What does the directive on green homes approved by the EU provide?

Yesterday the European Parliament has approved a directive on the energy performance of public and private buildings in an attempt to stem the polluting impact produced by homes (responsible, according to some estimates, for 36 percent of greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy consumption). The prerequisite is that the document is not definitive: may therefore incur in any changes during the approval process. The content of the text is structured according to a program which provides for energy efficiency thresholds to be respected by the member countries of the Union by a specific date.

What determines energy consumption

The modernization works must be similar to those envisaged by the Superbonus. The objective is in fact to intervene on the elements that most affect consumption, thus reducing the pollution rate of a building. First, a large part of consumption is connected to heating systems: Many buildings built before the 1970s now have obsolete systems. The issue of fixtures is instead linked to the problem ofthermal insulation: updating them means guaranteeing greater retention of the internal heat of a building. In general, it is often the problem that is overall structure of the buildingswhose characteristics do not take into account the energy consequences: just think of houses that have ceilings with above-average heights, which take much longer to heat up and inevitably cause greater energy consumption.

Private buildings

There are essentially two thresholds that non-new buildings will have to respect. The first is fixed at 2030 and provides for the achievement of the so-called class Ewhile three years later the share will become that of class D, therefore an even more stringent parameter. But what is meant by energy classes?

The energy classes are a unit of measurement by which the energy consumption of a single building and therefore its pollution rate. It is organized according to a scale that goes from class A (the most efficient, i.e. the one with the least consumption) up to class G, the most polluting. Beyond the technical specifications – that is, how consumption is calculated in detail – the question that arises spontaneously is how can you know the energy class to which your building belongs.

The energy class is recognized through a certificate called Bee: may be required by contacting a real estate agency or even online on some digital platforms. In any case, it cannot be obtained independently: it is necessary to contact an authorized body. At the time of the request, some data on the property must be provided, such as the type of active contract or other identifying characteristics (year, type of construction, heating system, etc.). The Ape certification is not currently mandatory, except in cases of sale, rental or renovation. To date, therefore, there is no state constraint for the energy classification of a generic building: it is not yet clear whether, following the European directive, Italy will change its line on this point.

According to the most recent report by Enea (National Energy Efficiency Agency), in 2020 more than half of the buildings on Italian soil did not fall within the parameter set by the European Union by 2030 (class E). 34 percent of the buildings – the largest share – were recognized through the Ape as energy class G (the lowest and most polluting) and 25 percent as class F (the one immediately before the European threshold). Also in the Enea report, it is stated that “more than 60 percent are characterized by poor energy performance” and, even more alarmingly, the percentage of approved buildings in the lower classes has grown compared to the previous year. However, it should be considered that in the two years following the last report, the measure of the Superbonus has certainly had a positive effect on the Italian numbers, even if the definitive data is still missing.

The other spontaneous question is How to improve your energy rating, once this is recognized by the Bee. To reach class D – the one required by Europe by 2030 – essentially it is necessary to proceed with the same modernization works envisaged by the Superbonus: therefore it concerns the thermal coat, the insulation of the roof, the high efficiency boiler and the fixtures. Realistically, the state will have to intervene with incentives for carrying out the works: however, it is not yet known what the government’s line will be, and therefore not even how much public interventions would amount to.

Public buildings

More stringent parameters have been set for public buildings: in fact, class E will be required by 2027 and class D by 2030therefore with an advance of three years compared to private properties.

New buildings

By 2028, any new building (therefore just built) that can be equipped with solar panels will have to necessarily provide for the installationwith a derogation that is granted only to buildings undergoing renovation for which the limit is 2032. Furthermore, again by 2028 these buildings will have to reach the so-called share of “zero emissions”, therefore the highest energy class (A4).