Without the fundamental renovation of the building stock, the EU cannot achieve its climate targets.

After all, most of the more than 200 million properties in the European Union will still be standing in 2050 if the community wants to be climate neutral.

Buildings account for 40 percent of the energy demand in Europe.

They cause around a third of the greenhouse gases, especially for heating and hot water.

At the same time, the energy balance of old buildings is often poor.

85 percent were built before 2000.

Three quarters of all buildings fall into the worst energy efficiency classes.

In Germany, more than 60 percent of residential buildings were built before the introduction of the first thermal insulation ordinance at the end of the 1970s.

Hendrik Kafsack

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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Politicians in Brussels and Berlin are therefore promoting the energetic renovation of buildings. Last year, the European Commission announced the goal of fundamentally renovating 35 million buildings in the EU by 2030. On Wednesday she presented concrete proposals for how the EU should achieve the goal. It wants to oblige the member states to raise the old stock from efficiency class G to E in two steps. For public buildings and other non-residential buildings, the minimum standard should be F from 2027 and E. For residential buildings, both should then apply three years later.

First, however, the EU states should reclassify all old buildings so that the worst 15 percent fall into efficiency class G.

The national framework remains the point of reference.

The Commission's proposal does not provide for uniform efficiency standards for the entire EU.

Will the renovation finance itself?

The final Commission proposal is therefore nowhere near as ambitious as a previously leaked draft on which the FAZ reported in advance. He had set much more ambitious goals. It is also now up to the member states how they achieve the new minimum standards. There is therefore no longer any connection with the sale or re-letting of real estate. This approach met with fierce criticism, especially in Italy. EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans emphasized that the proposal does not expropriate anyone who does not renovate his house. The states are responsible. You could also provide financial support for the renovation. The EU's state aid rules would be adapted accordingly.

Either way, the renovation is not a danger, but an opportunity for millions of Europeans who currently have too high energy costs due to the poor energy efficiency of their houses.

As a rule, it is the poorest households that have to live in the poorest insulated buildings in the EU.

“Ultimately, the renovation will finance itself,” said Timmermans.

Ampel is planning ambitious targets

The requirements for new buildings are also tightened with the Commission proposal.

They now have to meet higher standards in order to be considered climate-neutral as required by 2030.

The promotion of fossil fuel-powered heating systems will be banned from 2027.

Before the new EU rules can come into force, they must be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers.

The Commission should be able to count on the support of the German government. The SPD, Greens and FDP have already announced a number of measures in the coalition agreement to reduce CO2 emissions. From 2025 onwards, 65 percent of every newly installed heating system is to be operated with renewable energies. According to the current state of the art, only heat pumps that are operated with green electricity would then be considered. This could be expensive for residents of old buildings with high flow temperatures. As early as 2024, the KfW Efficiency Standard 70 should apply to “major extensions, conversions and extensions to existing buildings” - at least for the parts concerned.

The efficiency class system of the state development bank is the yardstick for climate protection in the building sector in Germany.

Standard 70 states that the energy consumption is 70 percent of that of the standard house, which was defined on the basis of the earlier Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV).

In order to induce reluctant property owners to renovate, the new government wants to examine the introduction of a partial warm rent.

The landlord would then pay the costs of achieving a certain room temperature, and the tenants for everything else.

The creation of a “digital building energy register” is intended to provide the federal and state governments with an overview of the status of the buildings.

So far, the data situation is poor.