Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

Excess heat produced across Europe could almost power the entire region but preventing this waste is largely being ignored as a solution to the energy crisis, say environmental experts.

The EU has today approved proposals to improve the energy performance of buildings.

Earlier today, a meeting of the European Parliament Industry, Research, Telecoms and Energy Committee was held today in Brussels.

Ghent is continuing to install solar panels on municipal buildings as part of broader environmental efforts.

City authorities headed by Mayor of Ghent Mathias De Clercq pointed out that municipal buildings will cover more than 40% of their energy needs with renewables by the end of the year.

Edinburgh, Scotland. On the rocky western coast of the remote Scottish island of North Uist, a link in the Outer Hebrides archipelago, loom two 250-foot-tall (76 meter) onshore wind turbines with a…

Sufficiency : the key element to reach carbon neutrality

Sufficiency, a disruptive concept that’s often distorted, must be understoodas a limitation of our needs and consumption to what is useful. It supplements efficiency toreach the much desired objective of a low carbon society. Thus sufficiency has become (again) a key element of the ecological transition. ADEME’s prospective study Transition(s) 2050 places it at the heart of three of the four scenarios laid out. This letterdescribes this in more detail in order to better inform you about the essential and profound changes we need to introduce.

Malmö is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030. Find out how the energy system is being developed to be 100% renewable and how the construction and property sectors are mobilising to meet the challenge.

This policy roadmap sets out the necessary steps to introduce whole-life carbon considerations and align the provisions of the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) with climate-neutrality goals. It argues that the 2022 EPBD recast should ensure a comprehensive vision of a carbon neutral building and construction sector, and set the requirements and clear triggers to reduce whole-life carbon emissions of the building stock.

“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Beckett’s mantra sounds like a perfect fit for the European Union’s latest attempt to revamp its green buildings law, writes Frédéric Simon.

Buildings are accountable for 53% of carbon emissions in the city of Rome, and this is the main issue that needs to be addressed in order to achieve climate neutrality, Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri told EURACTIV in an interview.

Adaptation and mitigation efforts are mutually reinforcing. A cohesive policy effort to improve Europe’s buildings and urban spaces is becoming increasingly vital, says Oliver Rapf of Buildings Performance Institute Europe

Helsinki continues to invest in energy efficiency of municipal buildings as part of efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.

Under Mayor of Helsinki Juhana Vartiainen, city authorities noted that the move will help to reduce energy consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy consumed in the residential sector accounts for up to 30 per cent of Latvia’s energy usage. Approximately 23,000 multi-apartment buildings need to be renovated, but only 1,600 buildings have been insulated since 2009, a renovation rate of 0.5 per year. Will Latvia seize the chance and use REPowerEU chapters for renovation?

Soaring energy prices and gas supply disruptions are mounting pressure on Europe to renovate its ageing, inefficient buildings as governments scramble to protect citizens from big bills.

Buildings are in the spotlight as the EU contemplates a long, hard winter on the back of an energy price crisis intensified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Already the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate package aimed to double renovation rates by 2030 and pioneer minimum energy performance standards for buildings. The REPowerEU proposals – issued in response to the Russian invasion – complement this with a solar rooftop plan and raise the EU’s overall energy efficiency goal for 2030 from 9% to 13%.