16 April 2013: The Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint Method Should Explicitly Exclude Construction Products (17.04.2013)PU Europe calls for a clear statement that the PEF method will not apply to construction products. The European Commission published a Communication and a Recommendation on the Internal Market for Green Products with the aim to promote the use of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and the Organisation Environmental Footprint (OEL) methods. The environmental performance of a product should be calculated with the Joint Research Centre's new life cycle assessment tool. While PU Europe fully supports efforts to introduce life cycle assessments, it calls for a clear statement that the PEF method will not apply to construction products. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “Some years ago, the European Commission mandated the development of standards for the assessment of the environmental performance of construction products. These standards are published and the construction products industry has spent millions of Euros to have Environmental Product Declarations developed and third-party certified. It would be a disaster for this crisis-hit industry, if all that money had been spent in vain, as the same Commission now proposes a slightly different scheme.” PU Europe sees it as an encouraging sign that the Communication stresses the Commission’s will to support sector-specific activities (including construction), and work on or promote compatibility between these methods. The construction products industry is faced with a rapidly increasing number of national and regional environmental assessment schemes. Working towards compatibility between PEF and the European standards would certainly be in the interest of the industry. “The Commission must recognise that the construction industry is far more advanced in its efforts. Many product groups, including thermal insulation, are already working on specific product category rules based on the horizontal CEN standards. The results of this work must be respected”, Loebel concluded. 15 March 2013: European Parliament endorses Renovate Europe’s long-term target on building renovations (15.03.2013)The European Parliament’s Report on the Energy Roadmap 2050 stresses the importance of reducing energy use in buildings.
The European Parliament’s Report on the Energy Roadmap 2050 stresses that the reduction of energy use in buildings must be a “central element” of the EU’s long-term energy policy, and calls for a reduction in the energy consumption of the existing building stock “by 80% by 2050 compared to 2010 levels”, in line with the Renovate Europe Campaign vision. The own-initiative report on the Commission’s Energy Roadmap 2050 was adopted in Plenary today, 14th March 2013, following a vote in the ITRE Committee on 24th January. “There is no doubt about it – we urgently need to address the energy efficient renovation of the EU building stock. With poor performing buildings, we are not only wasting energy and money, but we are also missing out on a golden opportunity to deliver on the EU’s climate change, jobs, growth and energy security goals” explained Shadow Rapporteur Fiona Hall (ALDE – UK). “With this Roadmap, Parliament is sending out a strong message to the Commission and to the Member States to take decisive measures to substantially scale up the rate and quality of building renovation in Europe.” This ambitious yet achievable building renovation target, which received cross-party support in the ITRE Committee vote in January, is recognized as essential to provide market certainty needed in order to unleash investment in the building renovation sector. This building renovation target is in line with the call for a set of mutually reinforcing post-2020 targets for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency, also enshrined in the Parliament’s Roadmap. The need for a long-term target for the buildings sector was already established as a cornerstone of the EU Roadmap for moving towards a Low-Carbon economy in 2050, agreed in 2011, and is re-iterated in the recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive, which calls on Member States to adopt ambitious long-term building renovation strategies. “Over and over again, we are hearing the need to establish a long-term target for the building sector in order to unlock investment. This call for a long-term vision for reducing the energy demand in buildings must be taken into account as the Commission considers new energy and climate actions post-2020”, highlighted Adrian Joyce, Campaign Director of the Renovate Europe Campaign. Download the EP’s Energy Roadmap 2050 on ITRE’s website here Learn more about the Renovate Europe Campaign: www.renovate-europe.eu To the press release here 20 February 2013: Energy efficiency – the missing link between Europe’s climate and growth agendas (21.02.2013)The Energy Efficiency Industrial Forum strongly argues in favour of a binding 2030 energy efficiency target based on cost-effective sectoral saving potentials. The College of Commissioners is meeting today for an Orientation Debate to discuss the post-2020 Climate and Energy Package. The key question will be whether the EU should set only a greenhouse gas emission target for 2030, or whether this should be accompanied by targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy. In a letter to Council President Van Rompuy, the Energy Efficiency Industrial Forum strongly argues in favour of a binding 2030 energy efficiency target based on cost-effective sectoral saving potentials. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “Limiting Europe’s climate and energy policy to greenhouse gas emissions only could jeopardise economic recovery, as relocating production outside the EU would appear to be a good thing. On the other hand, realising Europe’s energy savings potential should increase annual GDP growth by 1%, save 1.5 billion tons of CO2 emissions a year, create or sustain up to 1.5 million jobs annually and reduce the current energy import bill of €573 billion by up to 40%. Energy efficiency hence becomes the perfect link between Europe’s climate and growth agendas.” The energy efficiency target should be the result of a bottom-up approach using the cost-effective saving potentials of the most relevant sectors including buildings, transport, industry and energy supply. The procedure may appear complex, but ensures realistic scenarios, offers a long-term vision to the sectors concerned and allows a clear quantification of the contribution of energy efficiency to the greenhouse gas emission target. “Buildings offer the highest cost-effective savings potential of all sectors, but suffer from an extremely fragmented supply chain. A long-term binding savings target as part of an overall energy efficiency target will be crucial to provide a stable framework and encourage millions of construction businesses to build up capacity and skills”, Loebel concluded. To the EEIF letter to Council President Van Rompuy here. 14 January 2013: Buildings Directive: Member States miss opportunity to stimulate the economy (14.01.2013)Still 19 Member States have still not or not fully implemented the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive adopted in 2002 and recast in 2010. The multiple benefits of investing in energy efficient new and existing buildings are widely recognised and regularly emphasised by policy makers. It generates government income through increased economic activity and the creation of local jobs. Moreover, it makes our buildings future-proof, reduces energy bills and lowers CO2 emissions and the EU’s dependency on fossil fuel imports. Still 19 Member States have still not or not fully implemented the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive adopted in 2002 and recast in 2010, and may now face court action. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “It is consternating to see that this unprecedented mass legal action would concern a directive which offers such substantial opportunities to crisis-hit Europe and which has been approved by an overwhelming majority in the European Parliament and the Council.” The Commission had launched infringement procedures for non-communication in September 2012 against 24 Member States that did not declare full transposition at that time. Since then, four more countries seem to have sent their notification of transposition. Eight countries have not submitted any declaration while eleven others seem to have partially implemented the directive. An estimated 19 local jobs are created [1] for each one million Euro invested in the energy efficiency of buildings. The losses for society are therefore building up which each month of additional delay. “Nobody denies that the practical implementation of this directive is a complex process. However, most of the delays are clearly due to a lack of political will. Complexity can no longer serve as an excuse. Europe’s energy efficiency industry is willing and able to provide advice and expertise wherever needed”, Loebel concluded.
9 October 2012: Kay Hennekens elected as new PU Europe President (09.10.2012)The PU Europe general assembly of 4th October elected Kay Hennekens as new association president with a two-year mandate. Mr Hennekens, aged 44, has worked in the PU insulation industry since 1988. He is currently Managing Director of Nestaan Holland b.v. Kay Hennekens highlighted the contribution of PU high performance insulation to the renovation of Europe’s building stock. Cost-effective solutions are already largely available today. However, long-term renovation roadmaps are of paramount importance to realise the full potential of building renovation, provide confidence to investors and allow the construction value chain to adjust. “Over the past years, the PU industry has invested significant amounts of money to respond to increasing demand. This is a clear indication that building refurbishment truly stimulates growth and job creation”, he concluded. The general assembly also elected Ilkka Pohjoismäki and Zsolt Málik as association vice-presidents with a similar mandate. Mr Pohjoismäki is the Managing Director of SPU Systems Oy (Finland), whereas Mr Málik is Director MDI Sales at BorsodChem (Hungary). 28 September 2012: Public Procurement Directive: Parliament Sends Mixed Signs On Sustainable Construction (28.09.2012)The members of the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee have tabled their amendments on the draft revised Public Procurement Directive. The revision process offers a unique opportunity to introduce the principles of sustainable construction in public contracts. Of particular interest are the future provisions regarding contract award criteria (articles 66 and 67) and Labels (Article 41). Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “We are very pleased to see that MEPs from different political groups call for the abolition of contract awards to the lowest cost offer. In particular in the case of buildings, running accosts account for the lion’s share of life cycle costs and need to be taken into account.” On a more negative note, there seems only limited support to include a reference to the forthcoming European standardised method to determine life cycle costs. With regards to the environmental pillar of sustainability, the proposed modifications to Article 41 remain largely insufficient. They will further encourage the development of national, regional and local labels, each of them using different indicators and assessment methods. This will lead to new market barriers and in particular SMEs will be unable to bear the certification costs. In the case of public works, a European standardised assessment method is already in place. Industry is investing millions of Euros in the provision of Environmental Product Declarations, using harmonised formats and enabling life cycle analyses of buildings. An increasing number of Member States publish these Declarations through dedicated data bases. This system offers a cost-efficient and effective way towards the greening of public works contracts. “We call on the Parliament to support a harmonised European approach towards sustainable construction. This will increase market transparency, facilitate SME participation and significantly reduce costs for suppliers and, hence, public authorities”, Loebel concluded. 