Activities of Pernille WEISS related to 2020/2070(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on maximising the energy efficiency potential of the EU building stock
Amendments (58)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the “Product Environmental Footprint” announced in the Commission communication of 20 September 2011 entitled “Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe” (COM(2011)0571),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the building sector is the single largest energy consumer in the EU, and 75% of the EU’s buildings are not energy efficient, and an improved and refurbished building stock has therefore the greatest potential for achieving the EU’s energy and climate goals of transitioning to a smarter and decarbonised energy system;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas, in order to overcome any barrier or risk, environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance criteria should be integrated to track and proof the actions against well-below 2°C pathways;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas half of the EU’s buildings have individual boilers installed before 1992, with efficiency of 60% or less, and 22% of individual gas boilers, 34% of direct electric heaters, 47% of oil boilers and 58% of coal boilers are older than their technical lifetime;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas policy, finance and innovation/digitalisation are the three key enablers for a sustainable built environment, and maximising the energy efficiency potential of buildings will require a smart combination of rigorous implementation of existing policies, new policy initiatives to phase-out the worst energy performing buildings, adequate financing mechanisms and investments in innovative solutions;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas staged and deep renovation of the existing building stock will be crucial to unlock the energy efficiency potential of buildings in Europe, and whereas since most of the homes, schools and offices that we will occupy in 2050 are already built, the main challenge is to renovate these 210 million existing buildings, which can help to lift millions of people from energy poverty, reduce energy bills, create over 2 million in jobs and deliver on comfortable, affordable and energy-efficient housing for all;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO) plays a key role in monitoring and improving the overall energy performance of buildings in the EU through data that is reliable, consistent and easy to compare;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the role of neighbourhoods and, communities, SMEs, and civil society in i“Integrated rRenovation pProgrammes” (IRPs) in order to achieve a climate-neutral building sector by 2050as a “holistic” approach to staged and deep renovation in line with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in order to achieve a more energy efficient and eventually climate-neutral building sector by 2050; solutions such as staged and deep renovations should be both considered and placed on an equal footing, in line with the recently revised EPBD;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is concerned by the gentrification and ‘renoviction’ of neighbourhoods driven by investment capital interests, and by the rising numbers of citizens in energy poverty, gender disparity, and marginalisatBelieves that a strategy (‘Renovation Wave’) aimed at maximising the efficiency of the EU building stock must take into consideration the different circumstances relevant to each Member State, where applicable in accordance with the integrated National Energy and Climate Plans adopted pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 [on the Governance of the Energy Union]; considers that a community approach in addition to safeguards at a regulatory level could reduce the level of destruction of existing communitien incentive-based approach at the regulatory level is essential to maximise efficiency and to leverage necessary private and public investments;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the immediate success of “one-stop- shops,shops” for energy renovations of buildings as transparent and accessible advisory tools from the client perspective fostering capacity building for municipalities, and the active involvement of local actors such as energy communities, consumer organisations and housing cooperatives; acknowledges that the current knowledge about one-stop- shops as a new innovative business structure at local level in the Member States is rather limited; calls on the Commission to conduct in-depth case studies in order to gain knowledge and evidence about one-stop-shops’ added value to deep renovation and eventually climate-neutral building sector in the EU by 2050; emphasises the critical role of such services to aggregate projects, give advice, coordinate the works; underlines the need to not only create but also sustain those services with an appropriate business model, evidence-based, in order to continuously feed the market with a pipeline of projects, including smaller- scale projects; believes that the creation of a one-stop-shop at a regional or local level will provide better access to financing mechanisms;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the European Green Deal proposal on "open platforms"; stresses that they must be inclusive and gainbring together civil society, the buildings and construction sector, architects and engineers and local authorities to address the barriers to renovation in the pursuit for consensus on the basis of community needs;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a policy to facilitate IRPs at community levellocal level in the Member States providing for staged and deep renovations in an inclusive and interactive manner; stresses the need to secure more “on site” and “nearby” renewable energy solutions through the IRPs; calls on the Commission to step up work on the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and the EU City Facility;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to immediately launch inclusive IRP platforms,”open platforms” as indicated in the communication