BPIE - Buildings Performance Institute Europe

📢New paper out today: Prioritising existing buildings for people and climate 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eM2uzvY7 The EU is facing multiple crises: housing shortages, climate challenges, and social inequality. This calls for creativity and common sense. The upcoming Affordable Housing Plan from the European Commission is a chance to prioritise existing resources – and human values and stories -  over new construction, where possible. Maximising use of existing spaces could significantly ease the housing crisis: 🟢 With 34% of EU homes underoccupied and office spaces only 57% utilised, there’s huge potential to get creative and repurpose what we already have. 🟢 Yearly housing demand in Germany could in theory be met by using the existing stock, with measures such as extension, conversion, sharing and subletting  🟢 Research and case studies demonstrate citizens’ willingness to adapt living arrangements, thereby enhancing well-being and combat loneliness  🟢 Reintroducing vacant buildings to the market provides fast and affordable housing, while at the same time contributes to revitalising communities  🌍 Beyond housing, buildings are the EU’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Current policies have fallen short of addressing both the climate and housing crises. Sufficiency—smart use of existing buildings—is a scalable, common sense solution for cutting emissions, reducing resource and land use, and creating more affordable, equitable cities. 🔦 This paper highlights inspiring examples of sufficiency from communities in Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden, where these principles are already in action. Contrary to what some may think, research shows widespread public support for sufficiency in Europe—it's building thriving, resilient communities. By aligning building use with affordability and climate goals, we can build people-centered cities and reduce emissions. Bravo to our endlessly creative colleagues Lisa Graaf Emily Bankert and Zsolt Toth for this inspiring work. #Sufficiency #Housing #AffordableHousing #JustTransition

🔎 Zoom in on our ten policy priorities:  Priority #5. Improve data availability, transparency and quality through digitalisation.    🔗 Read our 10 priorities here! https://loom.ly/QumVsXs   Reliable data is key to shaping effective policies for a greener future! With millions of buildings across Europe, collecting and analysing data can be complex, but it’s essential for impactful policy and investment decisions. The European Building Stock Observatory offers a great foundation, but better, more granular data and Digital Building Logbooks are needed to truly unlock energy efficiency and sustainability. More accurate, up-to-date data will boost policy effectiveness, support smarter investments, and open new markets for EU digital companies. The future of sustainable buildings is digital, and it's happening now! Data is the key to smarter buildings! Discover how digitalisation can improve transparency and drive better decision-making. #EPBD #EBSO #digitalbuildinglogbooks

Week 2️⃣  of our #WholeLifeCarbon education! 🔑 Key message: There is already a *workable policy framework* to follow which member states can follow – there’s no need to start from scratch! 🟢 The policy design process and the design features of WLC regulations developed by the Nordic countries have worked for #INDICATE pilot countries and is a workable framework for other countries to follow. 🟢 The INDICATE countries – Spain, Ireland and Czechia - have shown that this is possible if action is taken now. More info🔗 https://lnkd.in/e7U5dHSm  

🌍 New Legislation Alert: The Recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) and preparation for Zero-Emission Buildings (ZEBs). 🔎 Read the full report here https://loom.ly/GAJG6RQ   The EPBD.wise project has analyzed how Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine can implement NBRPs and ZEBs effectively.   Shout out to the authors Ece Özer, Irma Imamovic and Lukas Kranzl from TU Wien and gabriella azzolini, Silvia Di Turi, Francesca Hugony and Fabio Zanghirella from ENEA  #EPBDwise #LIFEProgramme #ZEBs #NBRPs Efficient Buildings Europe Renovate Europe  ADENE - Agência para a Energia  e-think energy research SERA global Irma Imamovic  Francesca Conselvan Bettina Sticher Oliver Rapf Sibyl Steuwer Caroline Milne Denisa Diaconu Karoly Matolcsy Anita Terjek Afroditi Psatha Adrian Joyce Deborah Sentali  Rose Hartwig-Peillon Vladimir Shimkin Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect Bulgarian Association for Construction Insulation and Waterproofing (BACIW) INZEB ÉMI Nonprofit Kft. Fala Renowacji ROENEF Mihai Moia Alice Corovessi Anna Sokulska

