Friday 25 January 2019

EU refers Czechia and Slovenia to court over energy efficiency failures

The European Commission has referred Czechia and Slovenia to the Court of Justice for failing to ensure “proper display” of energy performance certificates (EPCs) for buildings.

Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, member states must ensure the EPCs are displayed in certain buildings frequently visited by the public to help create awareness of the importance of energy efficiency and provide incentives for renovations.

The Commission stated: “The Commission drew the attention of the national authorities to the incorrect transposition of this requirement in 2015 and sent official letters to both Member States in the course of 2017 and 2018. However, to date the Member States legislation on this issue have not been brought in conformity with the Directive.”

The Directive also requires member states to establish and apply minimum energy performance requirements for all buildings, ensure the certification of buildings' energy performance and regularly inspect heating and air conditioning systems.

All new buildings must also be nearly zero energy by 2021 under the regulations.