Consultation on ‘EU Framework’ for Sustainable Building Assessment Released
On July 7, the long-awaited consultation on an ‘EU Framework’ for Sustainable Buildings Assessment was released, providing stakeholders in the building sector with the opportunity to comment on the development of a common EU framework of core indicators for assessing the environmental performance of buildings.
The European Regional Network (ERN) has been involved in advocating for a common EU framework since 2013, ahead of the 2014 publication of the Commission’s “Communication on Resource Efficiency Opportunities in the Building Sector”. This document identified the need for a common EU framework of indicators for assessing the environmental performance of buildings. A briefing of the work done to date can be found on our website.
The consultation proposes 14 performance indicators against six high level objectives that have previously been identified as the initial basis for the framework. These six objectives are:
- Greenhouse gas emissions from building life cycle energy use
- Resource efficient material life cycles
- Efficient use of water resources
- Healthy and comfortable spaces
- Resilience to climate change
- Optimised life cycle cost and value
The fourteen indicators put forward for consultation comprise nine core indicators considered to require a ‘basic’ level of expertise, and five indicators required to reach an ‘advanced’ level of expertise.
The aim of the consultation is to provide a voluntary reporting framework that has a broad potential for use by building sector professionals across the EU. It does not propose to create a new standalone building certification scheme but rather work with existing schemes.
A detailing briefing on the indicators making up the consultation will be circulated to the ERN network in the coming days.
The Next Step for Renovation Strategies: Madrid Leaders Summit
The World Green Building Council and partners including the UN Environment Programme, the European Mortgage Federation, Habitat for Humanity and leading businesses are coming together to host 200 building renovation leaders from across Europe at a two-day “Leaders’ Summit” in Madrid on 20-21 September.
The Summit will focus on how countries can design and implement long-term national renovation strategies to radically improve the energy efficiency of Europe’s existing buildings, and fulfil the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Register here: http://buildupon.eu/event/leaderssummit/
Commission Hints at What’s to Come in Review of European Buildings Legislation
At the launch of the Central and Eastern European Energy Efficiency Forum in Bulgaria on June 22, European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič spoke about the comprehensive review of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD).
In the context of this, Sefcovic said that the Commission are “considering strengthening some requirements on energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the buildings sector, in particular for existing buildings, and making buildings fit for smart appliances and home automation”.
Cautioning that one of the major challenges in achieving energy efficiency is in financing and investment, Šefčovič conceded that current levels of investment in energy efficiency are too low to meet policy objectives. In order to achieve the 2020 energy efficiency target, investments in the EU energy efficiency market need to reach €100 billion – yet current investment is less than half this figure.To tackle this, the Commission is currently working on the “Smart finance for smart buildings” initiative that will strengthen synergies between financial instruments for energy efficiency.
In addition to Šefčovič’s comments on what we might expect in the review, many stakeholders are pressing the Commission to look at the non-energy benefits such as improved productivity and improved employee health. The review of the EPBD and the “Smart Finance for Smart Buildings” the initiative is expected in early October 2016 as part of the Commission’s energy efficiency package.
Brexit – What are the Implications?
Brexit has sent shockwaves through Europe, created a constitutional crisis in the UK and sent financial markets into turmoil. The long-term economic consequences are being fiercely debated – but what are the implications of Brexit on sustainable buildings policy in the EU?
As the situation is so fluid, and negotiations have not yet even begun, it is difficult to ascertain the impact of Brexit on EU environmental and energy policy. However, the loss of the second largest EU economy, which has been a key driver in the EU’s low carbon policy making, is certainly not a positive move for the EU as a whole.
In response to the shock vote, the new United Nation’s new environment chief, Erik Solheim, has called for a post-Brexit UK to link with the EU on environment policy. In an interview with the Guardian, Solheim cites how Norway has worked closely with the EU on environmental law despite being outside the EU saying that “you can coordinate closely with the EU even if you’re outside it.”
The impact of Brexit on EU2020 and 2030 climate and energy targets is also unclear. The European Commission is due to propose emissions reduction goals for individual members of the EU-28 on July 20 so that the whole bloc can reach its headline targets. Although the UK will be party to negotiations and obliged to meet their targets until Brexit occurs, it remains to be seen whether remaining member states take on more stringent reductions post Brexit to uphold Europe’s headline goals and targets.
In short, the implications of Brexit are not yet known and it is only in the coming months as negotiations begin that a clearer picture of the implications will emerge.
ESCO Facts Sheet on the Construction Industry
GBCs and their members may be interested in the resource available on the European Construction Sector Observatory.
The ESCO produces detailed Country Fact Sheets (CFS) for each country. These CFS provide an analysis of key figures, economic drivers, issues and barriers, the national/regional policy and regulatory framework, and the current status and national strategy to meet Construction 2020 objectives.
