Reasoned opinions sent to additional Member States

On October 12th, the European Commission has sent reasoned opinions to an additional 9 Member States, related to delays in notification of legislation to transpose the EPBD. It means that a total of 15 countries have so far received reasoned opinions from the EC and this clearly indicates that the implementation phase of the EPBD is far from finalised and not a problem of a few individual countries. Probably, there are a whole range for reasons which can explain the delay in implementation, e.g. non-availability of technical procedures, lack of sufficient inspectors, difficulties to come to a political agreement at the level of the Member States,…
Even if the national context is each time different, there surely are similar problems in many Member States.
We are convinced that the discussions within the CA can contribute to an accelerated and more qualitative implementation process.

Eduardo Maldonado, CA coordinator

Next webzine issue: November 2006. All contributions welcome.
Deadline to submit your proposal: 24 November 2006.

EPBD implementation : European Commission sends Reasoned Opinions to 9 Member States

On October 12th the European Commission sent reasoned opinions - the last step before lodging a formal complaint with the Court of Justice - to Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, Spain and the United Kingdom for failure to notify adequate national implementing measures as required in the 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The aim of the Directive is to reduce energy consumption in buildings by obliging Member States to lay down minimum energy performance standards and apply them for new buildings and for larger existing buildings. It is thus an important part of EU legislation aimed at improving overall energy efficiency.

Saving 20% by 2020: European Commission unveils its Action Plan on Energy Efficiency

As a major step toward meeting the unprecedented energy challenges facing the EU, the European Commission presented its Energy Efficiency Action Plan on October 19. The Plan contains a package of priority measures covering a wide range of cost-effective energy efficiency initiatives. These include actions to make energy appliances, buildings, transport and energy generation more efficient. Stringent new energy efficiency standards, promotion of energy services and specific financing mechanisms to support more energy-efficient products are being proposed. Furthermore, the Commission will establish a Covenant of Mayors of the 20-30 most pioneering cities in Europe and will propose an international agreement on energy efficiency. Altogether, over 75 measures are set forth.

EU Action plan launch press event:
EU Commissioner Andris Piebalgs used School Energy Certificate as best practice example

On the occasion of the launch of the EU Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, EU Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs presented an energy certificate for a European School in Brussels to the school's headmaster during a press event on 19 October 2006. The Commissioner, assisted by the well-known comic character BOB the Builder, emphasised to the audience (nursery school pupils and the attending journalists) the importance of increasing energy efficiency in all kinds of buildings throughout Europe. He advised the kids to check whether the light is switched off when they leave their classroom. Piebalgs also informed the headmaster that an energy-related retrofit of the older parts of the school - through better insulation, more efficient energy service and lighting systems and a more energy-sensitive user behaviour on the part of the pupils and teachers - offers a saving potential of more than 50% compared to the current energy consumption.
The Energy Certificate was issued by Fraunhofer-IBP.

Author: H.Erhorn (IBP)

France: In September 2006 the Government published regulations which define how the energy performance certificate applies when dwellings or buildings are sold

The energy performance certificate will label both of the following aspects :
the energy consumption of the dwelling or building;
the impact of this consumption on the greenhouse effect.
Energy consumption will be calculated according to either one of the declared assessment methods or operational rating based on invoices (consumption recorded over the 3 last years). The certificate will also include technical recommendations for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance, so that the owner will be able to identify the most effective works for saving energy.
Certification will be compulsory from 1 November 2006, when dwellings or buildings are sold in France (excepting overseas territories). From then on, the certificate will have to be made available to the owner and by the owner to each prospective buyer, from the time the building (or a part of the building) is put up for sale.
Laws and regulations are available on 2 websites:
French Ministry of Labour, Social Cohesion and Housing : www.logement.gouv.fr
French portal for official law publications: www.legifrance.gouv.fr

Author: P.Viola (DGUHC)

Germany: Government agrees on certification procedure

The 3 competent ministers in the German government have agreed, after several months of ongoing internal discussions, to the energy certification procedure in order to get the implementation of the EPBD on track. The discord between the Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (ministry in charge), the Ministry of Economics and Technology and the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety had focused mainly on the certification procedure for small houses (measured or calculated). The compromise adopted is based on the idea of allowing every building owner as much freedom of choice as possible, while ensuring the best possible quality of the certificate. Now that an agreement has been reached, it is expected that the implementation process will be finalised soon.

