The
European Union of House Builders and Developers, UEPC has welcomed the
provisional agreement struck on the revised Energy Performance of Buildings
Directive, which follows three rounds of informal negotiations between the
European Commission, European Parliament and Council.
Specifically, UEPC supports the development of a voluntary 'Smart
Readiness indicator' by the European Commission to assess the readiness of
buildings to adapt their operation to the needs of the occupants. UEPC supports
voluntary schemes as the preferred option, since their use would be based on a
demand-driven approach which takes full account of customers’ needs.
On the promotion of electro-mobility and the
introduction of recharging points for electric cars, the UEPC is pleased that
the Parliament and the Council has taken a common sense approach by promoting
the minimum requirements for the installation at
a later stage of recharging points for electric vehicles. Such provision
will limit any potentially adverse impact upon the final price to be paid by
the end consumer, as opposed to adding new burdens on the construction of new
residential buildings.
The agreement seeks to boost the long-term renovation market and
to promote better decarbonisation of buildings, and more broadly will help to
achieve the EU's 2020 and 2030 energy efficiency targets.
The Parliament and the Council are expected to formally approve
the political agreement at the beginning of the New Year.
Lars Myhre, Chairman of UEPC’s Technical Question Working Group,
commented: "The agreement reached by the Council and the Parliament goes
in the right direction and strikes the right balance by promoting
decarbonisation of the existing building stock, without impeding the
development of the market in new housing.
"It
represents a good outcome for consumers, since the threat of price rises or
reduced access to quality housing appears to have been averted, while
environmental considerations will still be taken into account in line with EU
climate change policy.”
