Directive EU 2018/844 - Energy performance of buildings

Directive Eu 2018/844 of the European Parliament and of the Concil of 30 May 2018

amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency

The new directive's objectives:

• making long-term building renovation strategies more effective, which should have clear and measurable targets for an ideally de-carbonised construction field and NZEB building pool by 2050
• consolidating the financial component and promoting private investment in the recovery of existing building stock
• support the development of infrastructure for electro-mobility
• raising the thresholds for mandatory inspections of heating and air-conditioning systems, relying on the contribution of automatic monitoring and control systems
• encourage the use of information technology for energy-efficient buildings to improve the transparency of the energy performance calculation methods defined by the Member States
• increase the role of users, informing them and protecting them from energy poverty.

Main changes addressed by the new Directive

1. Long-term renovation strategy

Each Member State shall establish a long-term renovation strategy to support the renovation of the national stock of residential and non-residential buildings, both public and private, into a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050, facilitating the cost-effective transformation of existing buildings into nearly zero-energy buildings. Each long-term renovation strategy shall be submitted in accordance with the applicable planning and reporting obligations and shall encompass:

1. an overview of the national building stock, based, as appropriate, on statistical sampling and expected share of renovated buildings in 2020;
2. the identification of cost-effective approaches to renovation relevant to the building type and climatic zone, considering potential relevant trigger points, where applicable, in the life-cycle of the building;
3. policies and actions to stimulate cost-effective deep renovation of buildings, including staged deep renovation, and to support targeted cost-effective measures and renovation for example by introducing an optional scheme for building renovation passports;
4. an overview of policies and actions to target the worst performing segments of the national building stock, split- incentive dilemmas and market failures, and an outline of relevant national actions that contribute to the alleviation of energy poverty;
5. policies and actions to target all public buildings;
6. an overview of national initiatives to promote smart technologies and well-connected buildings and communities, as well as skills and education in the construction and energy efficiency sectors;
7. an evidence-based estimate of expected energy savings and wider benefits, such as those related to health, safety and air quality

In its long-term renovation strategy, each Member State shall set out a roadmap with measures and domestically established measurable progress indicators, with a view to the long-term 2050 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Union by 80-95 % compared to 1990. The roadmap shall include indicative milestones for 2030, 2040 and 2050, and specify how they contribute to achieving the Union’s energy efficiency targets in accordance with Directive 2012/27/EU. To support the mobilisation of investments into the renovation needed to achieve the goals referred to in paragraph 1, Member States shall facilitate access to appropriate mechanisms for:

1. the aggregation of projects, including by investment platforms or groups, and by consortia of small and medium-sized enterprises, to enable investor access as well as packaged solutions for potential clients;
2. the reduction of the perceived risk of energy efficiency operations for investors and the private sector;
3. the use of public funding to leverage additional private-sector investment or address specific market failures;
4. guiding investments into an energy efficient public building stock, in line with Eurostat guidance;
5. accessible and transparent advisory tools, such as one-stop-shops for consumers and energy advisory services, on relevant energy efficiency renovations and financing instruments.

2. Technical building systems

Member States shall, for the purpose of optimising the energy use of technical building systems, set system requirements in respect of the overall energy performance, the proper installation, and the appropriate dimensioning, adjustment and control of the technical building systems which are installed in existing buildings. Member States may also apply these system requirements to new buildings. System requirements shall be set for new, replacement and upgrading of technical building systems and shall be applied in so far as they are technically, economically and functionally feasible. Member States shall require new buildings, where technically and economically feasible, to be equipped with self- regulating devices for the separate regulation of the temperature in each room or, where justified, in a designated heated zone of the building unit. In existing buildings, the installation of such self-regulating devices shall be required when heat generators are replaced, where technically and economically feasible.

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3. Electromobility

With regard to new non-residential buildings and non-residential buildings undergoing major renovation, with more than ten parking spaces, Member States shall ensure the installation of at least one recharging point within the meaning of Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and ducting infrastructure, namely conduits for electric cables, for at least one in every five parking spaces to enable the installation at a later stage of recharging points for electric vehicles where:

• the car park is located inside the building or
• the car park is physically adjacent to the building

Member States shall provide for measures in order to simplify the deployment of recharging points in new and existing residential and non-residential buildings and address possible regulatory barriers, including permitting and approval procedures, without prejudice to the property and tenancy law of the Member States.

