“Ambition should meet affordability!”
Brussels, 12 October 2017 – The International Union of Property Owners acknowledges the need for ambitious energy transition objectives in the building stock, but warns against the potential impact on housing affordability of some of the provisions adopted in Parliament.
Yesterday, the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee voted on the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and gave a strong mandate to the Danish Rapporteur, MEP Bendt Bendtsen, to open inter-Institutional negotiations with the Council and the European Commission.
We recognise the tremendous work done by the Rapporteur and his fellow shadow MEPs to reach such broad support. Interesting new provisions have been introduced, notably, to promote advisory tools on renovation for citizens as well as to provide a more holistic district approach to achieve minimum energy efficiency obligations. Other amendments of the Parliament, including the ones on electromobility and on the development of the smartness indicator, are on the right track.
Yet, we still have concerns about the impact and practical implementation of some of the provisions adopted yesterday. Our society needs a holistic effort to decarbonise the building stock and not a definition that puts emphasis on energy efficiency to the detriment of renewable energy. Citizens need less red tape. The growing list of technical building systems that will have to comply with new efficiency, assessment and documentation obligations certainly does not go in that direction. Regular heating and cooling system inspections or the installation of expensive monitoring and control devices have prevailed over measures, such as advice mechanisms, despite the fact that they have proven to be effective alternatives.
Therefore, we strongly hope that these issues will be addressed during the Trialogue negotiations.
Emmanuelle Causse, Director of the International Union of Property Owners said:
“We want our homes and our buildings to be healthy and comfortable with minimum energy consumption, but not at all cost! The key to the success of a fair energy transition in the housing sector lies in cost-effective measures without generating unnecessary burdens for citizens. This is a necessary condition for affordability and wide acceptance of the efforts to be done.”
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