11 countries have already been added to the database and it is expected that the remaining EU 28 will be added in late 2016.
European Environment Agency (EEA) Report on Resource Efficiency
In June 2016, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a report on Resource Efficiency which provides an overview of approaches to material resource efficiency and the circular economy across 32 European countries. The report aims to encourage countries to share information on the development of resource efficiency policies and increase understanding of policy approaches in these areas.
From 2000 to 2014, resource use in the EU-28 fell both in absolute terms (down by 12 %) and per person (from 15.5 to 13.1 tonnes per person) whilst resource productivity increased by 34 % between 2000 and 2014 . However, much of this is attributed to the economic crisis , leading to huge falls in material use.
When asked about the factors driving resource efficiency,most countries cited economic interest, environmental concerns and regulatory requirements as the most important factors . After manufacturing and agriculture and forestry, construction is the most frequently cited economic sector for material resource efficiency. 26 countries identified waste streams and secondary materials as the most common group of priority materials, with 16 countries citing construction and demolition waste as a key waste stream.
Individual country reports can be found here : http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/more-from-less/
Energy Union Governance to Include Building Renovation Reporting?
A recent article on Euractiv.com, suggests that the European Commission is considering incorporating renovation reporting into the governance framework of the Energy Union, in an attempt to better track the rate and depth of building renovation across the region.
According to the report, energy efficiency in buildings has been identified as a priority in fighting climate change and increasing energy security. There is concern amongst the executive that the current reporting framework isn’t robust enough to deliver results needed to increase the low renovation rate across Europe.
Widely accepted figures put the EU renovation rate of buildings at just 1%, yet there is some worry that the rate is not even 1% due to the lack of a common standard as to what constitutes renovation. This is coupled with the concern that the national renovation plans, under Article 4 of the EED, lack a common definition of renovation, making it difficult to compare data accurately.
A decision on this is expected later this year. The timing is particularly interesting considering the work many GBCs are doing with BUILD UPON which sees stakeholders across Europe working together to help countries overcome these issues and deliver strategies for renovating their existing buildings, by the 30 April 2017 EU deadline. Work at the BUILD UPON Leaders’ Summit will focus on what a ‘bottom-up’ governance framework for renovation strategies might look like, to coordinate and track implementation across actions from awareness raising to finance.
City Initiatives Merge in the Fight against Climate Change
The Covenant of Mayors – an EU initiative launched in 2008 involving 6,800 cities and regions in 57 countries – and the Compact of Mayors – a global coalition of mayors and city officials launched in 2014 by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are merging to create an alliance called the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy.
This single initiative will create the largest global coalition of cities committed to climate leadership, building on the commitments of more than 7,100 cities from 119 countries and six continents. Together the alliance will represent more than 600 million inhabitants, over 8% of the world’s population.
Since their respective launches, both initiatives have assisted and encouraged cities and local governments into setting emissions reduction goals, developing clean energy solutions whilst adapting to climate change impacts. It is hoped that combining the two initiatives will streamline and consolidate efforts to increase and capture the collective impact of city action and build even greater momentum for locally-led climate action.
The initiative will be co-chaired by European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, alongside UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg
Adaptation to Climate Change in European Cities in 2016
On July 5, the European Energy Agency (EEA) released a report on urban adaptation to climate change in Europe in 2016. This report provides an overview of what actions cities in Europe can take to adapt to climate change and progress made over the past few years.
In the report, the EEA says that cities now face a systematic challenge – they are becoming increasingly susceptible to climate change-related incidents (heatwaves, flooding etc) whilst at the same time becoming more vulnerable to socio-economic and demographic developments.
The EEA calls on regional, national and international bodies to create a framework that enables transformative adaptation by creating a culture of learning and sharing between European cities. Creating the knowledge base to facilitate this requires a systemic approach that integrates the socio-economic and demographic aspects of urban development.
The creation of this collaborative culture will also enable those cities who are lagging behind in adaptation to climate change to catch up with so-called ‘frontrunner’ cities who are ahead of the curve. Ultimately, the adaptation of these cities to climate change will make Europe a more attractive and climate-resilient place.
New REACH IT Tool
On June 21, a new version of the REACH-IT form, dossier submission, and communication tool, became available for companies to use. According to the press release, the new version is simpler to use, more intuitive and will be particularly useful in assisting SMEs in registering their chemicals for the last REACH registration deadline of 31 May 2018.
Spotlight on RenoWiki
Each month, energy efficient renovation initiatives from across Europe which have been uploaded to the RenoWiki will be featured here. Subscribers are invited to check these initiatives out, explore the RenoWiki and submit their own initiatives so we can share them!
Our favourite initiative this month is the EmBuild project in South-eastern Europe. EmBuild works with public authorities in towns and regions in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Germany in South Eastern Europe to prepare a long-term strategy for mobilising investment in energy efficient building renovation of public building stock