BPIE reports on European buildings and “nearly-zero energy” buildings

On 9 and 10 November in Brussels, the Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) launched two reports related to the energy performance of buildings across Europe. Dana Popp, EHI Public Affairs Manager participated in both events.

Principles for Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings

European legislation (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU) requires that from 2020 all new buildings are nearly Zero-Energy Buildings without proposing a concrete definition, leaving a number of uncertainties, specifically on the ambition level of such buildings in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. These study analyses key principles for a proper definition of nearly Zero-Energy Buildings based on existing concepts across Europe and in line with the objectives and aims of the EU climate policy.

Europe's Buildings under the Microscope

As there is a lack of comprehensive data on buildings at European level, BPIE analysed the European building stock (EU 27 as well as Switzerland and Norway) including building characteristics, building codes and other regulatory measures. The collected data allowed to determine the energy and CO2 saving potential of European buildings and to model a variety of scenarios for the systematic renovation of the European building stock till 2050. Links to the reports and presentations made during the events can be found below.

Source: BPIE