10 July 2012: ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDUSTRY: SECURE EARMARKING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN BUILDINGS IN THE STRUCTURAL FUNDS (11.07.2012)Policy-makers have the option of putting the EU funds towards Energy Efficiency in Buildings. On 11th and 12th July, members of the REGI Committee in the European Parliament will vote on 6 reports on Cohesion Policy. These reports will shape the investment priorities of EU spending for Europe’s regions over the next 7 years. Policy-makers have the option of putting the EU funds towards a revenue-generating activity that will leverage more private investments and boost growth by creating local non exportable jobs, thereby improving regional imbalances within the EU: Energy Efficiency in Buildings. With this aim in mind, EuroACE, Eurima, Glass for Europe and PU Europe urge the REGI Committee to maintain strong earmarking in support of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, by 1) Avoiding the dilution of the climate thematic concentration to include fossil fuels and green transport 2) Raising the thematic concentration to 20 % for Less Developed Regions and 30 % for More Developed Regions 3) Securing half of eligible money for Energy Efficient Renovation of Buildings Investing EU funds in Energy Efficiency in buildings is an opportunity to tackle both the climate and economic challenges in Europe’s regions. Economic challenges: Successful schemes of using public money as a leverage to unlock private financing have shown that €1 of public investment in energy efficiency in buildings brings up to €5 additional budget revenue. In addition, the job creation potential demonstrates that €1 million invested in ambitious energy efficiency measures leads to the creation of 19 jobs. Climate challenges: With buildings representing 40 % of EU energy consumption and 36 % of GHG emissions, energy efficiency in buildings is one of the most cost-effective measures to achieve both great energy savings and cut CO2 emissions, and to reduce Europe’s energy dependency on foreign imports. Lack of funding remains the main hurdle for energy efficiency to be implemented. EU funding from the Structural Funds is instrumental in providing that first euro which is needed, but often missing, to leverage private funding in Europe’s regions. Committing EU funds with a long-term perspective is also crucial to increasing the confidence of stakeholders to trigger investment in energy efficiency in buildings across Europe. Invest the EU Structural Funds in energy efficiency in buildings to stimulate jobs and growth, increase energy savings and improve regional imbalances in Europe.
EuroACE: Eurima: Glass for Europe: PU Europe:
15 June 2012: Energy efficiency directive: Trilogue compromise is missed opportunity (15.06.2012)The overall result of the agreement between Member States and the European Parliament on the Energy Efficiency Directive remains disappointing. Following several months of intense negotiations, Member States and the European Parliament have reached agreement on the Energy Efficiency Directive. Whilst the efforts of the Parliament’s negotiators and the Danish Presidency to raise the directive’s ambition level must be lauded, the overall result remains disappointing. In particular the provisions regarding buildings are too weak to kick-start wide-spread and well planned refurbishment activities. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated: “Despite all evidence that building refurbishment can give a boost to the economy, generate local jobs and increase government revenues, Member States continue to look at energy efficiency solely as a cost. The fact that the EU is transferring €420 billion per year to other regions of the world to cover its fossil fuel needs does not seem to have impressed national ministers”. In spite of these negative aspects, the directive contains a number of encouraging provisions. In particular, the requirement for Member States to establish a long-term strategy for mobilizing investment in the renovation of the entire national stock offers the opportunity to develop tailored national roadmaps with a view to reducing the energy demand of buildings by 80 % by 2050. On the other hand, the provisions regarding public buildings cannot be expected to have any tangible effects. Whether the energy efficiency obligation schemes and the provisions on financing will help to realise the full savings potential of buildings will largely depend on national implementation. “The directive contains so many loopholes that Member States can easily avoid ambitious measures. It can only be hoped that national governments look at the economics of building refurbishment again when transposing the directive into national law”, Loebel concluded. 21 May 2012: Energy efficiency industry: No European growth strategy without ambitious energy saving policies (21.05.2012)The energy efficiency industry called to include energy efficiency as a corner stone of Europe’s growth strategy. The European energy efficiency industry called on the Presidents of the European Commission and the Council, Mr Barroso and Mr Van Rompuy, to use the “growth-summit” in May and the EU Council on 28-29 June to include energy efficiency as a corner stone of Europe’s growth strategy. Energy efficiency is the single most (cost-) effective lever able to address the economic, social and environmental challenges whilst also being an engine-for-growth. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “Latest IEA figures show that the EU is currently transferring €420 billion per year to other regions of the world to cover its fossil fuel needs. Most of this money is lost for the EU economy, but stimulates jobs, growth and innovation outside the Union. We have to keep the highest possible part of this tremendous amount within our own economies.” Building renovation offers the highest direct job creation potential per Euro invested of all energy-related industries. It is also an area where public money has proven to be a high private investment multiplier making the natural link with ongoing discussions on the EU Multi Annual Financial Framework and the pivotal role these can play in taking away barriers. “Investment in energy efficiency can stimulate economic growth while facilitating Europe’s move towards a low carbon society. However, for this to happen, we need a clear and binding legal framework. Council, Parliament and Commission should therefore show leadership and ensure that the Energy Efficiency Directive leads to national building refurbishment roadmaps with a view to reducing the energy demand of Europe’s buildings by 80 % by 2050” Loebel concluded. The full letter is available here 12 April 2012: Renovate Europe Campaign places Finance Ministers at the heart of the Energy Efficient Buildings debate (17.04.2012)The Renovate Europe Campaign calls for the deep renovation of the EU building stock. Are you seeking low risk investments which offer high returns, stimulates growth and creates local, long-term jobs for your national economy? Then look no further than energy efficiency in buildings and seize the opportunity to support strong provisions for buildings in the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. This is the advice the Renovate Europe Campaign has addressed to the 27 EU Finance Ministers in an Open Letter. Supported by a broad coalition of leading companies and associations, the Renovate Europe Campaign calls for the deep renovation of the EU building stock in order to achieve an 80 % reduction in its corresponding energy demand by 2050 as compared to 2005 levels. The inclusion of National Renovation Roadmaps and the support for a 3% annual renovation rate for all public buildings are two of the strong provisions for buildings which must be maintained in the EU Energy Efficiency Directive if we are to achieve these energy demand reduction objectives and kick-start the European economies, in addition to reaching the EU’s 2020 climate protection goals. Basing its arguments on reliable studies from various countries, which show that for every €1 of public resources invested in energy efficiency in buildings a resulting return on investment of up to €5 occurs, the Renovate Europe Campaign calls on the EU Finance Ministers to take stock of the economic benefits which result from energy efficiency in buildings and to take appropriate action to invest in this no-regret option. Finance Ministers must ensure that strong provisions for buildings are not watered down during the current negotiations of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive with the Council of Ministers, given the highly profitable nature of the investments in energy efficiency in buildings. “Energy efficiency in buildings is a sector which has traditionally been left within the realm of Energy and Environment Ministers”, explained Adrian Joyce, Campaign Director of Renovate Europe. “But with an increasing amount of studies demonstrating the real economic opportunity and high return on investments ensuing from deep renovation programmes, energy efficiency in buildings is starting to appear on many finance radars as a low risk profitable investment which yields high returns. This is a call for Finance Ministers to support strong provisions for buildings in the Energy Efficiency Directive, to ensure that this opportunity to boost market confidence is not missed”. The Campaign’s aim of raising awareness about the economic benefits of investing in energy efficiency in buildings will culminate with this year’s Renovate Europe Day scheduled on 11 October 2012 in Brussels. For more details, see here 29 February 2012: PU Europe welcomes ITRE vote on Energy Efficieny Directive (29.02.2012)The Parliament makes the 20 % energy savings target by 2020 binding and requires Member States to develop building renovation roadmaps. Yesterday, the European Parliament’s Industry and Energy Committee adopted its first reading position on the Energy Efficiency Directive. The Parliament not only made the 20 % energy savings target by 2020 binding, it also requires Member States to develop building renovation roadmaps with a view to reducing the energy demand of Europe’s buildings by 80 % by 2050. Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated: “The fact that the compromise amendments were supported by a wide cross-party majority is a strong wake-up call to the Council not to let pass the extraordinary opportunities which energy efficiency measures offer to our societies”. In particular, PU Europe welcomes the amendments regarding national building renovation roadmaps up to 2050. If well drafted, they will provide a badly needed long-term prospective to all building stakeholders and encourage investments in both production capacities and professional training and qualification. MEPS also confirmed the leading role of public authorities and increased the weight of building renovation in national energy saving obligations schemes. “We should congratulate the ITRE and IMCO rapporteurs involved in the development of compromise amendments. They stroke the right balance between binding targets and measures on the one side, and flexibility in implementation on the other. By doing so, they accommodated some of the Council’s major demands”, Loebel concluded. 