Conceptualising iBRoad2EPC: Can Energy Performance Certificates be upgraded to include Building Renovation Passport elements?

This report investigates the maturity and market potential of the six iBRoad2EPC implementing counties (Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain). By joining Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) with Building Renovation Passports, EPCs can become a powerful tool that can trigger deep and staged energy renovation.

The European Union (EU) has set ambitious goals of cutting its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and becoming climate neutral by 2050. To achieve these obligations and climate targets, significant emissions reductions are needed in the building sector, which contributes to around a third of all EU emissions. The energy performance certificate (EPC) is one of the EU’s main instruments that can facilitate the long-term decarbonisation of the building stock. The EPC is an established instrument that can inform, motivate and incite building owners to undertake energy renovation. To fulfil this role, however, several challenges need to be addressed and only a few countries have explored the full potential of EPCs.

There is an increasing reliance on EPC data for tracking the progress and the implementation of renovation policies and funding. Yet the uneven quality and reliability of national EPC schemes, coupled with the lack of public trust in the generic list of recommendations may hinder the goal of the EPC to encourage additional investments in energy efficiency. EPCs offer a huge opportunity if integrated with building renovation passport (BRP) elements.

iBRoad2EPC is positioned as the bridge between existing EPC schemes and (future) BRPs that take a further step to offer an individual and step-by-step renovation journey over time. This report investigates the maturity and market potential of the six iBRoad2EPC implementing counties (Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain). By joining the two instruments, EPCs can become a powerful tool that can trigger deep and staged energy renovation and pave the way for the later implementation of comprehensive BRPs.

The analysis found several barriers towards the implementation of BRPs, including the lack of financial support and public awareness. On the other hand, various recent developments can drive the uptake of BRPs. These include references to BRPs in key national strategy documents, such as the long-term renovation strategies (LTRS) and the recovery and resilience plans (RRP).

The report concludes with general recommendations and success ingredients: (1) stakeholder engagement of policymakers, EPC issuers, building owners, potential data providers, etc.; (2) innovative elements beyond energy, e.g. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ); (3) secure funds and investment capacity; (4) creation of demand combined with quality control mechanisms and awareness raising campaign on the benefits of deep renovation.

About iBRoad2EPC

iBRoad2EPC builds on the results of the iBRoad project (2017-2020) which developed, tested and delivered a model for the Building Renovation Passport (BRP) supporting single-family home-owners with personalised advice to facilitate stepwise deep renovation of their buildings. iBRoad2EPC aims to bridge the Building Renovation Passport with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), and expand, improve and broaden their format and joint scope to consider additional features, e.g., indoor environment and smart technologies, and become applicable also to multi-family and public buildings. The aim is to improve reliability, usefulness and effectiveness, thereby establishing the next generation of EPCs that will support Europe’s decarbonisation ambitions as reflected in the Renovation Wave Strategy, while improving conditions for building occupants.

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