1 - EPBD – What does that mean?

The EPBD is the European Directive on the Energy Performances of Buildings. The European Directive 2002/91/EC on energy performance of buildings came into force on 16 December 2002 and requires implementation in the legislation of the 15 present Member States by 4 January 2006. Overall energy performance improvements including better insulation, improved efficiency of heating/cooling systems and energy generation systems are key objectives of the Directive.

2 - Why is the EPBD connected to the climate change debate?

Energy use in the building sector accounts for more than 40% of Europe’s CO₂ emissions. To put this into context, this is more than all forms of transport put together. The Directive is an important first step for the European Union to reaching its commitment made under the Kyoto Agreement. The EU has committed itself to reducing CO₂-emissions relative to the base year 1990 by 8 percent till 2008-2012.

3 - Why is acting in buildings so important?

Not only do buildings account for more than 40% of all CO2 emissions in the EU, but reducing emissions from this sector through insulation offers a triple dividend by:

• providing a cost-effective measure to combat climate change;
• reducing energy consumption and therefore reducing Europe’s dependence on foreign energy supplies and the European economy’s vulnerability to increases in world energy prices;
• creating value-added jobs here in Europe, particularly through retrofitting.

5 - Which buildings fall under the EPBD?

The Directive aims at improving the overall energy efficiency of new buildings. Large existing buildings (>1,000m²) become a target as soon as they undergo significant renovation. Existing buildings are subject to the Directive if the total useful floor size exceeds 1,000m² and an investment in renovation exceeds 25% of the building value (without land) or 25% of the building envelope is subject to renovation.

6 - Why is the EPBD not sufficient?

The Directive’s focus is on new buildings although it also proposes certain measures that encourage energy efficiency improvements for existing large buildings (greater than 1,000m²). However, these regulations only tap into a fraction of the potential that exists to reduce emissions from buildings, e.g. through proper insulation measures, as the Directive does not cover the huge emission reduction potential that lies in renovating smaller residential buildings, e.g. by installing thermal insulation measures such as mineral wool (stone and glass wool).

Although the EPBD provides a good framework for new and large buildings, the majority of emissions come from existing small buildings. In fact, the residential sector represents  the main contributor to CO₂ emissions from the EU building stock as it accounts for 77% of all emissions. Hence, the most significant area for reducing emissions from buildings lies outside the current EU rules.

7 - Why is the cooling demand significantly connected to insulation?

As cooling demands become increasingly important in southern European countries so does the prevalence of air-conditioning, causing energy consumption to increase. The Directive responded to this problem, with provisions for regular maintenance of air-conditioners to ensure a minimum standard on energy efficiency. However with air-conditioning sales in Europe growing by 10% per year and the heat waves of 2003 expected to push this figure up to 20%, these measures are not sufficient.

The ECOFYS report shows that proper energy efficiency measures can be make a significant impact on reducing the cooling demand. This is particularly true in warm climatic zones, where the cooling demand can be reduced drastically by a combination of lowering the internal heat loads and improved insulation. For example, when the heat loads in the exemplary investigated row house located in Madrid is lowered to a moderate level, the cooling demand can be additionally reduced by improved insulation by 85%).

8 - What needs to be done to capture the full potential?

Extending EU rules to cover all buildings could technically lead to a five-fold decrease in CO2 emissions as up to 90% of the potential to reduce emissions from buildings lies outside the current EU rules.
 
Proper insulation in all buildings in Europe could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector alone by 370 million tonnes* – this is more than the total EU commitment made in Kyoto. In fact, implementing proper insulation for all buildings in Europe would achieve even more than the emission reductions agreed in Kyoto.

*The 370 million tonnes describe the technical potential in buildings for energy savings under the assumption that all buildings in Europe would be properly insulated according to recent insulation standards without assessing the actual feasibility from a government or financial perspective.

9 - Which European countries have the biggest saving potential?

Eurima has tracked the development of thermal insulation standards for the past 20 years. Given their climatic conditions, northern countries have always had much higher levels of insulation thickness in walls and roofs. A more complex picture emerges when both population sizes and the effect of degree-days - essentially the number of days during the year when heating is required in each country - are taken into account when comparing energy emissions.

Sweden, for example, has the best-insulated buildings in Europe. If Swedish standards were applied across Europe, energy savings in excess of 50 per cent could be achieved.

There still is potential for improvements in northern Europe, but massive emission reductions can be achieved by focussing on central and southern Europe, e.g. Italy - Europe’s energy loss leader representing 17.5 per cent of the total annual energy loss from dwellings - where wall and roof insulation thickness has not increased since 1982, accounting for 86,000 million tonnes per year of CO2 emissions.

10 - What are typical insulation measures for residential buildings?

There are different materials that can be used for insulating buildings. Mineral wool (stone and glass wool) is used in a wide range of applications that harness its impressive thermal and acoustic insulation properties, as well as providing fire protection. By volume, the largest market segment for mineral wool use is in insulating buildings: residential, commercial and industrial.
Substantial cost savings can be made from correctly insulating buildings. Common applications for buildings include loft, wall and flat roof insulation as well as the insulation of heating systems and hot and cold water services.

11 - What is the actual energy loss by country in Europe?

The following tables provide an insight to the actual CO2 emissions and energy losses per country. The major areas of improving insulation in buildings are in walls and roofs.

Related file: energy_loss_by_country_in_EU.pdf

12 - About ECOFYS

ECOFYS is Europe’s leading research institutes for energy efficiency with offices in Utrecht, Cologne, Neurenburg, Berlin, Bristol, Poznan, Barcelona und Brussels.

ECOFYS is organised around the following expert groups: Energy for Buildings, Energy Strategy, Renewable Energy Projects and Sustainable Energy Products.

ECOFYS is part of the Econcern group. For further information, please visit: www.ecofys.com

13 - About EURIMA

EURIMA is the European Association of Insulation Manufacturers and represents the interests of all major mineral wool producers throughout Europe. EURIMA members manufacture a wide range mineral wool products for the thermal and acoustic insulation and fire protection of domestic and commercial buildings and industrial facilities.

EURIMA was established in 1959 to promote improved standards and regulations for the use of insulation materials. More recently it has developed to reflect the growing environmental concerns of society. Better standards of thermal insulation offer a practicable and cost-effective means of reducing C02 emissions. EURIMA is therefore committed to an open dialogue with European regulators, authorities and other interested stakeholders, in the development of environmental policy in general, and in C02 emission reduction in particular. To find out more, please visit: www.eurima.org  or contact: 

Eurima
Avenue Louise 375, Box 4
1050 Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2 626 2090
Fax: +32 (0)2 626 2099
info@eurima.org
www.eurima.org