on a European Green Deal and include these platforms as a key priority in the IRPs; the IRPs should be accompanied by EU initiatives circulating best practices on the replicability of programmes, the dissemination of capacities, sector integration, and safeguards for communities in energy poverty, in line with the commitments of the EPBD;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Highlights that initial investment costs, complex finance schemes, split incentives, medium/long-term payback times, and a lack of a predictable and long-term policy framework act as significant barriers to investments; consequently, encourages the Commission to develop a market-based policy framework to stimulate investments and local innovation initiatives; in particular, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on public and private finances, strongly believes that any increased regulatory burden or short-term costs, must be coupled with long-term financial incentives; stresses the need to roll-out of cost-effective technologies such as “Building Automation and Control” which are able to deliver a factor 9 on return of investments;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Believes that incentives and measures aimed at improving smart consumption at the level of the final consumer, such as demand-side management and installation of smart meters, must be coupled with investment incentives aimed at the level of property owners, especially in cases of multi- apartment buildings where energy consumption is managed centrally through district heating and cooling systems and not billed directly to the final consumer, for purposes of energy efficiency and cost-efficiency;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that more than EUR 75 billion a year in EU incentives is required to ensure an energy-efficient building stock by 2050; stresses that EU already has contributed financially to building renovations through its European Structural and Investment Funds; underlines the role of the European Investment Bank Group to provide loans, guarantees and financial instruments, such as the Private Finance for Energy Efficiency (PF4EE) and the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings guarantee facility, and also in the framework of InvestEU, in order to finance small-scale and social housing renovation initiatives and services;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to define indicators for cost-effectiveness of the building renovation investments to be used in allocation of resources in the 2021-2027 financial period;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the available financing possibilities, Member States’ good practices using the EU emissions trading system (ETS) revenues blending, conditionality, and using EU regional funds as guarantees and revolving funds; stresses that there is the possibility to finance training under the Just Transition FundSupports the idea of market-based measures in the building sector that ensure energy efficiency and cost- effective investments; urges that such a market-based measure must be based on a proper impact assessment; considers of paramount importance, in the case of all measures, to take into account their competitive impact on European enterprises and to counteract the relocation of activities to other countries in response to differing environmental standards;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Highlights the importance of considering all the available technologies to speed up the decarbonisation of the building stock, particularly investments in the renovation of the building stock should go together with investments in the decarbonisation of the heating sector, which will remain key in the years to come;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to regularly revise energy efficiency targets upwards, propose binding minimum annual renovation rates for buildings and policy measures ensuring deep renovations creating financial triggers and investment stability, if feasible, and after a proper impact assessment, to revise, in a predictable manner, the energy efficiency targets, with a view to stimulate energy savings, innovation and investments; rejects binding minimum annual renovation rates for buildings on the basis that they do not sufficiently take into consideration the circumstances specific to each Member State and are therefore contrary to the principle of reducing CO2 emissions in the most cost-efficient manner;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Is convinced that standards can give visibility and security to the market regarding the future direction of the existing building stock and allow the market to mobilise itself and plan for the transformation, if introduced with sufficient lead times; considers that this will allow investors to provide the required financial instruments and the market to properly price these efficiency improvements through higher property values;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for stepping up the capability of the European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) facility and the European Investment Bank to give technical assistance to local authorities; with special focus to reflect Member States' current need for guidance on financial resources and options, especially in the context of the Covid-19 recovery plans;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to revise EU State aid rules in order to foster IRPs; , especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in order to promote investments in the field of energy-efficiency at Member State level in order to ensure higher rates of building renovations in the EU; underlines, however, that any revision of EU state aid rules must primarily contribute to equal treatment and increased competition;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls the Commission to advise Member States to adopt a cost- effectiveness approach as guiding principle when the EU co-funds energy efficiency investments in buildings through its European structural and investment funds (ESIF);