9 February 2012: Energy Efficiency can deliver badly needed jobs in Europe (09.02.2012)Meeting the 2020 energy savings target can create or secure up to 2 million jobs in the EU while generating additional government income. The proposed Energy Efficiency Directive continues to stir heated debates in Brussels. The European Parliament’s ITRE Committee is working on compromise amendments ahead of the committee vote on 28th February and Member States try to add opt-outs to all binding targets or measures. PU Europe recognises the complexity of the directive, but sees the risk that the fight over technical details dilutes the overall message: Meeting the 2020 energy savings target can create or secure up to 2 million jobs in the EU while generating additional government income. Speaking at the MEP Danube Forum for Sustainable Energy on 7th February, Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe stated, “In particular the deep renovation of Europe’s building stock provides an extraordinary job creation potential. Employment will be created at a local level, mainly in SMEs involved in the renovation and maintenance of buildings and, very importantly, these jobs cannot be relocated outside the region.” PU Europe therefore calls on the European Parliament to support the 3% renovation rate for public buildings and the development of national building renovation roadmaps to ensure that the energy demand of Europe’s buildings is reduced by 80% by 2050. Government incentive schemes will be necessary to get investments kick-started. However, each Euro spent by public authorities can trigger 10-15 Euros of private investments. Through increased revenues from value added tax, income tax, profit tax and avoided payments for unemployment benefits, governments can recuperate their own initial investment up to five times and, moreover, the money benefits the local economy. This is in sharp contrast to the €332 billion the EU economy transferred to third countries to cover its energy needs in 2007. “Apart from its environmental benefits, the Energy Efficiency Directive clearly offers a triple-win situation for the economy: creating jobs, increasing government income and decreasing import dependency. It is not understandable that economic ministers continue to look for opt-outs while they should make their countries benefit from an ambitious directive.” Loebel concluded. 7 November 2011: Subsidies for energy efficiency deliver massive returns to empty public treasuries (14.11.2011)A new study offers evidence that public budgets can benefit from incentive schemes. A new study published by the Jülich Research Centre (Germany) contradicts fears that, in times of budgetary constraints, incentive schemes for the energy efficiency of buildings would be too costly and that the deep renovation of Europe’s building stock could therefore not be supported. The report found out that for every Euro that the state owned KfW spent in support of energy efficient construction and refurbishment in Germany in 2010, revenues of public authorities at all levels increased by as much as four to five Euros. “There was already extensive evidence that investments in the energy efficiency of buildings offer attractive returns on investment for buildings owners”, said Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe. “This report is now providing solid evidence that also public budgets can benefit from incentive schemes. Member States should therefore cease to claim that they cannot endorse binding targets and measures in the Energy Efficiency Directive because of cost.” KfW’s programme costs of €1.4 billion initiated investments of €22 billion. Depending on the scenario, these investments generated net savings of €4-11 billion for public budgets in 2010. All levels including federal, regional and municipal authorities as well as social insurance schemes benefited although not to the same extent. Increased revenues came from sources such as value added tax, other product-related taxes, income tax, profit tax and avoided payments for unemployment benefits. “The report sends a strong signal to the European Parliament and national governments in favour of an ambitious energy efficiency directive. The development of national roadmaps for the deep renovation of Europe’s building stock would offer a unique triple win situation. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating local jobs and contributing to healthy public finances.” Loebel concluded. The report is available here 16 September 2011: Energy efficiency directive: PU Europe calls for building refurbishment roadmap (16.09.2011)PU Europe stressed the need to put the deep renovation of Europe’s building stock by 2050 in the centre of policy efforts. Today, PU Europe published its comments on the Commission’s draft Energy Efficiency Directive which should allow the EU to meet its 20% energy savings target by 2020. The impact assessment accompanying the draft Directive confirms the very significant cost-effective savings potential of buildings. Furthermore, it is widely recognised that Europe cannot achieve its 2050 emission reduction targets if the energy demand of buildings is not reduced by a factor or four until that moment in time. This in turn is only possible if about 3% of Europe’s 210 million buildings undergo deep renovation every year. “The directive requires Member States to bring 3% of public buildings up to minimum performance levels every year”, said Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe. “This renovation rate would however diminish over time as it refers to the non-renovated building stock only. This is not acceptable. PU Europe also believes that buildings should be brought up to cost-optimal performance levels to reduce the need for further upgrading outside normal renovation intervals.” Commercial and private residential