The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) recast is a once-in-a-generation opportunity because any ambitious choice made now on our buildings will have positive and long-lasting environmental and socio-economic impacts. A successful revision must recognise the importance of the Directive beyond buildings performance itself and it needs to represent a long-term structural response to the ongoing energy crisis by enabling future energy security and mitigating the climate crisis.
A strong EPBD will mean more deep energy renovations that will reduce the energy needs of our building stock at the source of demand. Doing so will lift millions of European families out of energy poverty and protect them for many winters to come. To achieve this, however, Member States need a clear trajectory and a strong regulatory framework that supports and accompanies long-term and structural actions. The EPBD has the potential to address many of our current and future questions, so can policymakers risk repeating history by missing this flagship opportunity?
Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G) and Friends of the Earth Europe (FFOE) believe that the time to make the right choice for our building stock is now.
Below is a joint statement signed representatives of the largest networks and coalitions bringing together hundreds and hundreds of civil-society organisations and grass root initiatives. The checklist within the joint statement contains crucial key performance indicators that will make the EPBD Recast a true energy and climate success.
