Renovation Wave Strategy

Improve the energy performance of buildings and creating jobs

The European Commission has published the 14th October 2020 its Renovation Wave Strategy to improve the energy performance of buildings and creating jobs. With this new strategy, the Commission aims to at least double the annual energy renovation rate of residential and non-residential buildings (currently 1% on average in the EU): by 2030, 35 million buildings could be renovated and up to 160,000 additional green jobs created in the construction sector.

To achieve the 55% emission reduction target for 2030 proposed by the Commission in September 2020, the EU should reduce buildings’ gas emissions by 60%, their energy consumption by 14% and energy consumption of heating and cooling by 18%.

Effective action is crucial to making Europe climate-neutral by 2050. So, the increased rate and depth of renovation will have to be maintained post 2030: currently, roughly 75% of the building stock is energy inefficient, yet almost 85-95% of the buildings that exist today will still be standing in 2050.

The Strategy especially prioritises action in three areas: tackling energy poverty and worst-performing buildings, renovation of public buildings, and decarbonisation of heating and cooling.

Here are some key points:

• Stronger regulations, standards and information on the energy performance of buildings to set better incentives for public and private sector renovations
• The review of the Renewable Energy Directive in June 2021 will consider strengthening the renewable heating and cooling target and introducing a minimum renewable energy level in buildings
• The Commission will propose by June 2021 the need to extend the scope of the requirements to all public administration levels and to increase the annual renovation obligation as part of the revision of the EED

Read the entire new European Commission strategy: A Renovation Wave for Europe – Greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives (COM(2020)662)