The European Commission is giving guidance to Member States by introducing mandatory energy performance standards for older housing. Buildings classified as G and F in the energy performance certificate will have to be renovated by 2033 at the latest, whether they are public or private, residential, or not, rented or not.
If the energy saving work is not carried out, these properties affected could be banned from habitation. This measure would go beyond the French requirements as it would not distinguish between the rental sector and the owner-occupied stock. There are 35 million homes in Europe…
The European Commission also wants to speed up national building renovation plans to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions from the old building stock by 2050. And the roadmap should include the elimination of fossil fuels used in heating and cooling by 2040.
A law for every European country…
However, each European country speaks a different language when it comes to energy performance. Each country applies its own regulations: Climate Energy and Climate Resilience Acts in France, Energy White Paper in the UK, 110% Superbonus in Italy, etc.
Common features are shared for energy performance certificates and diagnostics: display of energy consumption, evaluation system, validity period, recommendations, etc.
With major differences in :
- The expression of energy consumption
- Minimum performance thresholds and labels
- The calculation method (with software and/or on invoices)
- The software used to perform the diagnosis
- The renovation strategy developed from the ECD.
… and a beautiful cacophony
Consumption is expressed in kWh/m²/year in France. In England, it is a scale from 0 to 100 in relation to a standard building. Class C in the French DPE is equivalent to class B in Flanders and Wallonia, to class E or F in Luxembourg, etc. There are 7 classes (from A to G) in France, 10 in Luxembourg, 12 in the Netherlands…
Criteria are added depending on the country: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), non-renewable energy sources, fossil fuels, etc. In the Netherlands, sub-categories have been created (A++, A+++…).
In addition to the format, the calculations are also disparate with two calculation methods for determining energy performance:
- The conventional consumption method (currently the 3CL method in France)
- The actual consumption method based on invoices (abolished in France in July 2021).
What is the timetable for European harmonisation?
The European Commission wants to harmonise the methodology of the energy performance certificate (DPE in France) by 2025. For the moment, the dossier is on the table of the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Theoretically, the text could be adopted by the first half of 2023. The directive will then have to be transposed into French law or the equivalent in other European countries. French law for example is already much more restrictive than in all other European countries.
The energy renovation of buildings is a noble and necessary cause. However, we should not give in to the green dictatorship. The economic reality for European households and investors is that it is very expensive. It is imperative to consider economic, technical, and financial realities. Considerably more support will be needed to achieve the performance and decarbonisation targets advocated by the European Community.
Real estate agents and property managers, through their associations, have a real voice to bring to the attention of the European authorities to urge them to be realistic.
Image source: European Commission