📢New paper out today: Prioritising existing buildings for people and climate 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eM2uzvY7 The EU is facing multiple crises: housing shortages, climate challenges, and social inequality. This calls for creativity and common sense. The upcoming Affordable Housing Plan from the European Commission is a chance to prioritise existing resources – and human values and stories -  over new construction, where possible. Maximising use of existing spaces could significantly ease the housing crisis: 🟢 With 34% of EU homes underoccupied and office spaces only 57% utilised, there’s huge potential to get creative and repurpose what we already have. 🟢 Yearly housing demand in Germany could in theory be met by using the existing stock, with measures such as extension, conversion, sharing and subletting  🟢 Research and case studies demonstrate citizens’ willingness to adapt living arrangements, thereby enhancing well-being and combat loneliness  🟢 Reintroducing vacant buildings to the market provides fast and affordable housing, while at the same time contributes to revitalising communities  🌍 Beyond housing, buildings are the EU’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Current policies have fallen short of addressing both the climate and housing crises. Sufficiency—smart use of existing buildings—is a scalable, common sense solution for cutting emissions, reducing resource and land use, and creating more affordable, equitable cities. 🔦 This paper highlights inspiring examples of sufficiency from communities in Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Sweden, where these principles are already in action. Contrary to what some may think, research shows widespread public support for sufficiency in Europe—it's building thriving, resilient communities. By aligning building use with affordability and climate goals, we can build people-centered cities and reduce emissions. Bravo to our endlessly creative colleagues Lisa Graaf Emily Bankert and Zsolt Toth for this inspiring work. #Sufficiency #Housing #AffordableHousing #JustTransition

🔎 Zoom in on our ten policy priorities:   Priority #4: Accelerate financial flows towards future-proof buildings.     🔗 Read our 10 policy priorities here!  https://loom.ly/QumVsXs    Futureproofing Our Buildings is not just a necessity—it's a huge opportunity. With an annual investment of €275 billion, we can transform our buildings and meet the EU's 2030 climate targets. While €75 billion public money has been committed, there's incredible potential to unlock more public and private funding for deep renovations, innovation, and energy efficiency. This gap should be addressed in the next Multiannual Financial Framework and other upcoming instruments, such as the Social Climate Fund. Strategic investments today will ensure a greener future, tackle energy poverty, and create a more sustainable, resilient Europe for all. Additionally, the EU Taxonomy should set ambitious lifecycle carbon thresholds, incentivising the reuse, repurposing, and renovation of buildings. Hugh Garnett Jana Bour Sofia Cederlöf Ana Cunha Jan te Bos Jonna Byskata Brook Riley #GreenFinance #SustainableInvestment #EPBD

We are thrilled and proud to present the three new members of our Board of Directors! 🤝A warm welcome to:   Agneta Persson, who is Technical Director of Anthesis Group Sweden, and will be chairing BPIE’s Board. Ciarán Cuffe, former Member of the European Parliament and Outgoing President of EUFORES, and Erica Hope, who leads the European Climate Foundation’s Climate Governance programme, will be both also joining our group of experts.   We are convinced that their wide and complementary expertise will be a great addition to BPIE’s board! Read more about them here 🔗https://lnkd.in/euv-USVA

