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A comparative analysis of the energy performance certificates schemes within the European Union: Implementing options and policy recommendations

Panel: 2. Current energy efficiency policies: On stage and backstage

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Bogdan Atanasiu, European Commission, Belgium
Tudor Constantinescu, Buildings Performance Institute Europe BPIE, Belgium

Abstract

Energy certification of buildings is an important element of Europe’s energy and climate policy. The Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) were introduced in 2002 by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, Directive 2001/91/EC) as a mandatory requirement for the EU Member States. The recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in 2010 (Directive 2010/31/EU) reinforced the EPC obligation for the Member States and introduced additional requirements. The EPCs can become a powerful tool to create a demand-driven market for energy efficient buildings, as they allow estimating the costs in relation to energy consumption and efficiency of a building. In December 2010, the Building Performance Institute Europe released a report which investigates the success factors and barriers along the design and implementation process of the ongoing EPCs schemes in twelve selected Member States.

This paper builds on the report’s main findings and provides an extensive analysis of the EPCs implementation status including the drawbacks, best practice and key indicators of the EPC schemes. The paper reveals the differences between the EPC schemes based on the specific needs, structure of building stock and various climatic conditions throughout selected Member States. The evaluation methodology is based on a cross-country comparison between the energy performance indicators and allowed the identification of relevant approaches for a successful design and implementation of EPCs schemes. Moreover, the paper emphasises the importance of the exchange of experience and best practice between Member States as an important factor in fostering the effective adoption of the EPC schemes. Finally, the paper identifies and provides recommendations on several key factors to be considered in the creation of a EPCs scheme such as administration of the scheme, quality control, non-compliance provisions, enforcement, dissemination and main barriers to be overcome.

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