buildings are not addressed at all in the Commission proposal although they account for 80% of the overall building stock. PU Europe acknowledges that the renovation of private buildings cannot be easily regulated at EU level. However, Member States should be required to draw up roadmaps which provide details about national strategies to reduce carbon emissions of the building stock by 80% in 2050, compared to 1990 levels. With a view to achieving wide consensus in society, all relevant stakeholders should be able to contribute to the drafting process. “Innovative solutions to provide upfront finance for investments in energy efficiency will be key to meeting the target. Energy saving obligations could become an important tool, provided they go beyond business-as-usual scenarios and focus on deep building renovation. The directive will need further clarification in this respect”, Loebel concluded. The full PU Europe position is available here 1 September 2011: European capital welcomes new polyurethanes Passive House (01.09.2011)Building stakeholders and regulators can watch live the construction of a PU passive house. Brussels, Belgium, 1 September 2011 - The construction of one of Brussels’ very first polyurethanes passive houses began today. Fully equipped and furnished with innovative polyurethane materials, the new house will be located in Europe’s capital, near the institutions of the European Union. The Polyurethanes Passive House will implement one of the most stringent standards of construction design, the passive house standard. For more details, see here 22 June 2011: Energy efficiency directive: Commission misses crucial opportunity (22.06.2011)The draft Energy Efficiency Directive presented by the European Commission is unlikely to allow the EU to meet its 20 % energy savings target by 2020. The directive invites the Commission to assess by 30th June 2014 whether Member States are on track to meeting the 20 % target. Experts agree that corrective measures implemented at that stage would come too late to lead to effective results by 2020. The proposal ignores the complex structure of the construction supply chain, which would have to deliver the lion’s share of the required savings. By completely removing the option to impose binding targets if progress is sluggish, the Commission will have no legal basis to adopt more ambitious actions. “We recognise that the Commission was not prepared to propose a binding deep renovation target for Europe’s building stock, although this would have offered the most reliable long-term framework for industry, real estate markets and politicians alike.” said Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe. “However, the Commission’s announcement to replace binding targets by binding measures was only partially followed by concrete action”. PU Europe welcomes the proposal to renovate 3 % of public buildings every year. However, bringing them only to minimum standards will lead to a significant untapped savings potential and, ultimately, lead to higher costs for public authorities. The 3 % should refer to deep renovations realising the full cost-optimal savings potential. Furthermore, the commitment should apply to all public buildings, including social housing stock. While energy savings obligations can make a contribution to achieving the 20 % target, the proposed directive remains vague on calculation methods and does not encourage deep renovation based on a holistic building assessment. Furthermore, clearer provisions to ensure a level playing field for other actors in the energy services sector are required. “The energy efficiency industry will continue to offer solutions to all aspects of energy saving measures. But we need a high level discussion platform with the European Commission to establish an effective dialogue and work towards a legal framework that truly stimulates energy savings” Loebel concluded. For more details, see here 2 May 2011: CEOs urge politicians to focus on energy efficiency (02.05.2011)Thirty energy efficiency companies and organisations published an open letter to EU energy ministers urging them to move energy efficiency to the heart of Europe’s policy. The letter was published in Le Monde (FR), Financial Times (UK), Berlingske Tidende (DK), Handelsblatt (D), and the European Voice (EU). Today’s meeting of Europe’s energy ministers in Budapest, Hungary, will look at the EU’s energy strategy to 2050. This represents a unique window of opportunity to put Europe back on track towards its 20 % energy savings target, create two million local jobs and reduce dependence on energy imports in a cost-effective way. However, despite environmental disasters and turmoil in energy markets, European governments are likely to shy away from any binding measures that would realise Europe’s full energy savings potential. “Our buildings account for almost 40 % of the EU’s overall energy consumption. Turning them into energy savers is the single most important element if we want the EU to meet its target of reducing CO2 emissions by 80-95 % by 2050”, said Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe and one of the signatories of the letter. “Nobody will claim that the deep renovation of buildings is an easy task, but the gains for all parts of society are by far outweighing any initial difficulties. The usual ‘Yes, but...’ can no longer be an option!”