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its annual World Energy Outlook today, with important insights for 🏢 🏠 EU buildings: ➡ Global LNG supply is seeing a huge growth which is likely leading to decreasing energy prices. What sounds good for consumers at first sight is bad news for buildings decarbonisation. If fossil gas is becoming cheaper there will be less appetite to install heat pumps and to insulate homes. The necessary consequence: EU energy policy must support ✅ #EnergyEfficiencyFirst, not least to reduce import dependency and to make sure that money flows into building renovation rather than paying LNG bills from overseas suppliers; ✅ Priority allocation of EU funds to renovation and support schemes for zero carbon heating; ✅ Member States phasing out fossil heating in a socially fair way. ➡ Growing supply of intermittent renewable electricity make demand flexibility more important than ever. Good news: European solar PV installation grew by 60 GW in 2023 compared to 2021, with more than half of this growth on buildings. Challenging news: Even in the IEA’s basic scenario (STEPS), flexibility needs to grow by almost a factor 6 between today and 2050, with higher growth in the scenario in which all agreed policies are delivered (which is necessary to achieve climate & energy goals!). #WEO2024 highlights that higher energy efficiency can temper the growth for the needs for seasonal flexibility. The necessary consequence for EU policy: ✅ Support flexibility by ensuring that buildings are as efficient as possible and are increasingly able to store thermal and electric energy. ✅ Ensure that member states implement the #SmartReadinessIndicator for buildings, so that flexibility potentials can easily be identified and deployed. ▶ My conclusion: As Fatih Birol described it at the launch this morning, the likely future oversupply of cheap gas is making it more challenging for clean energy solutions. But the #WEO2024 highlights the importance for the European Union’s agreed energy policies to be effectively implemented. Any delay or deviation will kill the possibility to achieve our 2030 targets and to get us back on track for the Paris Agreement. 👍 The mandate for the new European Commission is clear: Make sure that the energy transformation in all its aspects is accelerating. 👍 ❓WHY? The graph below says it all: We are dangerously close to a 1.5 degree global warming. Or, as the IEA puts it: “Despite gathering momentum behind transitions, the world is still a long way from a trajectory aligned with its climate goals. Decisions by governments, investors and consumers too often entrench the flaws in today’s energy system, rather than pushing it towards a cleaner and safer path. […] today’s policy settings still put the world on course for a rise of 2.4 °C in global average temperatures by 2100, entailing ever more severe risks from a changing climate. (p.20, WEO 2024) ❗

🌍 Understanding #WholeLifeCarbon is more critical than ever — and with so much valuable information packed into our last #INDICATE report, we want to make it easier to digest for everyone in the buildings and construction value chain. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e7U5dHSm To help you navigate this important topic, we're breaking down the key insights *every Thursday* until the end of 2024. Stay tuned, and by the end, you'll be well on your way to becoming a WLC expert! 🔑 Key message for week 1️⃣: There is a growing urgency for Member States to take action! 🟢 Governments should begin developing national WLC methodologies right away. The #EPBD requires Global Warming Potential (GWP) measurement to start by 2028. 🟢 While frontrunner countries had 6–8 years to shape their WLC regulations, others now have significantly less time to catch up. 📅 Swipe through the timeline below 👇 to see the key policy milestones leading up to 2032!

⚡ Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS): Driving Energy Efficiency Forward 🔎 Read the full report here https://loom.ly/s0f4udU The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) through Article 9, introduces Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) as a critical policy tool to push for higher energy efficiency in buildings.   Our latest report explores the policy needs for implementing MEPS across the focus countries of the EPBD.wise project: Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine. Shoutout Authors Francesca Conselvan and @Marcus Hummel from e-think energy research #EPBDwise #MEPS #LIFEProgramme Efficient Buildings Europe Renovate Europe  ADENE - Agência para a Energia  ENEA  SERA global Lukas Kranzl Irma Imamovic  Ece Özer Francesca Conselvan Bettina Sticher Oliver Rapf Sibyl Steuwer Caroline Milne Denisa Diaconu Fabio Zanghirella Karoly Matolcsy Anita Terjek Afroditi Psatha Adrian Joyce Deborah Sentali  Rose Hartwig-Peillon Vladimir Shimkin Center for Energy Efficiency EnEffect Bulgarian Association for Construction Insulation and Waterproofing (BACIW) INZEB ÉMI Nonprofit Kft. Fala Renowacji ROENEF Mihai Moia Alice Corovessi Anna Sokulska