District Heating is an efficient way to heat homes, particularly in a country like Latvia where 58% of its primary energy consumption is used for heating. But SelÄ«na VancÄne at Riga City Council is very concerned that the draft EU Recovery plans do not include any support under the climate goals for district heating projects. Perhaps itâs because of a blind spot: most of Europe is prioritising individual heating units powered by electricity. … [Read more...]
EU Buildings Renovations: get ready for minimum energy performance standards (MEPS)
To meet Europeâs 2030 climate targets the buildings sector must cut its emissions by 60%. That means annual renovations need to jump by an order of magnitude; at the moment itâs crawling at 1% per year. Worse, standard renovations save very little energy, just 9% in homes and 16% in commercial buildings. Itâs the deep renovations that cut energy by 60% or more, but thatâs only happening to under 0.3% of the stock. Louise Sunderland at RAP … [Read more...]
Franceâs recovery plan: will support for emissions-high sectors compromise a new Green economy?
The French recovery plan, formally presented today, combines emergency rescue measures, economic stimulus and longer-term investments. A substantial âŹ32bn out of the âŹ100bn budgeted is earmarked for the green economy. But SĂ©bastien Treyer at IDDRI asks whether rescue measures for traditionally emissions-high sectors - tourism, aviation, automotive, buildings, agri-food â will collide with climate targets. He references studies that should be used … [Read more...]
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