energy performance of buildings. The iBROAD EU-funded project, launched today, works on lifting this barrier by further developing Individual Building Renovation Roadmaps. This tool provides a renovation plan with a long-term horizon by looking at the building as a whole. It puts forward customised recommendations for individual buildings. The Renovation Roadmaps will be tested and verified by experts in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Germany with a view of engaging national stakeholders in many more EU countries.

Two interesting projects: Level(s) and Batiphoenix 
Level(s) is a voluntary reporting framework that links the individual building’s environmental impact with resource priorities at European level. Level(s) is ready for testing from autumn 2017. The tool will be presented at the upcoming high-level conference Construction: Let’s Build Changes! on July 6 in Brussels.
Batiphoenix is a "marketplace", dealing with construction material reuse. This B2B platform puts in touch craftsmen, SMEs and architects with building professionals, wreckers, etc. An inspiring project that already won several prizes in France!

BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS
  • BPIE will speak at the EXPO 2017 Future Energy Forum, "Energy Solutions for the Climate Change Problem", August 21-22, Astana
  • BPIE will be a panellist in the Intelligent Buildings Europe Hub session ‘Energy in empowered buildings’ of the EU Utility Week, October 3-5, Amsterdam
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Dear reader,

Many of the recent BPIE publications relate to the intensive discussions around the Clean Energy Package which are a once-in-a-decade opportunity to strengthen the regulatory framework to improve our buildings. The future smartness of buildings is one of the hot topics and we are contributing with two papers to the debate, one defining what is a smart building, a second one providing policy recommendations. A further paper on trigger points to increase renovation activities describes opportunities which are already being implemented already in a number of EU countries. And In Wallonia, the French-speaking province of Belgium, the government recently published its renovation strategy, developed with BPIE’s support.

Whether these promising national initiatives will make it into the European legislative framework is a question I am tackling in a recent opinion piece. The current positions of the three European institutions which we recently analysed are far apart on many important aspects, and we can only hope that the negotiation in the second half of the year will come to constructive results.

Results can already be seen in the CommONEnergy project which led to the renovation of several shopping centres around Europe, don’t miss the concluding conference in September!

Kind regards,
 
Oliver Rapf, Executive Director
HIGHLIGHT
Towards a definition for smart buildings & detailed policy recommendations
BPIE explores in a paper the concept of smart buildings. Measuring how smart a building is depends on the capacity of its functions and the degree to which different components interact and complement each other. BPIE comes forward with a concrete definition of a smart building, placing energy efficiency at its heart. A policy paper recommends ways that the European legislation (EPBD, EED, etc.) should be strengthened to ensure buildings can take up a leading role in the energy transition, at the same time as ensuring high building performance, dynamic operability between building components and its occupants and responsiveness of buildings to interact with the energy system.
FOCUS ON
Trigger points are key moments in the life of a building (e.g. rental, sale, change of use, extension, etc.) when carrying out energy renovations would be less disruptive and more economically advantageous than in other moments. Taking advantage of these moments would facilitate investment decisions to undertake energy renovation works. The EPBD sets requirements to increase the performance of a building when the owner decides to carry out a major renovation, but does not foresee any provision to increase the number of renovations, which amounts to about 1% per year. As a result, the legislation affects only a small proportion of Europe’s buildings. BPIE puts forward recommendations for both EU and Member State levels that could encourage a spur in deep renovations through the inclusion of trigger points in legislation.
Wanted! Renovation drive and renewed momentum for the European project
The Clean energy for all Europeans package is the once-in-a-decade opportunity to define a framework which creates both clear regulation and a system of incentives to drive deep renovation. Unfortunately, despite the fact that some countries are implementing effective measures, in the current discussions on the future Buildings Directive, the European Parliament is the only proponent for such consumer- and economy-friendly measures. An opinion by BPIE's Executive Director. 
The discussions on the revision of the EPBD are progressing quickly, with the Maltese Presidency moving towards an agreement by the end of June and a draft report now available from the European Parliament’s Energy Committee rapporteur MEP Bendt Bendtsen. This document compares BPIE’s recommendations with the content of the proposals from the European Commission, the draft report from rapporteur Bendt Bendtsen, and the latest compromise text from the Maltese Presidency (16 May 2017).
Cost-competitive deep renovation of shopping centres, a driver for EU policies
Shopping centres are buildings regularly visited by the public and can thus be used to promote technologies and practices favouring the energy transition, such as efficient lighting technologies, renewable energy and e-vehicles charging stations. Policy recommendations based on expertise and research from over 23 organisations and 3 demonstration cases are grouped under four themes: engaging stakeholders, communicating the benefits of renovation, promoting energy-efficient technology packages and supporting the energy transition.
AT NATIONAL LEVEL
National building renovation strategies: BPIE supports the Walloon Region
EU Member States, implementing Article 4 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), had to submit by end of April 2017 updates of their 2014 renovation strategies. BPIE was one of the partners contributing to the development of the Belgian’s Walloon Region Renovation Strategy. Stakeholders were involved during this process led by Climact, focusing on aspects such as renovation techniques, financing, communication and enabling measures. The document was approved by the Walloon Government, setting ambitious renovation objectives and measures to reach them. The strategy is available in French on the European Commission’s website.
BPIE contributes to the German yearbook Energieeffizienz in Gebäuden 2017
Germany has set out to decarbonise its energy system by 2050 and smart buildings can play a key supporting role in this “Energiewende”. That is the central finding in BPIE’s contribution to the yearbook “Energieeffizienz in Gebäuden 2017”. Moreover, based on the earlier report “Is Europe ready for the smart buildings revolution?”, the paper shows how smart-ready Germany’s buildings are today. It compares the German situation with other European Member States, and, finally, analyses which levers could be used to increase the smart-readiness. This article is only available in German. The complete yearbook is available online.
VIDEOS
ExcEED – standing for “European Energy Efficient building district Database”-, promises to establish a robust and durable return of knowledge mechanism collecting actual buildings energy performance data. Find out more about ExcEED's field of research, tools and team in a video available in English, French and Italian.
The CommONEnergy economic assessment tool allows estimating the energy saving potential and economic benefits of retrofitting shopping centres. Discover it in this short tutorial!
BPIE IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTS
EVENTS
“Cost-competitive deep renovation of shopping centres: technologies and drivers for EU policies”, September 7, Brussels
 
What are European retail buildings’ key features? How are they included in both EU and national legislation? The EU-funded project CommONEnergy not only worked on providing an answer, but also on developing, implementing and testing innovative technologies improving comfort, reducing costs and energy consumption. The benefits will be demonstrated in the project's final conference. Best practices of recently-retrofitted shopping centres will be awarded during the Sustainable Building Challenge ceremony, held together with the event. Training sessions are offered in the morning to dig into the continuous commissioning software; energy demand scenarios tool; environmental and social impact assessment tool; Integrated Design Process library and more. 
Energy efficiency financing: meet EEFIG partners at EUSEW
 
June 22, EEFIG, the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group, organises a session during the European Union Sustainable Energy Week on how to attract more private financing to energy efficiency investments, and the benefits and risks associated with such investments. The De-Risking Energy Efficiency Platform – DEEP will be presented and a guide on the appraisal of energy efficiency investments will be launched, explaining how it fits within the policy framework.
Speakers include EEFIG's rapporteur, as well as representatives from the European Commission, UNEP FI, the EBRD, EIB and more.
A few additional events where BPIE will speak
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