Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

RemovedRecital 8 b (new): (8b) The integration of green infrastructure, such as living roofs and walls, is a very effective tool for climate adaptation and to reduce the detrimental impacts of climate change in urban areas. Vegetated surfaces can help retain and detain rainwater, thus reducing urban runoff and improving storm water management. Green infrastructure also reduces the “urban heat island effect”, cooling buildings and their surroundings during summer and heat wave events. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underlines that sustainable urban planning and infrastructure design, including green roofs and facades, can both mitigate climate change and increase the adaptability of buildings to climate change , reducing flood risks, the pressure on urban sewer systems and the urban heat island effects. Therefore, Member States should ensure that buildings integrate vegetated surfaces.

Added(3) As announced in the Green Deal, the Commission presented its Renovation Wave strategy on 14 October 2020. The strategy contains an action plan with concrete regulatory, financing and enabling measures, with the objective to at least double the annual energy renovation rate of buildings by 2030 and to foster deep renovations in more than 35 million buildings and the creation of up to 160 000 jobs in the construction sector. The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is necessary as one of the vehicles to deliver on the Renovation Wave. It will also contribute to delivering on the New European Bauhaus initiative and the European mission on climate-neutral and smart cities and should follow the pathway established by the New European Bauhaus initiative as a previous phase of the Renovation Wave. The New European Bauhaus initiative is intended to foster a more inclusive society that promotes the wellbeing of all in keeping with the historical Bauhaus, which contributed to social inclusion and the well-being of citizens, in particular worker communities. By facilitating training, networks and issuing guidelines to architects, artists, students, engineers and designers under the principles of sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion, the New European Bauhaus initiative can empower local authorities to develop innovative and cultural solutions in creating a more sustainable built environment. Member States should support projects of the New European Bauhaus initiatives that enrich the cultural and built landscape of regions across Europe and help neighbourhoods and communities achieve the Union’s climate goals.

RemovedThe amendment is inextricably linked to other admissible amendments.

Added(4) Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the ‘European Climate Law’, enshrines in Union law the target of economy-wide climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest the aim of achieving and establishes a binding Union domestic reduction commitment of net greenhouse gas emissions (emissions after deduction of removals) of at least 55 % below 1990 levels by 2030.

RemovedRecital 9: (9) The global warming potential over the whole life-cycle indicates the building’s overall contribution to emissions that lead to climate change. It brings together greenhouse gas emissions embodied in construction products with direct and indirect emissions from the use stage. A requirement to calculate the life-cycle global warming potential of new buildings therefore constitutes a first step towards increased consideration of the whole life-cycle performance of buildings and a circular economy. This calculation should be based on a harmonised methodology at Union level. As a second step, a reduction of the life cycle global warming potential (life-cycle GWP) of new and renovated buildings is required to ensure achieving the Union's climate objectives.

Added(5) The “Fit for 55” legislative package announced in the Commission’s 2021 Work Programme aims to implement those objectives. It covers a range of policy areas including energy efficiency, renewable energy, land use, land change and forestry, energy taxation, effort sharing, emissions trading and alternative fuels infrastructure. The revision of Directive 2010/31/EU is an integral part of that package. The communication of the Commission of 18 May 2022 entitled “REPowerEU plan” reviewed key provisions of the “Fit for 55” legislative package in light of the updated geopolitical context, requiring a revised political framework, with new legislative proposals and targeted recommendations to update the objectives, in particular by increasing ambition with regard to energy efficiency and savings and enhanced energy sovereignty, while moving away from fossil fuels. That communication also encouraged Member States to consider taxation measures to provide incentives for energy savings and reduce fossil fuels consumption, including tax deductions linked to energy savings.

RemovedRecital 9 a (new): (9a) In line with the energy efficiency first principle and in order to achieve higher levels of sufficiency and resource efficiency, Member States should minimise the number of unoccupied buildings. They should encourage the deep renovation and exploitation of such buildings, through special administrative and financial measures.

