A coalition of organisations from the building sector is calling on the European Commission to implement action to improve the efficiency of buildings
The European Commission is being urged to implement a continent-wide strategy to improve the energy efficiency of building stock.
The call to action was brought by a coalition of businesses within the sector. The coalition wants the commission to set out a clear strategy for its 2050 vision that aligns with the EU’s 2030 energy and climate objectives.
Forty-two representatives from the EU building sector wrote a letter addressed to commission president Jean-Claude Junker and Vice-President Frans Timmermans. The contents called for a “Nearly Zero Energy” building stock by 2050, stating this would provide jobs and economic growth in line with the commitments set out in the Paris Agreement.
The letter stated: “It is clear that the Paris commitment cannot be honoured without drastically reducing energy consumption in our buildings; the EU building stock emits over one-third of our CO2 emissions, three-quarters of our buildings are inefficient, and up to four-fifths will still be in use in 2050.
“We need EU wide action to drive the transformation of our inefficient building stock and make it a resilient component of the energy system of the 21st century.”
It continued: “EU wide leadership and action in the construction and building sector will spur European jobs and growth (in particular for SMEs which make up 90 per cent of the construction sector).
“A high level political commitment for renovation will give industry the much needed signal and certainty to unlock investments, in turn removing some of the market failures.
“Most of all, making Europe’s buildings better through a mass EU-wide renovation movement will bring invaluable benefits to the whole of society by helping deliver something that every European citizen wants and deserves: a comfortable, safe and affordable home.”
