The Commission has proposed today to align the rules for the energy performance of buildings with the European Green Deal and decarbonise the EU's building stock by 2050. This proposal will facilitate the renovation of homes, schools, hospitals, offices and other buildings across Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills, improving quality of life for millions of Europeans. Today's revision of the energy performance of buildings directive translates the Commission's Renovation Wave Strategy into concrete legislative action.

Instead of being promoted as “transitional fuel”, gas could be better described as a fuel of last resort, with the caveat that it is not the only one: other technologies are advancing into the balancing role for the power systems, writes Julian Popov.
Julian Popov is a Fellow of the European Climate Foundation, Chairman of the Building Performance Institute Europe, former Minister of Environment and Water of Bulgaria.