MonitorEE

Buildings are currently considered to be in the eye of the storm due to the current standards imposed by Europe regarding energy matters. The Renovation Wave strategy developed by the European Commission, as part of the European Green Deal, has settled an action plan that establishes different measures to boost and accelerate building renovation. Its main goal is to double the annual energy renovation rate of buildings by 2030.

However, to achieve this, many European regions are still facing barriers such as: the lack of capabilities in the energy sector and the need for specific training; the high prices of construction materials and the increasing prices of energy; the lack of financial products available to face the upfront investments; and slow administrative procedures when dealing with grants and licences. These reasons, among others, develop in delays in the implementation of the European road map set for 2050, which foresees to reduce 80% of the GHG emissions.

At EU level, the Building Energy Performance Directive 2018/844/EU and the Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27 promote policies to help decarbonize the building stock by 2050 by (i) creating a stable environment for decision-making and (ii) enabling consumers to make better choices towards energy and economic savings. At national level, long-term renovation strategies have been developed.

At local and regional level, public authorities can also help achieve the new standards of buildings energy performance. Even if a lot of progress has been done and innovative solutions have been introduced, there is still a long way to go; not only regarding investments in energy but also in monitoring these investments to analyze the work done, compare the real savings to those estimated in the project phase, and to use this information in future investments with the aim of optimizing the leverage of public funds.