Added(5a) The revision of the EPBD should be consistent with the other proposals that are part of the “Fit for 55” legislative package, such as the proposed revisions of Directives 2003/87/EC, 2012/27/EU, (EU) 2014/94/EU and 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

RemovedThe amendment is inextricably linked to other admissible amendments.

Added(5b) The renovation of monuments should always be carried out in compliance with the national rules on conservation, international conservation standards, including the 1964 Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, and the original architecture of the monuments concerned.

RemovedRecital 10 a (new): (10a) Management of energy demand is an important tool by which to enable the Union to influence the global energy market and thus the security of energy supply in the short, medium and long term.

Added(5c) For buildings that have historical or architectural merit, but are not officially protected, Member States should set criteria for the application of the highest energy performance class that is technically, functionally and economically feasible while maintaining the character of the building.

RemovedThe amendment is inextricably linked to other admissible amendments.

Added(6) Buildings account for 40 % of final energy consumption in the Union and 36% of its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, while 75% of Union buildings are still energy-inefficient. Natural gas plays the largest role in heating of buildings, accounting for around 42% of energy used for space heating in the residential sector. Oil is the second most important fossil fuel for heating, accounting for 14% and coal accounts for around 3%. Therefore, reduction of energy consumption, in line with the energy efficiency first principle ▌, implemented in accordance with Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/1749 and the use of energy from renewable sources in the buildings sector constitute important measures needed to reduce ▌greenhouse gas emissions and energy poverty in the Union. Reduced energy consumption and an increased use of energy from renewable sources, especially solar energy, also have a key role to play in reducing the Union’s energy dependency on fossil fuel overall and on imports especially, promoting security of energy supply in line with to the objectives set out in the REPowerEU plan, integrating the energy system, contributing to system efficiency, fostering technological developments and in creating opportunities for employment and regional development, in particular in islands, rural areas and off grid communities.

RemovedRecital 11: (11) Measures to improve further the energy performance of buildings should take into account climatic conditions, including adaptation to climate change through green infrastructures, local conditions as well as indoor environmental quality, sufficiency and circularity. Such measures should be implemented in a way that maximises the co-benefits of other requirements and objectives concerning buildings such as accessibility, fire safety and seismic safety and the intended use of the building. Those co-benefits should be monetised in order to realistically determine the cost-optimality of further energy performance improvements. Moreover, they should ensure the improvement of the situation of vulnerable and low-income households, people affected by energy poverty and people living in social housing.

Added(6a) The improvement of energy efficiency and energy performance of buildings through deep renovation has enormous social, economic and environmental benefits. Moreover, energy efficiency is the safest and most cost-efficient method by which to decrease the Union’s dependence on energy imports and to mitigate the negative impact of high energy prices.Investments in energy efficiency should be high priority at both private and public level.

RemovedThe amendment is inextricably linked to other admissible amendments.

Added(6b) In order to ensure that all citizens benefit from the improved energy performance of buildings and the associated living quality, environmental, economic and health benefits, a proper regulatory, financial and advisory framework should be put in place to support building renovations. There should be a special focus on vulnerable and middle-income households, as these often live in worst-performing buildings, both in urban and rural areas.

RemovedRecital 12: (12) The energy performance of buildings should be calculated on the basis of a methodology, which may be supplemented at national and regional level. That includes, in addition to thermal characteristics, other factors that play an increasingly important role such as heating and air-conditioning installations, application of energy from renewable sources, building automation and control systems, energy recuperation, smart solutions, passive heating and cooling elements, shading, indoor environmental quality, adequate natural light and design of the building. The methodology for calculating energy performance should be based not only on the season in which heating or air-conditioning is required, but should cover the annual energy performance of a building. That methodology should take into account existing European standards. The methodology should ensure the representation of actual operating conditions and enable the requirement for the use of metered energy to verify correctness and for comparability, and the methodology should be based on hourly or sub-hourly time-steps. The methodology should also enable the on-site, remote and desktop validation of the assumptions behind the calculations, including thermal performance, materiality, system efficiency, and the configuration of controls, in the delivered building. In order to encourage the use of renewable energy on-site, and in addition to the common general framework, Member States should take the necessary measures so …

Added(6c) The introduction of minimum energy performance standards, accompanied by social safeguards and financial guarantees, are intended to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable households and the poorest citizens.

