Efficient cooling a key to efficient renovation

BELGIUM: EPEE has called for the EU’s Renovation Wave Strategy announced this week to back a switch to efficient state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems.

The European Commission’s Renovation Wave Strategy seeks to improve the energy performance of buildings by at least doubling the renovation rates in the next ten years and ensuring renovations lead to higher energy and resource efficiency. 

With buildings being responsible for about 40% of the EU’s energy consumption, and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficient renovation is seen as vital to making Europe climate-neutral by 2050. 

With only 1% of buildings undergoing energy efficient renovation every year, EPEE backs the Commission’s ambition to at least double the current renovation rate and facilitate deep renovation across Europe. 

For this to become reality, EPEE says the Renovation Wave must put its weight behind projects that holistically consider the overall energy performance and health benefits of the building. This should include technical building systems like heat pumps and air conditioners. 

“By accelerating the switch to efficient state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, the Renovation Wave will boost both energy efficiency and indoor environment quality of European homes and workplaces,” EPEE says in a press statement.

EPEE director-general Andrea Voigt added: “The Commission is right to target public buildings. Schools and hospitals are the low-hanging fruit – these are the buildings where action can be taken quickest and the rewards to be reaped are greatest. Not only can we aggregate and scale such projects at a rapid pace, but these are also the buildings where adequate indoor air quality and thermal comfort are most important for increasing productivity as well as health and well-being.”