How can National Building Renovation Plans support the successful implementation of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)?
This latest report from the EPBD.wise project provides comprehensive guidance for policymakers and public authorities responsible for developing and implementing National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) across Europe.
The report builds on three complementary strands of work carried out within the EPBD.wise project. The first focuses on a structured assessment of policy needs in six focus countries — Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine — identifying key challenges and support needs related to building stock data, investment planning, governance structures and stakeholder engagement.
The second strand consists of detailed national policy guidelines developed for Poland, Romania and Ukraine. Through the modelling of five different renovation scenarios, ranging from strong regulatory frameworks to predominantly market-based approaches, the analysis provides valuable insights into the likely outcomes of different policy choices.
The third strand extends the assessment to all EU Member States using a clustering methodology that groups countries by shared characteristics and renovation challenges. Six representative countries — Ireland, Italy, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania and Croatia — were selected for in-depth comparative analysis, allowing findings to be extrapolated across the wider European context.
The results demonstrate the importance of combining regulatory measures with targeted economic incentives. Across all representative countries, integrated policy packages consistently outperform isolated interventions in terms of energy savings, emissions reductions and renovation outcomes. The most ambitious scenario assessed, combining minimum energy performance standards, a fossil boiler phase-out and financial support mechanisms, delivers substantial reductions in primary energy demand while supporting progress towards the objectives established under EPBD Article 9.
The analysis also highlights the importance of maintaining policy ambition over the long term. Countries that combine regulatory certainty with sustained investment support achieve significantly stronger reductions in fossil fuel use and building-related energy consumption by 2050.
The report concludes with a series of practical recommendations for the design of National Building Renovation Plans, providing Member States with evidence-based guidance to support the delivery of ambitious, effective and socially balanced building renovation strategies.
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