The EU is taking steps to power all properties and buildings to satisfy strict power effectivity requirements

From the NoTricksZone

By P Gosselin on March 15, 2023

The European Parliament just gave the green light to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on Tuesday (14 March).

The law would result in massive renovation costs for millions of homeowners already plagued by inflation and falling incomes as green energy and utility problems plague the continent. Where will the money come from?

First introduced in 2002, the directive has since been revised several times and aims to improve the overall energy performance of the national building stock through energy efficiency. The aim is to reduce “greenhouse gas” emissions.

The latest directive means building codes will be updated and higher rates of renovation will be enforced. It was adopted on March 14 with 343 votes in favour, 216 against and 78 abstentions. The latest version of the guideline is part of the “Fit for 55” climate package.

Parliament also wants to increase the number of households installing solar panels and phase out fossil fuel heating systems. European member states must adopt plans to phase out the use of fossil fuels in buildings by 2035.

35 million buildings affected

“An estimated 35 million buildings across Europe are affected by the planned new regulations,” reports Der Spiegel here. It is estimated that it would cost Germany alone €254 billion.

Advocates say citizens will benefit from lower energy bills and more jobs. It will also reduce Europe’s dependence on fuel imports from Russia, they claim.

The European Commission has a building energy performance scale for buildings ranging from A (best) to G (worst) efficiency.

The goal of the EU is to make every building CO2-neutral.

There is already widespread resistance

But with the vote in the EU Parliament, the plans have not yet been decided. The EU member states and the European Parliament still have to approve the targets before they can come into force.

“This is outrageous policymaking from the cuckoo’s land. That is neither affordable nor feasible,” said Haus&Grund boss Kai Warnecke of the Bild newspaper.

“There are differences between countries,” said Finnish centrist Marui Pekkarinen. “In some countries the proposal goes too high,” cites Finland as an example, where heating is largely decarbonized.

Critics warn of state bureaucracy and the associated administrative burden. Others are wondering how all this is going to be financed. Renovating old buildings to make them more energy-efficient means investing heavily in new windows, roofs, insulation and heating systems, which together can add up to tens of thousands of euros per residential unit. This would make many buildings and apartments “worthless”.

“A lot of European money available”

However, Green MEP Bas Eickhout pointed out: “There is a lot of European money available and it will help protect the climate, reduce energy costs, create jobs and reduce dependence on Russia. You should be in favor of it,” he said.

The costs come on top of the costs of the EU’s plans to force people to buy electric cars and phase out all fossil-fuel heating systems.

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