Renovate Europe campaign
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Renovate Europe campaign
The Renovate Europe Campaign was initiated by EuroACE (The European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficency in Buildings). It is calling for an ambitious roadmap to be drawn up on how to triple the annual renovation rate of the EU building stock from the current rate of 1% to 3% by 2020 and to ensure that the aggregate result of those renovations leads to an 80% reduction of the energy demand of the building stock by 2050 as compared to 2005. Renovate Europe is solution neutral, it recognises that each building has its own specific characteristics, therefore policy makers should emphasise performance over specific technologies. The companies and associations supporting this campaign stand ready and willing to help national and European policymakers to Renovate Europe. We must work together to create local jobs, reduce Europe’s CO2 foot print and ensure that we are less likely to suffer from foreign energy shocks.
Why renovate Europe’s buildings?
Renovating Europe is needed NOW… more than ever before. Recent environmental disasters as well as turmoil in the energy market have underlined the energy challenges that we face. We need affordable, secure and safe energy for our economies to grow and for our citizens to prosper. Buildings account for 40% of Europe’s energy consumption. As such, concrete and ambitious action to tackle unnecessary energy use in the EU’s building stock should be the absolute priority of European Energy Policy. Reducing energy demand has the potential to save taxpayers money while making their homes more comfortable; it has the potential to create 2 million new jobs and pave the way to sustainable growth; reducing energy demand has the potential to save the equivalent of 4 billion barrels of foreign oil per year.
Energy efficiency in buildings is a NO-BRAINER!
The deep renovation of Europe’s existing buildings will save 32% of the total primary energy used in Europe. This saving is equivalent to the combined total energy production of the European coal and nuclear energy sectors or a saving of 4 billion barrels of foreign oil per year. [1] However, of Europe’s existing buildings, only about 1.2% are renovated and about 0.1% demolished in any given year. Even if the 1.2% of buildings being renovated incorporated the highest standards of energy efficiency, the European Union would miss its 20% energy saving targets for 2020. In fact, this alone will deliver almost zero absolute reductions in energy use from the built environment. Missing the energy savings targets means turning our backs on new jobs, money savings for consumers and small businesses, but it is also refusing to use available, proven technologies, to effectively curb carbon emissions. European governments must make the right choice for the future, and pick the deep renovation of buildings as frontrunner for an ambitious energy agenda. How can we reduce energy demand in Europe?
Deep renovation
Increasing the rate and depth of renovation of the building stock is the most cost-effective, fastest and measurable way to drastically cut energy use, while creating jobs and promoting economic recovery through the re-launch of the construction sector. Europe needs to deep-renovate 3% of its buildings each year for the next 40 years in order to meet its 2020 and 2050 energy, carbon and economic goals. An EU strategy for widespread deployment of deep renovation (reducing the energy demand by an average factor of 6, representing an 84% improvement in current levels of performance) in the existing building stock is required to capitalise on this potential. What is needed?
- First, whenever building renovation takes place, all available energy saving technologies must be incorporated. This deep renovation can achieve a reduction in energy consumption of between 60% and 90%, for the majority of Europe’s buildings.
- Second, the annual rate of renovation of Europe’s buildings must be raised to 3% before 2020. With an unwavering political commitment over this timescale, the energy efficiency industry can deliver.
Step by Step approach towards progress
- Raise the yearly renovation rate for existing buildings to 3% by 2020
- Improve the energy performance of existing buildings by on average 80% over existing performance levels
- Recommend effective solutions to key barriers – such as finance, training, etc.
- EU requirement for 3% deep renovation yearly rate of public sector buildings
- Complete the deep renovation of the entire EU building stock by 2050
- Define ambitious intermediate objectives for 2020 and 2040
- Develop a roadmap to achieve these objectives according to local, regional and national needs
European governments have the unique chance to help address this once in a generation challenge. But to pursue a better, brighter energy future, European governments must turn their back on the policies of the past and lead their citizens on a clear path towards progress. Support the Campaign to achieve an overall reduction in energy demand in buildings of 80% by 2050 as compared to 2005 levels.
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