RemovedThe amendment is inextricably linked to other admissible amendments.

Added(6d) In rural areas across the Union, there is potential for renewable energy generation that helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that is cost-effective in powering and heating off-grid areas, while reducing import dependency and infrastructure lock-in, and that contributes to climate mitigation and improves air quality.

RemovedRecital 14: (14) Two-thirds of the energy used for heating and cooling of buildings still comes from fossil fuels. In order to reach zero-emissions, it is particularly important urgently to phase out fossil fuel in heating and cooling. In the light of the current context, changing the Union's landscape for decades and in line with the 2030 and 2050 energy and climate objectives, no financial incentives should be given for the installation of fossil fuel boilers after the transposition of this Directive. Member States should ban the installation of fossil fuel based technical building systems in new buildings and buildings undergoing renovation from the date of transposition of this Directive and phase out the use of fossil fuel based technical building systems from all buildings by 2035 at the latest. A clear legal basis for the ban of the use of heat generators in all other existing buildings by 2035 based on the type of fuel used should support national phase-out policies and measures. This will also help play a key role in decreasing the Union’s dependence on imports from third countries, lower citizens' energy bills and vulnerability to price fluctuations and halt the exceedances of air pollution limit values.

Added(7) Buildings and building elements and materials are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions before, during and after their operational lifetime. ▌The whole life-cycle emissions of buildings should therefore progressively be taken into account in line with a Union methodology to be established by the Commission, starting with new, then renovated buildings, for which Member States should establish whole life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in accordance with that Union methodology. Buildings are a significant material bank, being repositories for resources over many decades, and the design options largely influence the whole life-cycle emissions both for new buildings and renovations. The whole life-cycle performance of buildings should be taken into account not only in new construction, but also in renovations through the inclusion of policies and reduction targets of whole life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Member States’ building renovation plans.

RemovedRecital 17: (17) [The Commission should lay down a comparative methodology framework for calculating cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements. A review of this framework should enable the calculation of both energy and emission performance and should take into account environmental and health externalities, as well as the ETS extension and carbon prices. Member States should use that framework to compare the results with the minimum energy performance requirements which they have adopted. Should significant discrepancies, i.e. exceeding 15 %, exist between the calculated cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements and the minimum energy performance requirements in force, Member States should justify the difference or plan appropriate steps to reduce the discrepancy. The estimated economic lifecycle of a building or building element should be determined by Member States, taking into account current practices and experience in defining typical economic lifecycles. The results of that comparison and the data used to reach those results should be regularly reported to the Commission. Those reports should enable the Commission to assess and report on the progress of Member States in reaching cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements.]

Added(7a) A link should be made with the principles of the circular economy and the leading role of the New European Bauhaus initiative, which aims to promote greater circularity in the built environment, by promoting renovation and adaptive re-use over demolition and new build, as appropriate.

RemovedThe concept of “cost optimality” is insufficiently framed in this Directive and the empowerment should also be subject to review. The co-legislators should consider anchoring in the legislative act other general principles framing this concept.

Added(7b) The introduction of requirements on whole life-cycle emissions will encourage industrial innovation and value creation, such as through an increase in the use of circular and natural materials.

