ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS DIRECTIVE: COMPLETE CZECH PRESIDENCY REWRITE OF THE MINIMUM ENERGY PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Publication date:July 22, 2022

Non-residential buildings

The 15% worst-performing non-residential buildings have to be renovated to a superior EPC class by 2030 and the 25% worst-performing by 2034, but it is no longer indicated to what EPC class.

 

Residential multi-apartment buildings with more than ten building units

No threshold. Simply, a national linear trajectory for the progressive renovation of these buildings in line with the national roadmap and the 2030, 2040 and 2050 targets contained in the Member State’s building renovation plan.

But there is no harmonisation of the linear trajectory (apart from the linearity). One member state can be more ambitious than another.

 

Single-family houses and multi-apartment buildings with ten building units and less

2a. Member States shall at least ensure that single family houses and multi-apartment buildings with ten building units and less which are sold, rented, donated or which purpose is changed within the cadastre towards residential buildings after 1 January [2030], achieve at least energy performance class [D] or higher within [five] years after the above mentioned triggers by the buyers or owners.

A radically different regime.

If you stay in your house or apartment or if your children inherit it, no renovation obligation at all.

But if you sell it, rent it, donate it (for instance to your children for inheritance tax avoidance purposes) or convert non-residential to residential, then the buyer, landlord, beneficiary of the donation or converter has to renovate to EPC class D within five years of the sale, rental, donation or conversion.

Three remarks:

  • It is not clear from the text whether the 01.01.2030 start date applies to all four cases or just to conversion. I expect it applies to all four because the authorities need time to prepare citizens and markets for such major change. Anyway, markets will start factoring it in as soon as it’s known.
  • Nor is it clear whether the rental trigger is a new rental contract or on-going rental. Substantial renovation concerns the whole building and can’t depend on this or that individual lease renewal or new lease to a new tenant.
  • The exact start date, the energy class that the renovation has to achieve and the number of years allowed after the trigger before renovation is required are all [in brackets] meaning that they are still under discussion.

Full EPF Secretariat report and text of the Czech Presidency draft under epf22-40 of 18.07.2022