4. Smart readiness indicator

Member States shall ensure that, when a technical building system is installed, replaced or upgraded, the overall energy performance of the altered part, and where relevant, of the complete altered system, is assessed. The results shall be documented and passed on to the building owner, so that they remain available and can be used for the verification of compliance with the minimum requirements laid down and the issue of energy performance certificates. The Commission shall, by 31 December 2019, adopt a delegated act supplementing this Directive by establishing an optional common Union scheme for rating the smart readiness of buildings. The rating shall be based on an assessment of the capabilities of a building or building unit to adapt its operation to the needs of the occupant and the grid and to improve its energy efficiency and overall performance.

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5. Inspection of heating systems

Member States shall lay down the necessary measures to establish regular inspections of the accessible parts of heating systems or of systems for combined space heating and ventilation, with an effective rated output of over 70 kW, such as the heat generator, control system and circulation pump(s) used for heating buildings. The inspection shall include an assessment of the efficiency and sizing of the heat generator compared with the heating requirements of the building and, where relevant, consider the capabilities of the heating system or of the system for combined space heating and ventilation to optimise its performance under typical or average operating conditions. Where no changes have been made to the heating system or to the system for combined space heating and ventilation or to the heating requirements of the building following an inspection carried out pursuant to this paragraph, Member States may choose not to require the assessment of the heat generator sizing to be repeated. Technical building systems that are explicitly covered by an agreed energy performance criterion or a contractual arrangement specifying an agreed level of energy efficiency improvement, such as energy performance contracting, or that are operated by a utility or network operator and therefore subject to performance monitoring measures on the system side, shall be exempt from the requirements above.

6. Building automation and control systems

Member States shall lay down requirements to ensure that, where technically and economically feasible, non- residential buildings with an effective rated output for heating systems or systems for combined space heating and ventilation of over 290 kW are equipped with building automation and control systems by 2025.

The building automation and control systems shall be capable of:

1. continuously monitoring, logging, analysing and allowing for adjusting energy use;
2. benchmarking the building’s energy efficiency, detecting losses in efficiency of technical building systems, and informing the person responsible for the facilities or technical building management about opportunities for energy efficiency improvement;
3. allowing communication with connected technical building systems and other appliances inside the building, and being interoperable with technical building systems across different types of proprietary technologies, devices and manufacturers.

Member States may lay down requirements to ensure that residential buildings are equipped with:

• the functionality of continuous electronic monitoring that measures systems’ efficiency and informs building owners or managers when it has fallen significantly and when system servicing is necessary;
• effective control functionalities to ensure optimum generation, distribution, storage and use of energy.

Terms and applicability

Within 20 months of publication in the GU, Member States will have to implement the new rules with specific legislative measures, develop long-term national plans to support the efficient renovation of both public and private buildings, so as to ensure that emissions in the EU are reduced by 80-85% compared to 1990 levels. In this respect, Member States are required to establish a roadmap with measurable progress and indicators, with indicative milestones for 2030, 2040 and 2050, established at national level in view of the long-term objective for 2050 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Union by 80-95% compared to 1990. It should be remembered that today about 40% of final energy consumption in the Old Continent depends on construction.

Useful definitions

A de-carbonised real estate park: the process of changing the carbon-hydrogen ratio in the energy sources present in a group of buildings implemented through policies to reduce CO2 emissions or through the conversion of activities that produce CO2 into activities that do not produce or produce less CO2. NZEB buildings: Nearly Zero Energy Building. Buildings with very high energy performances that minimise consumption linked to heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, production of domestic hot water, using energy from renewable sources, passive heating and cooling elements, shading systems and guaranteeing suitable indoor air quality and adequate natural lighting in accordance with the architectural characteristics of the building. Technical building systems: technical equipment for space heating, space cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water, built-in lighting, building automation and control, on-site electricity generation, or a combination thereof, including those systems using energy from renewable sources, of a building or building unit. Building automation and control system: a system comprising all products, software and engineering services that can support energy efficient, economical and safe operation of technical building systems through automatic controls and by facilitating the manual management of those technical building systems.