RemovedRecital 18: (18) Major renovations of existing buildings, regardless of their size, provide an opportunity to take cost-effective measures to enhance energy performance. For reasons of cost-effectiveness, it should be possible to limit the minimum energy performance requirements to the renovated parts that are most relevant for the energy performance of the building, while, on a mandatory basis, fully encompassing heating and cooling systems. Member States should be able to choose to define a ‘major renovation’ either in terms of a percentage of the surface of the building envelope or in terms of the value of the building. If a Member State decides to define a major renovation in terms of the value of the building, values such as the actuarial value, or the current value based on the cost of reconstruction, excluding the value of the land upon which the building is situated, could be used.

Added(7c) It is crucial to promote and include the use of more sustainable construction materials, in particular bio- and geo-sourced materials, as well as simple passive low-tech and locally tested building techniques to support and promote the use of and research into material technologies that contribute to the best possible insulation and structural support of buildings. In view of the climate crisis and the increased probability of summer heat waves, special consideration should be given to heat protection for buildings.

RemovedThe introduced amendment is inextricably linked to other provisions, notably Article 2 (50), Article 3, Article 16 and Annex I-III, as heating and cooling systems are an essential parameter, when establishing the energy performance and operational GHG emissions of buildings. As specific policies on heating and cooling systems are also linked to national renovation action plans, they should always be considered in renovations.

Added(8) Minimizing the whole life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of buildings requires resource efficiency , sufficiency, circularity and turning parts of the building stock into a ▌carbon sink.

RemovedRecital 21: (21) The necessary decarbonisation of the Union building stock requires energy renovation at a large scale: almost 75% of that building stock is inefficient according to current building standards, and 85-95% of the buildings that exist today will still be standing in 2050. However, the weighted annual energy renovation rate is persistently low at around 1%. At the current pace, the decarbonisation of the building sector would require centuries. Triggering and supporting building renovation, including a shift towards emission-free heating systems, is therefore a key goal of this Directive. Supporting renovations at district level, including through industrial or serial type renovations, offers benefits by stimulating the volume and depth of building renovations and will lead to a quicker and cheaper decarbonisation of the building stock.

Added(8a) The fact that buildings are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions even before their operational lifetime is the consequence of the carbon already embedded within all building materials. An increase in the use of sustainably and locally sourced nature-based building materials, in line with the principles of the New European Bauhaus initiative and the internal market, has the potential to substitute for more carbon intensive materials and to store carbon in the built environment via the use of wood-based materials.

RemovedRecital 24: (24) Minimum energy performance standards should create a pathway for the progressive increase of energy performance classes of buildings. When reviewing this Directive, the Commission should assess whether further Union-wide binding minimum energy performance standards need to be introduced in order to achieve a decarbonised building stock by 2050.

Added(8b) Sufficiency policies are measures and daily practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, land, water, and other natural resources over the life-cycle of buildings and goods while contributing to delivering wellbeing for all within planetary boundaries. Circularity principles avoid the linear use of materials and goods by applying some of the sufficiency principles at the level of product and construction materials. Measures to use and extend the lifetime of secondary materials, are essential to ensure that the Union building sector contributes its fair share to the achievement of the climate neutrality objective. (8c) The integration of green infrastructure, such as living roofs and walls in urban planning and infrastructure design, can be an effective tool for climate adaptation and to reduce the detrimental impacts of climate change in urban areas. Member States should encourage the installation of vegetated surfaces which help retain and detain rainwater, thus reducing urban runoff and improving storm water management. Green infrastructure also reduces the “urban heat island effect”, cooling buildings and their surroundings during summer and heat wave events.(9) The global warming potential (GWP) over the whole life-cycle indicates the building’s overall contribution to emissions that lead to climate change. It brings together greenhouse gas emissions embodied in construction products with direct and indirect emissions from the use stage. A requirement to calculate the life-cycle GWP of new buildings therefore constitutes a first step towards increased consideration of the whole life-cycle performance of buildings and a circular economy. This calculation should be based on a harmonised framework at Union level. The Commission should provide a clear definition of the life-cycle approach. Member States should adopt a roadmap on a reduction of the life-cycle GWP of buildings.

