‍

Objectives and Context of the Directive

The revision of the directive on the energy performance of buildings aims to achieve a zero-emission building stock by 2050.

Zero-emission buildings are those considered to have very high energy performance, meeting the following cumulative criteria:

• They require no energy or a very low amount of energy,
• They generate no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels,
• They produce no operational greenhouse gas emissions or very low emissions.

Provisions on Parking Facilities

The directive introduces new provisions regarding charging points and bicycle parking in parking facilities associated with new buildings, those undergoing major renovation, or existing buildings.

Some provisions overlap with national law; the differences have been outlined in the tables below:

TABLE 1

‍

* major renovation: renovation of a building where the total cost of the renovation concerning the building envelope or the building's technical systems exceeds 25% of the building's value (excluding the land on which it is located), OR more than 25% of the building envelope's surface area undergoes renovation. Member States must choose which of these two definitions they adopt.

‍

TABLE 2

‍

‍

‍

‍

Building technical systems

Member States shall provide for measures to optimize the energy use of building technical systems*.

* building technical system: technical equipment of a building or building unit for space heating, space cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water production, integrated lighting, building automation and control, on-site renewable energy production and energy storage, or a combination of several of these systems, including systems using energy from renewable sources.

Under national law, tertiary buildings are subject to the obligation to implement a building automation and control system (BACS) since the transposition in 2020 of EU Directive 2010/31.

The directive introduces additional provisions for BACS. The system must be able to monitor indoor environmental quality by 29 May 2026.

Furthermore, non-residential buildings with building technical management systems must be equipped with automatic lighting control systems operating in appropriate zones and capable of presence detection, according to the following conditions:

• Nominal useful output greater than 290kW, by 31 December 2027 at the latest,
• Nominal useful output greater than 70kW, by 31 December 2029 at the latest.

In addition, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, including all combinations thereof, with a nominal useful output greater than 70 kW must be inspected at least every 5 years. This frequency is reduced to 3 years for systems with a nominal useful output greater than 290 kW.

This inspection includes:

- An assessment of the efficiency and sizing of the heating and cooling generators and their main components in relation to the building's requirements;

- Where appropriate, an assessment of the system's ability to operate at different temperatures to ensure better efficiency, particularly through design requirements for thermal power output, temperature, and flow rate, while ensuring its safe operation;

- Where appropriate, a basic assessment of the feasibility of reducing on-site fossil fuel use, for example by integrating renewable energy, modifying energy sources, or replacing or adapting existing systems;

- Where a ventilation system is installed, an assessment of its sizing and its ability to optimize its performance under typical or average operating conditions relevant to the building's specific and current use;

- It takes into account the system's capabilities to optimize its performance under typical or average operating conditions, using available energy-saving technologies, and under changing conditions due to various uses.

Zero-emission buildings

All new buildings must be zero-emission from January 1, 2030.

Life cycle assessments of buildings must use the Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicator and be included in the energy performance certificate according to the following deadlines:

• From January 1, 2028 for all new buildings with a useful floor area greater than 1,000 m² ;
• From January 1, 2030 for all new buildings.

Phasing out fossil fuels

Member States must implement measures to end the use of fossil fuels for heating and cooling and to definitively phase out fossil fuel boilers by 2040.

Solar energy in buildings

Member States must promote the deployment of solar energy in buildings, according to the following timeline:

• For new non-residential buildings with a useful floor area exceeding 250 m² : by December 31, 2026;
• For existing buildings with a useful floor area exceeding 500m² when the building undergoes a major renovation* or an action requiring an administrative permit for building renovations, roof work: by December 31, 2027;
• For new covered car parks adjacent to a building: by December 31, 2029.

Transposition into national law

As a reminder, a directive is not directly applicable. It must be transposed into national law by each Member State.

Member States must transpose this directive and establish a national building renovation plan before May 29, 2026.

Directive 2024/1275 repeals EU Directive 2010/31 on May 31, 2026.