[09.12.21] ENPOR Lunch Talk Discusses Minimum Energy Performance Standards for Buildings and Energy Poverty

The third ENPOR Lunch Talk focused on how the EU’s Fit for 55 Package impacts energy poverty with a special focus on Minimum Energy Performance Standards with invited guests: Louise Sunderland (Regulatory Assistance Project, RAP), Hélène Sibileau (Building Performance Institute Europe, BPIE), Emmanuelle Causse (International Union of Property Owners, UIPI), Ina Karova (Energy Agency Plovdiv), and Gyorgy Sumeghy (Habitat for Humanity International EMEA).

Noelani Dubeta (Climate Alliance) discussed with the invited guests how the EU’s Fit for 55 package of legislative proposals could trigger renovations in the private rental sector, what the impacts are for municipalities and energy poor citizens, and specifically Minimum Energy Performance Standards for buildings. We explored whether these standards of MEPS could be a tool for municipalities to ride on the renovation wave while protecting energy vulnerable groups.

Energy efficient renovation of the exising housing stock is one of the main solutions to reduce energy poverty. While energy efficient housing not only alleviates energy poverty, it also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emmisisons, those who struggle to meet their energy needs often live in insufficiently isolated dwellings with low energy efficiency. In the case of privately rented housing, renovating these homes require to overcome several existing conflicts and problems. We explored why and how minimum energy performance standards could contribute to alleviating energy poverty, especcially in the private rented sector and what are the solutions and pitfalls of standards, certification schemes and compliance to these in the light of the Fit for 55 package for deep renovation in Europe.

Check out our experts’ and the audience’s recommended reads that were posted during the Lunch Talk:

Hélène Sibileau (BPIE) mentioned:
– BPIE Policy Recommendations on EPBD, including on MEPS: https://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/BPIE_Making-EPBD-fit-for-2030_Final.pdf
– BPIE Paper on Deep Renovation: https://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/BPIE_Deep-Renovation-Briefing_Final.pdf
– BPIE Briefing on the role of deep renovation to combat high energy prices: https://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/taking-back-control_policy-briefing.pdf

Louise Sunderland recommends RAP’s resources:
– Design considerations for MEPS at EU level https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/next-steps-for-meps-designing-minimum-energy-performance-standards-for-european-buildings/;
– on considerations for introduction in Germany https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/considering-minimum-energy-performance-standards-for-germany/
– Spain https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/minimum-energy-performance-standards-for-spain/ and
– EU case studies on national MEPS https://www.raponline.org/knowledge-center/case-studies-minimum-energy-performance-standards-for-european-buildings/

György Sümeghy (Habitat for Humanity) mentioned:
https://getwarmhomes.org/
https://comact-project.eu/

Emanuelle Causse (UIPI) recommends to read UIPI’s 6 pillars for the introduction of MEPS:
https://uipi-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/p/martini/EdWi1xfUm25JpYGFUc3mcM4BdCx6gtbFVb6Q2lqxzabWjg?e=sTb5lw

Right to Energy Coalition (written in collaboration between RAP and Friends of the Earth Europe) outline a socially just introduction of MEPS here:
https://righttoenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Briefing-How-to-alleviate-energy-poverty-in-the-EPBD-1.pdf