Considerations on COM(2001)226 - Energy performance of buildings - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2001)226 - Energy performance of buildings. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2001)226  |
| date | December 16, 2002 |
(2) The natural resources, to the prudent and rational utilisation of which Article 174 of the Treaty refers, include oil products, natural gas and solid fuels, which are essential sources of energy but also the leading sources of carbon dioxide emissions.
(3) Increased energy efficiency constitutes an important part of the package of policies and measures needed to comply with the Kyoto Protocol and should appear in any policy package to meet further commitments.
(4) Demand management of energy is an important tool enabling the Community to influence the global energy market and hence the security of energy supply in the medium and long term.
(5) In its conclusions of 30 May 2000 and of 5 December 2000, the Council endorsed the Commission's action plan on energy efficiency and requested specific measures in the building sector.
(6) The residential and tertiary sector, the major part of which is buildings, accounts for more than 40 % of final energy consumption in the Community and is expanding, a trend which is bound to increase its energy consumption and hence also its carbon dioxide emissions.
(7) Council Directive 93/76/EEC of 13 September 1993 to limit carbon dioxide emissions by improving energy efficiency (SAVE)(5), which requires Member States to develop, implement and report on programmes in the field of energy efficiency in the building sector, is now starting to show some important benefits. However, a complementary legal instrument is needed to lay down more concrete actions with a view to achieving the great unrealised potential for energy savings and reducing the large differences between Member States' results in this sector.
(8) Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21 December 1988 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to construction products(6) requires construction works and their heating, cooling and ventilation installations to be designed and built in such a way that the amount of energy required in use will be low, having regard to the climatic conditions of the location and the occupants.
(9) The measures further to improve the energy performance of buildings should take into account climatic and local conditions as well as indoor climate environment and cost-effectiveness. They should not contravene other essential requirements concerning buildings such as accessibility, prudence and the intended use of the building.
(10) The energy performance of buildings should be calculated on the basis of a methodology, which may be differentiated at regional level, that includes, in addition to thermal insulation other factors that play an increasingly important role such as heating and air-conditioning installations, application of renewable energy sources and design of the building. A common approach to this process, carried out by qualified and/or accredited experts, whose independence is to be guaranteed on the basis of objective criteria, will contribute to a level playing field as regards efforts made in Member States to energy saving in the buildings sector and will introduce transparency for prospective owners or users with regard to the energy performance in the Community property market.
(11) The Commission intends further to develop standards such as EN 832 and prEN 13790, also including consideration of air-conditioning systems and lighting.
(12) Buildings will have an impact on long-term energy consumption and new buildings should therefore meet minimum energy performance requirements tailored to the local climate. Best practice should in this respect be geared to the optimum use of factors relevant to enhancing energy performance. As the application of alternative energy supply systems is generally not explored to its full potential, the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of alternative energy supply systems should be considered; this can be carried out once, by the Member State, through a study which produces a list of energy conservation measures, for average local market conditions, meeting cost-effectiveness criteria. Before construction starts, specific studies may be requested if the measure, or measures, are deemed feasible.
(13) Major renovations of existing buildings above a certain size should be regarded as an opportunity to take cost-effective measures to enhance energy performance. Major renovations are cases such as those where the total cost of the renovation related to the building shell and/or energy installations such as heating, hot water supply, air-conditioning, ventilation and lighting is higher than 25 % of the value of the building, excluding the value of the land upon which the building is situated, or those where more than 25 % of the building shell undergoes renovation.
(14) However, the improvement of the overall energy performance of an existing building does not necessarily mean a total renovation of the building but could be confined to those parts that are most relevant for the energy performance of the building and are cost-effective.
(15) Renovation requirements for existing buildings should not be incompatible with the intended function, quality or character of the building. It should be possible to recover additional costs involved in such renovation within a reasonable period of time in relation to the expected technical lifetime of the investment by accrued energy savings.
(16) The certification process may be supported by programmes to facilitate equal access to improved energy performance; based upon agreements between organisations of stakeholders and a body appointed by the Member States; carried out by energy service companies which agree to commit themselves to undertake the identified investments. The schemes adopted should be supervised and followed up by Member States, which should also facilitate the use of incentive systems. To the extent possible, the certificate should describe the actual energy-performance situation of the building and may be revised accordingly. Public authority buildings and buildings frequently visited by the public should set an example by taking environmental and energy considerations into account and therefore should be subject to energy certification on a regular basis. The dissemination to the public of this information on energy performance should be enhanced by clearly displaying these energy certificates. Moreover, the displaying of officially recommended indoor temperatures, together with the actual measured temperature, should discourage the misuse of heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems. This should contribute to avoiding unnecessary use of energy and to safeguarding comfortable indoor climatic conditions (thermal comfort) in relation to the outside temperature.
(17) Member States may also employ other means/measures, not provided for in this Directive, to encourage enhanced energy performance. Member States should encourage good energy management, taking into account the intensity of use of buildings.
(18) Recent years have seen a rise in the number of air-conditioning systems in southern European countries. This creates considerable problems at peak load times, increasing the cost of electricity and disrupting the energy balance in those countries. Priority should be given to strategies which enhance the thermal performance of buildings during the summer period. To this end there should be further development of passive cooling techniques, primarily those that improve indoor climatic conditions and the microclimate around buildings.
(19) Regular maintenance of boilers and of air-conditioning systems by qualified personnel contributes to maintaining their correct adjustment in accordance with the product specification and in that way will ensure optimal performance from an environmental, safety and energy point of view. An independent assessment of the total heating installation is appropriate whenever replacement could be considered on the basis of cost-effectiveness.
(20) The billing, to occupants of buildings, of the costs of heating, air-conditioning and hot water, calculated in proportion to actual consumption, could contribute towards energy saving in the residential sector. Occupants should be enabled to regulate their own consumption of heat and hot water, in so far as such measures are cost effective.
(21) In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty, general principles providing for a system of energy performance requirements and its objectives should be established at Community level, but the detailed implementation should be left to Member States, thus allowing each Member State to choose the regime which corresponds best to its particular situation. This Directive confines itself to the minimum required in order to achieve those objectives and does not go beyond what is necessary for that purpose.
(22) Provision should be made for the possibility of rapidly adapting the methodology of calculation and of Member States regularly reviewing minimum requirements in the field of energy performance of buildings with regard to technical progress, inter alia, as concerns the insulation properties (or quality) of the construction material, and to future developments in standardisation.
(23) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(7).