HOW WILL THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE EPBD BE REFLECTED IN THE iBRoad2EPC PROJECT?

In the wake of the proposal for the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), published by the EC on 15 December 2021, the 2^nd General Assembly meeting of the Horizon 2020 iBRoad2EPC project, organised and chaired by Sympraxis Team in February 2022, discussed relevant opportunities, implications and challenges lying ahead for the development of the iBRoad2EPC concept.

The EPBD recast proposal introduces, among other points:

• the Building Renovation Passport as a voluntary scheme for EU Members States to implement by the end of 2024 based on a common European framework
• the definition of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) as the acceptable threshold for existing buildings in kWh/m²/year
• a definition for Deep (including staged) Renovation
• the replacement of national Long-Term Renovation Strategies by National Building Renovation Plans
• various new indicators to be considered in energy performance assessment

Project partners discussed how they see the changes introduced by the EPBD recast proposal being reflected in the iBRoad2EPC project, also in relation to the first conceptualisation of the approach presented.

Of particular interest were the insights contributed by invited guest speakers Anna Braune (German Sustainable Building Council – DGNB) on the framework for carbon neutral buildings and sites, and Vivian Dorizas (Buildings Performance Institute Europe – BPIE) on the X-tendo project building comfort feature further supported the discussion.