The European Commission's renovation wave initiative for the building sector: final report
In: Climate change 2021, 53
In: Ressortforschungsplan of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
In: Discussion paper
The European Commission published its long-term strategic vision for climate policy "A Clean Planet for all" in 2018 which lays out various pathways for a transition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the whole energy sector and economy by 2050. The vision emphasizes that that a net-zero target by 2050 is extremely challenging for all sectors including the built environment. In this context the aim of this paper is to describe and analyze the EU Renovation Wave Initiative of the European Commission as central puzzle piece, which is also the main driver behind the targeted revision of the Energy-Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2021. On the one hand the Renovation Wave is put into context within the overall EU policy landscape, on the other hand the ambition, targets and policy options are compared with the overall ambition and to what science says. Main objective of the Renovation Wave is to at least double the current renovation rates of public and private buildings by 2030 and foster deep renovations. Together with a very ambitious decarbonization of heating this should enable to cut direct building sector greenhouse-gas emissions by 60% until 2030 (based on 2015 levels) as laid down in the Climate Target Plan 2030 (CTP). Apart from elements in the EPBD, also the RED and EED revisions as well as carbon pricing should make sure that the adequate framework for this very ambitious decarbonization is given. Currently, the progress and activities on the ground and in the renovation market are not at all in line what is defined as target-compliant within the strategy, neither with regard to the quality of renovations, nor the quantity of it. The implementation in the market will show whether the strategy can be successfully applied.