The World Green Building Council (GBC) today urged the European Commission not to water down its proposals on energy efficiency in buildings – which are responsible for more than a third of overall emissions in Europe.
The Council's Europe Regional Network, which brings together bodies representing the green building industry from across European countries, said that energy efficiency requirements would be good for business, providing new green jobs, as well as cutting carbon.
The European Commission's Energy Efficiency Plan published in March this year, outlined proposals to require public authorities to improve the energy efficiency of at least 3% of their buildings each year and said that “each refurbishment should bring the building up to the level of the best 10% of the national building stock”.
However, the latest draft of the Energy Efficiency Directive appears to have watered down this aspiration, instead suggesting renovations should only be done to minimum energy performance requirements.
Paul King, Chair of the World GBC Europe Regional Network said: “We are very concerned that the Commission seems to be watering down its aim to retrofit public buildings to the highest standards.
“Emissions from buildings make up 36% of the EU’s CO2 emissions, and publicly owned or occupied buildings represent a significant proportion of EU building stock. The public sector must lead by example.
“The European Commission must grasp this opportunity to set ambitious retrofit targets, which would not only tackle carbon emissions, but also be good for public purse through reduced energy bills and create a massive boost for green jobs across the region.”
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