Brussels, 12 March 2024 – The European Parliament reunited in plenary voted in favour of the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The final step before the entry into force is the Council’s formal adoption.

Proposed in 2021 as part of the Fit for 55 package, the EPBD recast is critical to the decarbonisation of the building stock, which accounts for 40% of EU energy demand and 36% of its greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Heat Europe’s President Guglielmo Cioni welcomes this important vote:

“The recast of the EPBD is an essential piece of the Fit for 55 package. There is no climate neutrality without a faster and just decarbonisation of the building sector. Solar thermal is already present on more than 10 million rooftops in Europe; the solar mandate will act as a catalyst to triple its deployment, making the most of our rooftops to provide renewable, affordable, and secure heat to European households.”

The EPBD clearly defines and refers to solar thermal, as well as the principle of technological neutrality regarding technologies not producing any on-site emissions. Furthermore, the new text includes two provisions that are particularly important for the sector: firstly, article 9a mandates the deployment of any solar energy technology on certain buildings by different deadlines; secondly, article 15 requires that “from 1 January 2025, Member States shall not provide any financial incentives for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossils fuels”.

About Solar Heat Europe/ESTIF

Solar Heat Europe/ESTIF’s mission is to promote solar heat as a key technology for the decarbonisation of heating and cooling in Europe and to realise the high potential of solar heat in the energy transition. With members in more than 15 European countries, Solar Heat Europe members cover different parts of the value chain, being based in countries as diverse as Finland or Cyprus. In 2022, Solar Heat Europe published Energising Europe with Solar Heat – A Solar Thermal Roadmap for Europe, comprising key information and data about the potential of the technology to accelerate the energy transition and boost the European economy.

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