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Energy Performance of Building Directive
The Energy Performance of Building Directive is the most important legislative instrument of recent years for improving the energy efficiency of Europe's buildings. The recast EPBD (Directive 2010/31/EU) has been adopted in May 2010. It has to be transposed in national law by July 2012 for an entry into force in 2013.
This recast directive is intended to strengthen the EU's effort to achieve its 2020 targets, namely a reduction of CO2 by 20%.
The new EPBD requires that by 2020 all new buildings in the EU will have to be nearly zero-energy buildings. Most importantly, it also set out minimum energy performance requirements for buildings renovations and for components when they need to be changed. This is very important considering that renovating the existing building stock is Europe's primary challenge if it is to achieve ambitious levels of energy savings.
The EPBD leaves a lot of flexibility to Member States in laying down the Directive requirements. For instance, Member States have to establish a methodology to calculate the energy performance requirements. They are also required to consider appropriate financing and other instruments to encourage energy efficiency improvements.
Glass for Europe very much welcomes the recast EPBD because of the opportunity to deliver great energy savings from Europe's buildings. However, the recast EPBD will only deliver on improving energy efficiency of buildings, if it is properly transposed in national legislations and enforced in each Member States. The opportunity must not be missed.
The European Commission has now adopted its methodology to calculate the cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements for buildings and building elements, such as windows. Member states must now undertake this work of crucial importance for deployment of energy efficient glass technologies.
A couple of materials are made available by Glass for Europe to support that work at national level:
PRESENTATION ON THE CONCEPT OF ENERGY BALANCE FOR WINDOWS IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
ANALYSIS COST-OPTIMAL METHODOLOGY UNDER THE EPBD
Q&A BROCHURE ON ENERGY SAVING GLAZING SOLUTIONS & A LOW CARBON ECONOMY
BROCHURE ON SOLAR CONTROL GLASS
BROCHURE ON LOW-EMISSIVITY INSULATING GLASS
