A “Renovation Wave” initiative fit to decarbonise the EU building stock

The Renovation Wave (RW) constitutes a great opportunity to foster the renovation of public and private buildings in line with the EU climate and energy targets as 70% of the EU existing building stock will still be in used in 2050. To achieve this, UFE identifies in its paper 4 key actions. First, decarbonising buildings means focusing on climate-efficiency, taking into account the reduction of GHG emissions, alongside the emphasis on energy efficiency. The remaining financial barriers must be overcome to improve access to funding and improve the quality of projects. The EC should also support digital and low-carbon solutions (e.g. heat pumps) and speed up the roll-out of charging infrastructure in existing buildings.