RemovedRecital 28 a (new): (28a) There is an urgent need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in buildings and to accelerate efforts to decarbonise and electrify their energy consumption. In order to enable the cost-effective installation of solar technologies at a later stage, all new buildings should be “solar ready”, that is, designed to optimise the solar generation potential on the basis of the site’s solar irradiance, enabling the fruitful installation of solar technologies without costly structural interventions. In addition, Member States should ensure the deployment of suitable solar installations on new buildings, both residential and non-residential, and on existing non-residential buildings. Large-scale deployment of solar energy on buildings would make a major contribution to shielding consumers more effectively from the increasing and volatile prices of fossil fuels, reduce the exposure of vulnerable citizens to high energy costs and result in wider environmental, economic and social benefits. In order to efficiently exploit the potential of solar installations on buildings, Member States should establish criteria for the implementation of, and possible exemptions from, the deployment of solar installations on buildings in line with the assessed technical and economic potential of the solar energy installations and the characteristics of the buildings covered by this obligation.

Added(9a) In line with the energy efficiency first principle and in order to achieve higher levels of sufficiency and resource efficiency, Member States should minimise the number of unoccupied buildings. They should encourage the deep renovation and exploitation of such buildings, through special administrative and financial measures, if cost effective, and construction, reconstruction and modification of the builing which leads to lower life-cycle GWP within the lifetime of a building. In addition, a significant share of any new builings should be carried out on brownfiled sites.

Removed(Recital 25 of Directive COM(2022) 222 (final) amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency.)

Added(9b) The circular economy rules for construction materials are set out in Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council together with a framework set out in Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Definitions, methodologies and best approaches should be provided and consolidated in upcoming revision of those legislative acts to ensure a clear, consistent regulatory framework for construction materials.

RemovedThis amendment introduces the exact text of the amending Directive COM(2022) 222 (final) presented as part of the REPowerEU plan.

Added(10) Buildings are responsible for about half of primary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in the EU that cause premature death and illness. Improving energy performance and the use of nature-based solutions and sustainable materials in buildings can and should reduce pollutant emissions at the same time, in line with Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and the Council.

RemovedRecital 29: (29) To achieve a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock and the transformation of existing buildings into zero-emission buildings by 2050, Member States should establish national building renovation plans, which replace the long-term renovation strategies and become an even stronger, fully operational planning tool for Member States, with a stronger focus on financing and ensuring that appropriately skilled workers are available for carrying out building renovations, as well as on tackling energy poverty and improving the energy performance of worst performing buildings. In their building renovation plans, Member States should set their own national building renovation targets. In line with Article 21(b)(7) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and with the enabling conditions set under Regulation (EU) 2021/60 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Member States should provide an outline of financing measures, as well as an outline of the investment needs and the administrative resources for the implementation of their building renovation plans. Member States should consider using Union funding and financing mechanisms, in particular, the Resilience and Recovery Facility36a structural and cohesion funds and the Social Climate Fund36b,to fund the implementation of their building renovation plans. / 36a Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021…

Added(10a) Management of energy demand is an important tool which enables the Union to influence the global energy market and thus the security of energy supply in the short, medium and long term.

RemovedRecital 32: (32) One-step deep renovation is the most cost-effective and lowest carbon budget option by which to achieve a fully decarbonised and zero-emitting Union building stock. In some cases, staged, deep renovation can be a solution to address the issue of high upfront costs and hassle for the inhabitants that may occur when renovating ‘in one go’. However, such staged, deep renovation needs to be carefully planned in order to avoid that one renovation step precludes necessary subsequent steps. Renovation passports provide a clear roadmap for staged deep renovation, helping owners and investors plan the best timing and scope for interventions. Therefore, renovation passports should be made available as part of Energy Performance Certificates to building owners across all Member States.

