The government was announcing a huge home renovation program just as the EU announced it.

The Hungarian announcement came in the morning …

Apparently, the minister of Katalin Novák, who did not have a portfolio of family affairs, came out of nowhere on Wednesday morning, announcing that a comprehensive home renovation program for families with children will be announced as of January 1. there is a limit to the range of possible investments, the minister without portfolio He also mentioned energy modernization. Anyway, their bills could easily be handed over by the government in the background to the European Commission to post-finance them with “Brussels” of the new EU programs from 2021. At least this is indicated by the fact that the A member of the Hungarian government also scheduled his own announcement just before the big announcement from the European Commission.

The outer board is also at noon on Wednesday. announced a major building renovation program. It aims to achieve the EU’s emissions reduction target by 2030 by renovating up to 35 million European buildings and creating 160,000 green jobs. Currently, the official goal is to reduce emissions by 40% compared to 1990 levels at EU level (this is expected to be the case in Hungary due to industrial collapse after the regime change, but several Member States now reduce emissions by a small percentage compared to 1990 levels). than 30 years ago, so they will need a major change).

In addition, the Commission recently proposed that: This 40% target should be raised to 55% in order to achieve full climate neutrality by 2050 with greater certainty;, and the European Parliament approved the EU’s climate regulation with an increase to 60% the other day. Incidentally, the Executive Vice President of the Commission attended a climate protection forum in Budapest last Friday and, in an interview, emphasized that the goal of reducing emissions from 40% to 55% was really achievable:

So everything that happens in the field of building renovation and energy efficiency in Brussels, both at home and abroad, fits into this great framework.

Relationship between emission reduction target and building renovations

To meet the target of at least 55% by 2030 proposed by the European Commission in September 2020, the EU must reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by 60%, energy consumption by 14% and heating by 18%. and energy consumption related to refrigeration.

European policy and funding have already had a positive effect on the energy efficiency of new buildings, which now consume only half the energy consumed by buildings constructed 20 years ago. However, 85% of buildings in the EU have been built for more than 20 years and between 85% and 95% of them are expected to remain in place by 2050. The modernization program is also necessary to bring closer the standards for new and old buildings.

… Then a few hours later, he came across a report in Brussels

The European Commission yesterday adopted and presented its strategy for a building rehabilitation program to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The Commission aims to at least double the rate of modernization over the next ten years and ensure that renovations lead to greater energy and resource efficiency. This will improve the quality of life for people who live in and use buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, promote digitization and improve the reuse and recycling of materials.

The Board’s statement recalls that Buildings are responsible for around 40% of the EU’s energy consumption and for around 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, with only 1% of them subject to energy efficiency improvements each year, effective action is essential to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. While nearly 34 million Europeans cannot afford to heat their homes, public policies that promote energy efficient modernization are at the same time an answer to energy poverty, promote the health and well-being of people and help reduce their energy bills. The Commission also published a recommendation to member states on how to tackle energy poverty on Wednesday.

The strategy sets priorities in the following three areas:

1. heating and cooling decarbonization;
2. address energy poverty and worst performing buildings;
3. and renovation of public buildings such as schools, hospitals and administrative buildings.

The Commission proposes to break down current barriers to the modernization chain from project design through funding to implementation through a series of policy measures, financing instruments and technical assistance instruments.

The strategy includes the following cardinal measures:

• Stronger regulation, standard development and information on energy performance of buildings to better encourage public and private renovations, including phasing in of mandatory minimum energy performance requirements for existing buildings, updating standards for performance certificates energy and the possible extension of building renovation requirements to the public sector;
• Provide accessible and well-targeted funding, including through the flagship Renovate and Power Up initiatives under the Next Generation EU Resilience Recovery and Strengthening Instrument, as well as simplified rules to combine different sources of funding and a broad range of incentives for private financing;
• Increase the capacity to prepare and implement renovation projects, from technical assistance to national and local authorities to training and skills development for workers in new green jobs;
• Expand the market for sustainable construction products and services, including the integration of new materials and nature-based solutions, and revise legislation on targets for the commercialization of construction products and the reuse and recovery of materials;
• Creation of a new European Bauhaus, an interdisciplinary project jointly managed by an advisory board of external experts, including scientists, architects, designers, artists, designers and representatives of civil society. From now until summer 2021, the Commission will enable a far-reaching and participatory joint creative process, and in 2022 it will build a network of the first five Bauhaus centers in different EU countries.
• Develop neighborhood-based approaches for local communities to adopt renewable and digital solutions and create zero-energy districts where consumers become producer-consumers selling energy to the grid. The strategy also includes an affordable housing initiative for 100 districts.

The revision of the Renewable Energy Directive in June 2021 will consider strengthening the objective of heating and cooling from renewable energy sources and introducing minimum levels of renewable energy in buildings. The Commission will also examine how, in addition to revenue from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), EU budgetary resources could be used to finance national energy efficiency and savings plans for low-income people. The ecodesign framework will be further developed in order to provide efficient products for use in buildings and promote their use.

However, the modernization program is not just about making existing buildings more energy efficient and climate neutral. It can also promote a large-scale transformation of our cities and our built environment. It could offer an opportunity to launch a promising process that reconciles sustainability and style, notes the communication. As President von der Leyen announced, the Commission is launching the new European Bauhaus to create a new European aesthetic that combines performance with inventive ingenuity. We strive to make the living environment accessible to all, and in a new and sustainable future, affordability and artistic sophistication will be reconciled.

All important details of the building renovation strategy and the Commission’s draft regulation can be found in the documents under the communication on this page.

Cover Image Source: Jan Woitas / Picture Alliance via Getty Images