. Seven PU Europe member companies belong to the letter’s signatories. It was published by EuroACE as part of its Renovate Europe campaign which PU Europe is a founding member of (see also www.renovate-europe.eu). “In times where some Member States question their nuclear future and the EU envisages huge investments in gas pipelines and electricity transmission grids, policy makers must realise that reducing energy demand, and in particular that of our buildings, is the key solution to these challenges”, Loebel concluded. The full letter is available here. 9 March 2011: New Energy Efficiency Plan falls short of long-term needs (10.03.2011)The Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 falls short providing an ambitious framework to meet the EU’s 2020 and 2050 targets. The new plan rightly puts a particular focus on buildings as they offer the highest cost-effective savings potential. It requires a forerunner role for public authorities, in terms of sustainable procurement, refurbishment and energy performance contracting. PU Europe fully supports these proposals in particular the requirement to lift refurbishment rates to 3%. The plan remains however very vague when it comes to private and commercial buildings, although it identifies the right issues such as financing and split incentives. On behalf of PU Europe, Oliver Loebel stated: “The document rightly starts from the statement that the EU is on course to achieve only half of its objective to save 20% energy by 2020. The proposed actions are however unlikely save the 370 Mtoe as required for the 2020 target. Too much remains vague and non-binding.” It is clearly a missed opportunity that legally binding national targets will not be discussed before 2013, although the European Parliament had clearly called for making the 2020 target mandatory. All stakeholders need a clear and stable long-term framework to shift our societies to more energy efficient user patterns. Such targets are of paramount importance for buildings as they allow Member States to develop the right political framework and measure progress. “Waiting until 2013 before re-assessing the need for binding targets and, if there is a problem, expecting the construction sector to provide immediately the products and skilled workforce to catch up by 2020 is a gamble with little chance of success”, Loebel concluded. If the EU’s short-term target is missed, it is unlikely that the long-term target of reducing CO2 emissions by 80-95% by 2050 can be met.” Finally, the proposal regarding energy saving obligations for energy utilities needs careful consideration. It must be avoided that companies in control of the energy supply market also gain control of the energy efficiency market. Any “cherry-picking” of easy solutions to meet a quota to the detriment of a holistic life cycle approach must be avoided. For more details, see here 4 February 2011: EU leaders recognise importance of energy efficiency, but fail to fix 2020 target shortfall (04.02.2011)The cross-sectoral Coalition for Energy Savings warns that there is not enough being done to get us on track to meet the 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. ‘EU leaders have acknowledged that at current rates, we will miss the goal of cutting energy use by 20% by 2020 - but unfortunately their solutions fall short of closing the gap. We need more action now, not a review in one or two years’ time, as the Council proposes,' stated Erica Hope, from Climate Action Network Europe. ‘A binding target is needed to generate the impetus for measures that will deliver the savings. Reducing energy demand will do far more to improve Europe’s energy security than building more gas pipelines.’ ‘The Council’s highlighting of public sector buildings as front-runners is welcome, but their proposal adds next to nothing to existing commitments.’ commented Amanda Afifi, Secretary General of EuroACE. ‘This is just the tip of the iceberg - what we need is a major retro-fitting programme for all buildings across the EU. This would bring huge energy savings, and would kick-start our economies, generating millions of new jobs.’ The Coalition for Energy Savings is united in the conviction that the efficient use of energy along the full supply chain is the most effective and immediate instrument to tackle the economic, social, and environmental challenges in the EU. Coalition members believe strongly that policymakers should adopt binding commitments, supported by the necessary fiscal and financial incentives and instruments aimed at achieving better demand management, rather than focusing on securing and developing supply alone. By delaying strong action, the European Council is missing the opportunity to mitigate climate change whilst also reducing oil and gas dependency, kick-starting the economy with new green jobs, and reducing energy costs for consumers. For more details, see here 13 January 2011: Energy efficiency industries call for a binding energy savings target (13.01.2011)Energy efficiency industries call for Heads of State and Government to agree upon a binding energy savings target. Industry leaders of companies, all involved in producing and developing products and services to make energy use significantly more efficient, have signed a joint letter to the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and all national Heads of State and Government pressing them to fully address energy savings in the upcoming European Energy Summit in Brussels on the 4th February 2011. Europe is almost certain to miss its 2020 energy savings target unless extra effort is made immediately. The most recent estimate (ref) by the European Commission suggests that Europe will only make it half the distance, saving an estimated 9% by 2020 against its own indicative target of 20%. The letter stresses the need to give energy efficiency priority of place on the list of actions open to Europe under the Energy Strategy 2020 and underlines how important it is that the Summit itself spurs firm action on energy savings measures across Europe. Current voluntary efforts are failing; a binding commitment to deliver the 20% energy savings target by 2020 is paramount to position the EU as the world leader in the shift to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy. Tony Robson, Group CEO of Knauf Insulation said “Our industries are looking to Europe’s political leaders for strong commitment and action in this field: making the 20% energy savings target a real policy commitment should, in our view, be a top priority.” Fore more details, see here To see the Energy Efficiency Industrial Forum (EEIF) letter to the Council President van Rompuy, click here
