Less than three months before the European elections in June, Strasbourg is giving the green light to one of the most contested pillars of the Green Deal. Yesterday, Tuesday March 12, the European Chamber definitively approved the directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD), renamed in Italy “green houses directive”. The measure was adopted by a large majority: 370 votes for, 199 against and 46 abstentions. Among those who tried to reject the new directive, there are also the three main parties of the government majority in Italy – Fratelli d'Italia, Lega and Forza Italia – who speak of yet another “ecological madness desired by Brussels bureaucrats “. In fact, the new directive on energy efficiency in buildings represents one of the ways in which the European Union aims to reduce its emissions until reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. To date, in fact, Buildings are responsible for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. throughout the EU.
Energy consumption and renovations
One of the main innovations of the final text of the directive, which contains less ambitious objectives than the initial proposal from the European Commission, concerns the reduction of energy consumption. For residential buildings, the goal is to achieve a reduction of at least 16% by 2030 (compared to 2020 levels) and 20 to 22% by 2035. To achieve these goals, interventions which can be implemented are different: thermal insulation, replacement of lighting fixtures, installation of new boilers and above all renovation work. In fact, the EU is asking member countries to renovate – by 2030 – 16% of buildings with the worst energy performance. A percentage which will have to rise to 26% by 2033. To count progress in this area, it will also be necessary to count the renovations implemented from 2020. Good news for Italy, which can benefit from the thousands of construction sites started in the years of the 110% Superbonus.
No boiler bonus
The permanent cessation of the production and sale of boilers fired by fossil fuels will come into force in 2040. From next year, however, boilers running only on methane will no longer be able to benefit from incentives. Member States and local authorities will be able to offer bonuses and incentives to encourage consumers to opt for heating systems using a large amount of renewable energy, for example heat pumps or solar thermal.
New buildings and solar panels required
On the one hand, the efficiency of the most energy-consuming buildings, on the other, the construction of new, increasingly efficient buildings. From 2030, all new residential buildings built in EU countries will have to be zero-emission. For public administration buildings, the obligation starts in 2028. The new European directive also provides for the obligation to install solar panels on all new public and non-residential buildings. We will start at the end of 2026 with the largest buildings, that is to say those which have a useful covered area of more than 250 square meters. By 2030, the obligation will be extended to all public and non-residential buildings.
The financing puzzle
The sensitive point of the directive is economic coverage. The measure approved yesterday in Strasbourg does not provide for any specific allocation to be made available to member states. Ciarán Cuffe, Green MEP and rapporteur of the directive, specifies, however, that there are other tools available to governments to finance the necessary restructuring interventions: “There are cohesion funds, those of the Social Climate Fund and Pnrr funds. In my country (Ireland – ed.) a significant part of these resources was used for the renovation of buildings”, explains Cuffe in an interview with Republic.
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