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the importance of the energy efficiency first principle in decarbonising heating and cooling, electrification of residual demand throug with renewable energy combined with, utilising heat pumps or efficient district heating and cooling systems, as well as in load management and flexibility; calls for the need of removing barriers, improving access to grid, including, inter alia, the need of harmonisation and simplification of permits for SMEs and underlines the need to plan IRPs in order to achieve synergies;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights that the connection of buildings to existing energy networks should facilitate the access of consumers to renewable and decarbonised energy supplies from electricity networks, district heating and pipelines, which will have to increase the supplies of biomethane and hydrogen;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Considers that natural gas may contribute, as a transitional solution, to emissions reduction especially in the heating systems;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Calls on the Commission to support research and development (R&D) programmes for energy efficient construction materials and, taking in account the social situation, calls for a low cost renewable energy based heating system to be implemented in rural and remote areas;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that energy-efficient buildings should be safe and sustainable; underlines that building renovation is an opportunity to undertake safety checks (e.g. electrical safety, fire safety features) and underlines the importance of embodied energy, sustainability in buildings, resource efficiency, thermal comfort, improved air quality and life-cycle approaches in line with the circular economy;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Reminds that sustainable building materials such as wood are essential for achieving low-carbon and long-lasting building stock, and that construction opens an opportunity to store carbon into bio-based building products;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to further identify best practices for IRPs to also include heritage buildings, while ensuring real savings through verification; acknowledges the specificity and the fragility of heritage buildings, and believes that, in certain cases, the protection of building should take precedence on energy efficiency and that renovations of heritage buildings should always be done in compliance with national rules of conservation, the 1964 Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, and the original architecture;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Highlights the importance of implementing and updating the existing harmonised standards, and calls on the Commission to revise by 2021 Regulation 305/2011 on harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products, and work on new ones to allow a good functioning of the internal market of these products and reward technological research and innovation to support the renovation and construction of high energy efficient buildings;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Member States to adopt a life-cycle approach in line with the circular economy to maximise the reuse, recycling, and recuperation of materials in their procurement strategies;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Considers that the exploitation of building skin surfaces represents a huge potential in turning the built environment into a decentralised renewable energy producer, by saving lands and landscape areas;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Acknowledges the role of electrification through electric vehicles; calls for a plan for the deployment of charging points in existing buildings;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Commission to set a framework for the introduction of minimum energy performance standards for existing buildings that are progressively tightened over time in line with the 2050 objective; underlines that such standards would help operationalise the pathway to climate neutrality in the building sector by 2050 at the latest, and can give visibility and security to the market regarding the transformation of the existing building stock;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Is convinced that the introduction of a building renovation passport to track continued improvement and to monitor renovation depth and energy performance benefits house owners and building operators; stresses that this renovation passport should be a common EU tool adapted to regional particularities to address challenges posed by building stock heterogeneity;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to launch an EU skills initiative in the renovation sector, which includes a gender dimension, in order to engage with stakeholders in retraining, upskilling and capacity building, with a focus on employment; underlines that ensuring quality, compliance and (fire) safety requires adequate competencies and skills of professionals involved during design and construction/renovation;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Points out that such an EU skills initiative should enable intermediaries such as installers, architects or contractors to advise, prescribe or install relevant solutions for energy efficiency programmes and a decarbonised building stock;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Digitalisation and reliable data