Added(11) Measures to improve further the energy performance of buildings should take into account climatic conditions, including adaptation to climate change through green infrastructures, local conditions as well as indoor environmental quality, sufficiency and circularity and energy savings, thus promoting more sustainable, inclusive and innovative ways of living in order to adapt to new needs. Such measures should be implemented in a way that maximises the co-benefits of other requirements and objectives concerning buildings such as accessibility, fire safety and seismic, heating and electrical installation safety and the intended use of the building. Those co-benefits should be monetised in order to realistically determine the cost-optimality of further energy performance improvements. Moreover, they should ensure the improvement of the situation of vulnerable households and people living in social housing.

RemovedRecital 33: (33) The concept of ‘deep renovation’ has not yet been defined in Union legislation. With a view to achieving the long-term vision for buildings, deep renovation should be defined as a renovation that transforms buildings into zero-emission buildings; in a first step, as a renovation that transforms buildings into nearly zero-energy buildings. This definition serves the purpose of increasing the energy performance of buildings. A deep renovation for energy performance purposes is a prime opportunity to address other aspects such as indoor environmental quality, living conditions of vulnerable households, sufficiency and circularity, increasing climate resilience, resilience against disaster risks including seismic resilience, fire safety, the removal of hazardous substances including asbestos, and accessibility for persons with disabilities, and enhancing carbon sinks, such as vegetated surfaces.

Added(11a) Member States should ensure that energy performance certificates accurately reflect the climate performance of buildings.

RemovedRecital 34: (34) In order to foster deep renovation, which is one of the goals of the Renovation Wave strategy, Member States should reserve the highest support tranche of financial and administrative support to the deep renovation of worst performing buildings or provide a premium in addition to such support, with a focus on low income households and those suffering from energy poverty.

Added(12) The energy performance of buildings should be calculated on the basis of a methodology, which may be supplemented at national and regional and local level. That includes, in addition to thermal characteristics, other factors that play an increasingly important role such as heating and air-conditioning installations, application of energy from renewable sources, building automation and control systems, heat recovery from wastewater, ventilation and cooling, energy recuperation, hydronic balancing, smart solutions, passive heating and cooling elements, shading, indoor environmental quality, adequate natural light and design of the building. The methodology for calculating energy performance should be based not only on the season in which heating or air-conditioning is required, but should cover the annual energy performance of a building. That methodology should take into account existing European standards. The methodology should ensure the representation of actual operating conditions and enable the use of metered energy to verify correctness and for comparability, and the methodology should be based on hourly or sub-hourly time-steps. The methodology should also enable the on-site, remote and desktop validation of the assumptions behind the calculations, including thermal performance, materiality, system efficiency, and the configuration of controls, in the delivered building. In order to encourage the use of renewable energy on-site, including roof solar panels in line with the European Solar Rooftops initiative, and in addition to the common general framework, Member States should take the necessary measures so that the benefits of maximising the use of renewable energy on-site, including for other-uses (such as electric vehicle charging points), are recognised and accounted for in the calculation methodology, taking into account current and future grid capacity.

RemovedRecital 35: (35) Member States should support energy performance upgrades of existing buildings that contribute to achieving a healthy indoor environmental quality, including through air cleaning, the removal of asbestos and other harmful substances, preventing the illegal removal of harmful substances, and facilitating compliance with existing legislative acts such as Directives 2009/148/EU37 and (EU) 2016/228438 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Added(13) Member States should set minimum requirements for the energy performance of buildings and building elements with a view to achieving the cost-optimal balance between the investments involved and the energy costs saved throughout the lifecycle of the building, without prejudice to the right of Member States to set minimum requirements which are more energy efficient than cost-optimal energy efficiency levels. Provision should be made for the possibility for Member States to review regularly their minimum energy performance requirements for buildings in the light of technical progress.

