Media Partnership - Cracking the decarbonization code: How to put buildings at the core of the Fit for 55 package?

Buildings are at the center of our daily lives, where we work, live and rest. On average, people spend 80% of their lives inside buildings – from office buildings, schools, hospitals, to homes. With the Covid 19 crisis, we have never spent so much time indoors since the last 18 months.
At the same time, around 11% of the EU population is living in inefficient homes and affected by energy poverty; the annual renovation rate of the building stock varies from 0.4 to 1.2% in the Member States; more than 220 million existing buildings are energy-inefficient, with many relying on fossil fuels for heating and cooling while the energy prices have recently skyrocketed in a number of EU countries, highlighting the need to cut down Europe’s long-time dependency on fossil fuels.
Not only do we need to speed up the decarbonization of the building stock, which still represents 40 % of EU’s energy consumption and 38% of its emissions, but we must renew our approach by putting buildings at their right place, e.g. as the cornerstone of our efforts.
By laying down new foundations, buildings could become the centre of our energy system, with an holistic approach combining decarbonization with energy efficient buildings, direct electrification with on-site renewables, distributed and flexible energy resources such as electric vehicles charging stations. Digital will be the backbone of this integrated, decentralized and decarbonized, adjusting to people and system needs.
Rewatch this Virtual Conference to find out how buildings could lay the foundation of an energy-efficient and decarbonized future. The event covered the following questions:- Which policy measures are needed in the fit for 55 package (Renewable Energy Directive, Energy Efficiency Directive, ETS, Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation etc.) to unleash the full (holistic) potential of buildings?- Following the EU System Integration Strategy and the Renovation Wave, how can buildings be at the center of an integrated, digitalized and decarbonized energy system?- After the last revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, what are the remaining hurdles and needs, to accelerate the deployment of digital technologies in buildings?- Which impact for consumers and citizens in this renewed efficient energy system?
ORGANISED BY: SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC
MEDIA PARTNER: EURACTIV
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