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers digitalisation as an enabler for distributed generation, storage, flexibility and sector integration, as well as for accelerating renovation project deployment thanks to building data; underlines the potential of existing technologies in integrating renewables in conventional building materials which can be used as multifunctional cladding elements for the refurbishment of existing building stock;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the Commission to look into reliability of building-related data and take into account how further use of digitalisation can contribute positively in order to ensure a strong evidence-based approach when adopting policies related to energy efficiency and staged and deep renovation; underlines that the legal framework of EPBD drives research, development and innovation and the validation of “best practices” benefits SMEs and their ability to act innovatively;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Highlights the need to accelerate and scale up the implementation of technologies that enable buildings to benefit from and provide smart functionalities including demand-side response and optimisation of energy use inside the building, such as building automation and control technology; highlights the need to accelerate and scale up the deployment of technologies such as “Building Automation and Control”, that are delivering significant energy savings while at the same time securing healthy and comfortable buildings, for example by providing demand-based thermal and air quality control and reducing the risk of spreading virus or infections;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 c (new)
Paragraph 27 c (new)
27c. Considers the “Internet of Things” as a means to measure the real impact of renovation on the energy performance of buildings and an enabler of large-scale cost-effective renovation strategies;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls for a stronger evidence- based approach which will, by using reliable and strengthened data, allow estimating energy efficiency in buildings and cost-effective measures accurately, fostering a level-playing field for “best practices” in cost-effective solutions in the EU;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. HighlightsIs convinced that the renovation wave may mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, by fostering high-quality and essential jobs in the construction and renewable energy industries and supporting small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) workers;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Commission to assess the introduction of scrappage schemes for old and inefficient heating and cooling systems, thereby accelerating the replacement of obsolete appliances, with the effect of maximising the energy efficiency potential of the EU building stock in particular in the short-medium period, as scrappage schemes identified through regular checks and efficiency labelling will boost the replacement of old heaters with new efficient and renewable- based ones;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Requires an ambitious implementation of the Clean Energy Package; underlines the role of national energy and climate plans (NECPs) in maximising opportunities in the building sector; calls on the Commission to ensure enforcement of the measures included in the revised EPBD;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the Member States’ long-term renovation strategies (LTRSs) in setting out milestones towards the climate neutrality objective; expresses its concern on the significant delays of some Member States to submit their LTRS; invites these Member States to seize the opportunity to comply with their legal obligations of the EPBD and submit the delayed LTRSs;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Underlines that building renovation should be integrated with wider efforts to decarbonise the energy system and go hand in hand with investments in e.g. efficient district energy networks and heat pumps by taking a system/district approach that integrates all potential efficiency measures such as excess heat recovery;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Stresses the importance of applying life-cycle approach in line with circular economy also to renovation projects, so that the demand for energy is mitigated over the full life cycle of a building;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Commission to enshrine the renovation wave’s measures into EU law and increase the 2030 climate and energy targets, where appropriate, fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity and cost-efficiency, and while ensuring that the renovation of buildings is integrated as a key policy to fill the gap in the 2030 targets;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Instructs its President to forwardCalls for the inclusion of the building sector and related industries, especially SMEs, in recovery packages and to ensure full coherence between thise resolunovation to all EU institutions and the Member Statwave and the "New Industrial Strategy for Europe" by adopting a more strategic approach to renewable energy industries.;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess the possibility to address the decarbonisation of the building stock through an effective carbon-pricing instrument for heating;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 b (new)
Paragraph 37 b (new)
37b. Notes that building renovation projects should contribute to the potential for better health conditions; emphasises that the revision of standards for air quality, thermal conditions and other indoor-related health aspects can lead to improvements of indoor environmental conditions and ensure significant welfare savings and thus reduce Member States' public expenses and benefit the EU economy and its citizens as a whole;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 c (new)
Paragraph 37 c (new)
37c. Calls on the Commission to develop a “EU Climate Calculator” (ECC) as part of its “Renovation Wave” that ensures an accurate and easy understandable labelling for building materials, products and services related to the renovation of the EU building stock towards 2050; stresses that the ECC should ensure a level-playing field for the key actors that are a part of - or related- to the IRPs ’s greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint within the EU building stock and that such a ‘holistic approach’ would open up for positive behavioural affects by EU citizens, industries, and SMEs; stresses that the concept must be based on the principles of circular and lifecycle economy in order to drive demand for climate-friendly goods “made in Europe”, strengthening the competitiveness of the EU building sector; suggests the Commission to use already known scientific methods when estimating GHG emissions, e.g. with inspiration from its “Product Environmental Footprint”;