RemovedRecital 35 a (new): (35a) In order to support the multiplication and replicability of successful building renovation projects, in line with the New European Bauhaus initiative, in particular with its sustainability goal, Member States should put in place national industrial policies for the large-scale production of locally adaptable prefabricated building elements for building renovation that provide different functions, including aesthetics, insulation and energy generation and insulation and green infrastructures. They should also promote biodiversity, water management, accessibility and mobility.

Added(14) Two-thirds of the energy used for heating and cooling of buildings still comes from fossil fuels. In order to reach zero-emissions, it is particularly urgent to phase out fossil fuel in heating and cooling. Therefore, Member States should indicate their national policies and measures to phase out fossil fuels in heating and cooling in their building renovation plans, and no financial incentives should be given for the installation of fossil fuel boilers from the entry into force of this Directive. Member States should introduce measures to ensure that the use of fossil fuel heating systems in new buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation, deep renovation, or renovation of the heating system is not authorised from the date of transposition of this Directive and phase out the use of fossil fuel based heating systems from all buildings by 2035and if not feasible as demonstrated to the Commission, by 2040 at the latest. This will also play a key role in decreasing the Union’s dependence on imports from third countries, lower citizens' energy bills and vulnerability to price fluctuations and halt excess air pollution limit values.

RemovedThe Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is considered to contribute to the New European Bauhaus initiative (Recital 3), for example in the dimension of sustainability through enhanced energy performance and emission reductions as brought about through the EPBD. Annex VII requires Member States to define reference buildings to determine the energy and emission performance of buildings. Therefore the amendment is inextricably linked to AM 118.

Added(14a) The renovation of heating systems involves the replacement or refurbishment of the heating generator, and it may also involve other elements of the heating system, such as pumping equipment, insulation of pipework, controls or terminal units, such as radiators or fan coils. Despite their impact on the overall efficiency of the system, the replacement or refurbishment of individual elements without involving the heat generator, should not be considered as a renovation of the heating system, since these elements are independent of the energy source used. The renovation of heating system represents an opportunity to support the decarbonisation of heating across the Union.

RemovedRecital 36: (36) Electric vehicles are expected to play a crucial role in the decarbonisation and efficiency of the electricity system, namely through the provision of flexibility, balancing and storage services, especially through aggregation. This potential of electric vehicles to integrate with the electricity system and contribute to system efficiency and further absorption of renewable electricity should be fully exploited. Charging in relation to buildings is particularly important, since this is where electric vehicles park regularly and for long periods of time. Slow, smart and bi-directional charging is economical and the installation of recharging points in private spaces can provide energy storage to the related building and integration of smart and bi-directional charging services and system integration services in general. Especially during peak hours, electric vehicles enabled for bi-directional charging add on the capacity of buildings and the electricity system to balance power supply and demand at lower cost and empower users to actively providing such services against adequate remuneration.

Added(14b) Efficient use of waste heat from domestic hot water systems represents significant energy saving opportunity. Hot water preparation is the main source of energy consumption for new buildings and normally this heat is wasted and not reused. Knowing that most of the hot water consumed comes from showers, harvesting heat from shower drains in buildings could be a simple and cost-effective way to save final energy consumption and related CO2 and methane emissions of domestic hot water production.

RemovedRecital 37: (37) Combined with an increased share of renewable electricity production, electric vehicles produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles constitute an important component of a clean energy transition based on energy efficiency measures, alternative fuels, renewable energy and innovative solutions for the management of energy flexibility. Building codes can be effectively used to introduce targeted requirements to support the deployment of recharging infrastructure in car parks of residential and non-residential buildings. Member States should remove barriers such as grid connection and capacity bottlenecks, split incentives and administrative complications which individual owners encounter when trying to install a recharging point on their parking space.

Added(14c) To achieve a cost-efficient decarbonisation of the heating sector, Member States should ensure a level playing field among available technologies and support multi-vector solutions, by taking into consideration security of supply, cost-effectiveness and flexibility.