EU Policy Brief

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

In 2002, the European Parliament passed the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in order to meet ambitious climate & energy goals. Buildings consume over 40% of the EU's total energy use, and are responsible for about 36% of CO2 emissions. The EPBD required each EU member state to develop and implement a program of mandatory certification of building efficiency by 2006. Subsequent revisions of the EPBD have provided for a more flexible time-frame and more specific policy instructions.

The EPBD mandate applies to both new construction and existing buildings and affects both residential and commercial use types. Private buildings are required to attain certification upon sale or lease; public buildings (however defined) must put their certificates up for public display. Efficiency certificates may be based on asset (calculated) ratings, operational (measured) ratings, or both. Program specifics, like disclosure process, performance measurement, and calculation methodology are left up to the individual country or region.

European Union (EU)

European countries with EPBD policies:

	Austria		Belgium		Bulgaria		Croatia		Cyprus
	Czech Republic		Denmark		Estonia		Finland		France
	Germany		Greece		Hungary		Ireland		Italy
	Latvia		Lithuania		Luxembourg		Malta		Netherlands
	Norway*		Poland		Portugal		Romania		Slovakia
	Slovenia		Spain		Sweden		UK

*Non-EU members with EPBD-compliant policies

For a visualization of energy certificates used in each country/region,

check out the Energy Label Gallery.