Author: H.Erhorn (IBP)

Germany: Government starts with the public display of energy certificates in the governmental buildings

During the German government's 2006 open-door days, Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee unveiled the first energy certificate for one of his ministry's own buildings.

He mentioned that most of the government-owned buildings in Berlin will be certified during the coming few months, and the certificates will be prominently displayed at the building entrances.

Author: H.Erhorn (IBP)

Italy: Changes in the EPBD transposition

A new bill concerning the transposition of EPBD is in the approval phase at the Italian Ministry of Productive Activities. The main changes in the new text concern the progressive extension of energy certification to existing buildings, after having been limited to renovation in the Legislative Decree no. 192 of August 2005. Another novelty is a new list of minimum performance values, where the limits foreseen to enter into effect as of 1-1-2009 have been moved up to 2008, and new, even more stringent limits are set for energy performance starting on 1-1-2010. The indicator for non-residential buildings is now expressed in kWh/m3 of building volume. The certification will start after publication of the new Decree, using existing methods (heating and DHW), until the governmental guidelines come into force.

Author: M.Antinucci (ECUBA)

Ireland: EPBD Implementation Group publishes Building Energy Rating (BER)
Assessor Training Specification

The EPBD Implementation Group is an interdepartmental group which is responsible for implementing the EPBD in Ireland. On 6 October 2006, the Group published a training specification for Building Energy Rating (BER) Assessor Training Programmes for new dwellings. It is required that all potential assessors complete and pass a training programme meeting this specification, which would include the following minimum criteria:
Training provider must be accredited by a national accreditation body;
Training programme must be validated by a national accreditation body;
Training programme must meet the requirements set out in the training specification.
The key focus of this approach is on verified learning outcome.
A number of the perceived advantages to this approach are set out below:
It is flexible and allows for training programmes to be tailored to meet the needs of a number of groups with varying qualifications and experience;
It is inclusive and any training provider could potentially provide the training once they meet the specified requirements;
Training providers can choose the accreditation model they prefer;
Geographical spread is maximised;
It is a cost-effective and open-market approach to training.

From 1 January 2007, Building Energy Ratings will be required for new dwellings which have applied for planning permission on or after 1 July 2006. Training programmes therefore need to be in place by the end of 2006 to meet this requirement. A number of professional, educational and private bodies have declared an interest in delivering training courses for assessors.

Author: P.Rice (sei)

Paris - 27-28 November 2006: Workshop on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
Meeting the G8 Gleneagles Challenge. IEA,

Approximately 40% of all the energy consumption in OECD is used in buildings. The IEA workshop on November 27-28 will look globally at potentials, indicators, technologies, barriers, policies and best practices to reduce energy consumption in buildings.
The workshop will include presentations from different parts of OECD and it aims to facilitate discussions among important policy makers and stake holders in ministries, industries, institutions and organisations.
The workshop will draw up recommendations for actions for the next meeting among the IEA ministers and it will deliver input to the ongoing work with the G8 Gleneagles Action Plan.

Registration: Ch.Boutry (IEA)

Brussels - 29 January-2 February 2007: EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW)

"Take a week to change tomorrow" is the title given to this initiative within the Sustainable Energy Europe Campaign 2005-2008. The message of this campaign is a powerful one, with the goal being to raise awareness and change the energy landscape. The EUSEW is being implemented in cooperation with major stakeholders in the sustainable energy sector, such as IEEA and EPBD Buildings Platform, which will organise specific tracks dedicated to the follow-up of the EPBD implementation.

Author: D.Langendries (EPBD Buildings Platform)