Lack of insulation, leaky windows, poor ventilation, coal-fired boiler – these are the buildings that may be an “energy vampire”. This is a problem for everyone. From residents who bear heating costs (and the health costs of poor ventilation and low temperatures), through neighbors who inhale pollution from the chimney, to everyone who indirectly suffers from pollution.
National building renovation plans, and now the updated EU Building Directive, aim to make building renovations easier and faster. Recently, many myths have arisen around EU regulations, and politicians have manipulated and used them to scare people during the election campaign. At the same time – as the results of a study commissioned by ING Bank Śląski show – most of us do not know what is actually in this directive.
62 percent respondents (we asked real estate owners and people who plan to buy them) rate their knowledge about thermal modernization as low, although most of them have already heard this term. Every third property owner has heard about the Building Directive (EPBD). There are no reliable sources of information, and we often get it from the Internet or from friends. That is why we check what is actually included in the adopted regulations.
Poland must introduce the Building Directive
The updated Building Directive is already in force (since the end of May), but its effects are not felt for us yet. This is because a directive is a type of European regulation that does not apply directly to us, but must be “translated” into national law.
This means two things. First, there is time before these regulations come into force (countries should introduce them into their laws within two years). Secondly, it gives some freedom as to what the law will look like in practice in each country. The directive sets goals, and the Polish government will now create specific measures to achieve them.
The main objective of the directive is – as its full name suggests – improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Whose renovations and replacement of heat sources so as to consume less energy, among others: for heating, get rid of pollutant emissions and improve the quality of life of residents.
New norms – what and for whom?
The entire text, translated into Polish, . However, the directive is long and complicated. Now the European Commission is working on official supporting materials that are intended to make it easier for governments to introduce the law in individual countries and facilitate the work of companies from the construction and renovation industry. At the conference, organized by the Fala Renowacji Association, officials also explained individual elements of the directive.
One of the most controversial issues is the introduction of minimum requirements for energy performance. In practice, the idea is that buildings must be renovated to a certain minimum level of energy efficiency. These regulations gave rise to the myth of “expropriation” in the event that someone does not meet these requirements for their home. However, this is not true – in the first proposal, the minimum requirements were actually supposed to also apply to residential buildings, but ultimately these provisions were deleted from the directive. Therefore, it does not introduce minimum energy performance requirements for residential buildings.
The renovation requirement is introduced for public buildings – so, for example, some schools or offices will have to be renovated and brought to an appropriate condition. However, there are exceptions, including: for monuments, parts of armed forces buildings, places of worship and buildings used temporarily.
When it comes to residential buildings, the directive does not introduce minimum requirements, but only a general target at the entire country level – to reduce primary energy consumption by 16%. by 2030. This can be achieved by supporting renovations and deep thermal modernization, but also by replacing heat sources (such as a coal furnace with a heat pump).
Zero-emission buildings and ready for solar panels
The directive introduces the obligation to install photovoltaic panels on parts of buildings – but only when it is technically possible, economically feasible and practical. Initially, this requirement will apply to new public and non-residential buildings with an area of more than 250 square meters.
In the second half of the 2030s, the requirement will cover existing public and non-residential buildings. By the end of 2029, this will be required for new residential buildings and new covered parking lots (which are adjacent to the building).
At the end of this decade, new buildings will have to be emission-free (this requirement will apply to public buildings from 2028 and residential buildings from 2030). What does it mean? New buildings will have to meet a high standard of energy efficiency and use solutions that ensure they are energy efficient. In zero-emission buildings, there cannot be any on-site greenhouse gas emissions – so heating cannot use gas or coal.
Moving away from gas in heating
The directive – contrary to another myth – does not introduce a hard ban on the use of existing gas stoves for heating. Starting next year, the state will no longer be able to subsidize the installation of stand-alone gas boilers, for example under the Clean Air program (a subsidy for an installation combining e.g. gas and a heat pump will still be possible). However, the use of gas heating will not be prohibited.
The directive calls for countries to act “to completely phase out fossil fuel boilers by 2040 at the latest.” However, as officials from the European Commission emphasize, this is an “aspirational goal” and does not impose a strict obligation to ban the use of gas for heating after this date. At the same time, it is known that sooner or later we have to move away from gas, and the steps on this path will be the end of subsidies for boilers or the end of installing them in new buildings.
These are the main, although not all, changes introduced by the directive. States should also require the installation of charging points for electric cars and the required number of bicycle parking spaces in new buildings and, over time, in existing public buildings. Also in new multi-family buildings there will be a requirement for parking spaces for bicycles and preparation of cabling for the installation of car chargers.
Source: Gazeta
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