Renovation Wave
![Prioritising grants to renovate the worst-performing buildings, often occupied by vulnerable consumers, will yield both climate and social benefits.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/07/shutterstock_1840650079-800x450.jpg)
Buildings decarbonisation can make or break the Green Deal
Est. 6minBuildings and transport are the two most crucial sectors to decarbonise to meet EU’s 2030 climate targets. However, they are also have the most directly affect on EU citizens in their daily lives, as the choice to undertake energy renovations …
![Inadequate living and working environments can trigger a wide range of different health issues: from respiratory and skin problems, headaches and allergies, to serious mental health concerns and life-threatening heat or cold indoor temperatures.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/04/shutterstock_2160734837-800x450.jpg)
Putting people first: why healthy buildings matter
Est. 5minAs member states prepare to ramp up the building renovation rate, there is an unprecedented opportunity to hardwire health aspects into the built environment. The brand-new edition of the Healthy Buildings Barometer maps why and how health, energy and climate …
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Climate friendly Paris Olympic Games focused on low carbon, repurposed construction
Est. 5minThe Paris Olympic Games have opted for low-carbon construction and the repurposing of existing facilities for its sports infrastructure. The target is to produce half the emissions of the Rio and London games.
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Paris Olympic Village getting climate fit for 2050
Est. 5minParis is getting climate fit for July's Olympic Games. The Olympic Village is vaunted as an experimental model showcasing adaptations France needs for 2050's climate shift, and Olympic athletes could be modelling future living for the rest of Europe.
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German liberals signal discontent with new EU green buildings law
Est. 3minA newly-adopted compromise on the EU’s new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is already being met with some scepticism from German lawmakers, who fear that the law will interfere with domestic rules.
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EU agrees 2040 fossil boiler ban in revamped green buildings law
Est. 6minFossil fuel boilers will need to be completely phased out by 2040 and subsidies cut from 2025 as part of a political agreement reached by EU legislators on Thursday evening (7 December) to revamp the bloc’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
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EU’s contested green buildings law limps towards the finishing line
Est. 4minNegotiations on the EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) are expected to conclude on Thursday evening (7 December), with EU countries set to dilute a proposed mandate to make renovations mandatory.
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How innovation is shaping the future of building renovations
Est. 5minEfficient buildings save energy, money and climate-wrecking emissions. As EU negotiators prepare to hammer out an agreement on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), it is important to highlight that significant innovation is underway in the sector, writes Adrian Joyce.
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Out of sight, out of mind: let’s make energy efficiency visible in the energy mix
Est. 7minEnergy use and energy efficiency are inextricably linked, with energy efficiency being one of the main factors for explaining changes in energy consumption. Just look at the residential building stock, where changes in heating consumption may be explained by changes …
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Legislators water down EU buildings directive after marathon talks
Est. 4minLawmakers made headway during a marathon negotiating session on Friday (13 October) to overhaul the EU’s buildings directive, but progress came at the cost of the proposal’s core mechanism to introduce mandatory renovation benchmarks.
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German industry launches last-minute bid to salvage EU buildings law
Est. 4minGermany’s two most influential business associations, BDEW and BDI, have launched a last-minute push in support of the EU buildings directive, in a bid to persuade lawmakers to adopt an ambitious stance on housing renovation.
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As Europe Gets Hotter, Insulation Keeps You Cool
Est. 6minTo quote a popular song from the early 2000s, ‘it’s getting hot in here’. But, unlike the people in the song, most of us don’t have the option of taking off all our clothes. Instead, we need to find other …
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A Reliable Metre to Accurately Demonstrate a Home’s Energy Efficiency
Est. 7minThe challenge with any energy efficient renovation project is demonstrating performance. How do you know that the renovation delivers the promised energy savings? Barry Lynham is Managing Director and Quentin Galland is Public & Regulatory Affairs Director at Knauf Insulation. To answer …
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Buildings directive: German NGOs pressure Berlin to back obligatory renovations
Est. 3minGerman civil society has asked Berlin to back a controversial European Commission proposal to make renovating worst-performing buildings obligatory before buildings directive negotiations continue after the summer.
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‘Deep’ renovations needed to meet climate goals, French industry warns
Est. 5minBuilding renovation needs to be full-scale, particularly regarding residential housing, which too often only focuses on heat-related upgrades, the industry said in reaction to recent government initiatives.
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Renovation rates in Germany collapse amid spiralling costs
Est. 5minHigh interest rates and a surge in material costs have seen Germany’s pace of construction falter, prompting industry concerns at a time when talks on EU renovation initiatives are stalling.
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Parliament adopts position on EU’s green construction product rules
Est. 4minThe European Parliament passed new rules on Tuesday (12 July) to standardise construction products in the EU, amid criticism from the Greens who say the law does nothing to transform the industry.
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As EU makes strides, German energy efficiency law continues to stall
Est. 6minWhile EU lawmaking progresses at a breakneck pace, government infighting in Germany has stalled a revised energy efficiency law for over a year, adding a failed parliament vote to its list of woes.
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France announces more financing for energy renovations
Est. 5minFrench Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Sunday (9 July) that the government would release an additional €7 billion from 2024 to finance the green transition, part of which will be allocated to energy renovations.
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Heat pump ‘readiness indicator’ to evaluate savings for consumers
Est. 5minEurope’s power system will face additional strain in winter as the electrification of heating progresses, making the renovation of buildings an essential element to reduce strain on the electricity grid and optimise the performance of heat pumps.
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Key Parliament committee backs industry-friendly revamp of EU construction product rules
Est. 5minA reform of the rules governing the EU’s trade in construction products has won crucial backing from the European Parliament’s internal market committee, but with environmentalists complaining it was too soft on industry demands.
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Heritage advocates ‘vigilant’ over revised EU green buildings law
Est. 6minA proposed update of the EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive could threaten Europe's cultural heritage, lawmakers and associations have warned, drawing attention to the thousands of unlisted buildings which could potentially fall under the directive's renovation obligation.
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Slovakia continues with house renovation wave
Est. 2minThe Slovak Environmental Agency launched the submission of applications in the third call of the Renew House programme on Monday morning.
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EU Parliament agrees position on buildings law despite pushback
Est. 6minThe European Parliament approved its stance on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on Tuesday (14 March), setting out a more ambitious position ahead of negotiations with EU countries.