new criteria and more flexibility – Corriere.it

On Thursday 9 February the Industry and Energy Committee (Itre) of the European Parliament will meet to vote on the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings (Epbd). However, according to what has been learned from Brussels, the latest version of the text would have less stringent criteria. Meanwhile, not all properties will be affected by the law: exemptions are provided for properties of artistic value, historic ones, places of worship, second homes and those with a surface area of ​​less than 50 square metres.

The exceptions

Compared to the previous, always provisional versions, the targets have not changed: taking into account the energy classification from A1 to G, by 1 January 2030 all residential buildings must be at least in class E and class D by 1 January 2033. To carry out the adjustment, a cut in energy consumption of about 25% is necessary, so that they are carried out building interventions such as the thermal coat, the replacement of the fixtures, the installation of new condensing boilers and solar panels. Brussels’ ultimate goal is to achieve zero emissions by 2050. But after a series of confrontations between centre-right and centre-left, a derogation emerges from article 9 of the directive to introduce a principle of flexibility valid at least until 2037 and which could cover up to 22% of residential construction (which in Italy consists of 2.6 million buildings). Parliamentary sources explain that this will allow member states to delay or make justified changes. This means that, in cases where there are objective and valid reasons to prevent the energy class jump of a building, the country where this happens will have to inform the European Union and stop at the level that will be technically possible to reach, even if this should be lower than the target indicated by the directive.

Exempt buildings

With regard to resources, the hypothesis of European funding available to the Member States which will support national financial sources seems to be confirmed. According to ANCE (National Association of Building Builders), in Italy out of 12.2 million residential buildings, over 9 million are particularly pollutingie are not able to guarantee the required energy performances. However, the number of buildings that can be exempt from the green restriction could expand: an exemption, in fact, requires the addition of buildings that are recognized for historical and architectural merit to those already envisaged by the directive. A compromise reached in the commission that brings together the popular, socialists but also liberals, greens and the left.