16 December 2010: PU Europe Applauds Parliament for Demanding Binding 20 % Savings Target (16.12.2010)Today, the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report which calls on the EU to set a binding energy efficiency target of at least 20 % by 2020. PU Europe welcomes the Parliament’s support for a binding target. On behalf of PU Europe, Oliver Loebel stated: “Binding targets are justified in cases of market failure. It is no coincidence that the carbon emission reduction and renewable energy targets, which are mandatory, are expected to be reached by 2020. On the other hand, Commission and Council acknowledge that, according to current projections, only 9 % savings will be achieved by 2020.” The report drafted by MEP Bendt Bendtsen provides overwhelming evidence of the economic, social and environmental benefits of investments in energy efficiency. Meeting the 20 % energy savings target would save as much energy as fifteen Nabucco pipelines could deliver, create up to one million new jobs and reduce energy costs by up to 1 000 € per household. The report highlights the substantial cost-efficient savings potential of Europe’s existing building stock which accounts for 40 % of the overall energy consumption in the EU. It proposes a number of ambitious measures including assessing the potential for efficiency in existing buildings starting with public administration buildings, proposing a cost-efficient target for the reduction of the primary energy consumption of buildings, supporting deep renovations and setting national refurbishment targets. “Today’s vote should send a strong signal to the Commission and Member States in support of a binding savings target. Cost efficient technologies are readily available. However, their market take up requires a significant qualification and awareness raising effort in the construction supply chain which is unlikely to happen without a reliable long-term legal framework”, Loebel concluded. Fore more details, see here 6 December 2010: Coalition for Energy Savings calls for action on energy efficiency (06.12.2010)A new Coalition for Energy Savings has reacted to the failure of Transport and Energy Ministers to agree on binding measures to achieve energy efficiency targets. Energy Ministers from across the EU meeting in Brussels on Friday recognised that the EU is not on track to meet its target to reduce energy use by 20% by 2020. Energy efficiency was agreed by Ministers to be the most important priority for Europe’s Energy 2020 strategy, but they failed to agree strong measures to address the serious risk of a shortfall. Meeting the energy efficiency target will lower energy bills for consumers by €78 billion annually in 2020, save 560 Mt of CO2, reduce our dependence on imported energy, generate millions of valuable jobs and spur low- For more information, see here 23 November 2010: PU Europe Cautiously Welcomes IMCO Vote on CPR (24.11.2010)IMCO adopted its second reading position on the future CPR. Many of the industry’s demands were taken into account, but some question marks remain. PU Europe welcomes the fact that the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) vote confirms most of the Council first reading positions, including the one on the compulsory character of CE marking and related exemptions. PU Europe also supports the decision regarding article 6.2 to limit the information on the content of hazardous substances with the declaration of performance to substances of very high concern. On behalf of PU Europe, Oliver Loebel stated: “We strongly support efforts to reinforce the protection of people and the environment. Our members fully comply with REACH and we have already made publically available test results of VOC and SVOC emissions for our products. However, extending this requirement to all hazardous substances, even when they are not emitted, would have added significant costs without improving health and safety protection for users.” The amendments regarding article 7 (electronic supply of the declaration of performance), articles 29-31 (TABs), article 37 (micro-enterprises), article 38.1 (made-to-measure products) and annex I can also be supported. On the other hand, PU Europe is opposed to the revised article 4.1 which now requires that a European Technical Assessment (ETA) becomes compulsory as soon as a European Assessment Document (EAD) has been developed. A manufacturer selling only at regional level would be obliged to obtain an ETA as soon as an EAD was developed on request of one of his competitors elsewhere in Europe. This would certainly increase the burden on SMEs. Clarification is also needed regarding the revised art. 6.3 c. Today, the performance of essential characteristics only needs to be declared where required by national regulation. It should be made clear in the text, that this condition is maintained. Hence, only where required by a country, manufactures shall declare the performance of all those essential characteristics relevant for the intended use. “The second reading vote provides a good basis for discussion with the Council. PU Europe urges all parties involved to remove the ETA requirement from the final agreement”, Loebel concluded. See the press release here
13 October 2010: Industry leaders call for High Level Task Force on Energy Efficiency (13.10.2010)Europe’s leading companies in the energy efficiency sector met with EU Energy Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, to explore enhanced cooperation. The executives, who are members of the Energy Efficiency Industrial Forum (EEIF), urged the Commissioner to focus on five key factors necessary to ensure that the 20% energy savings target is met by 2020. The EEIF report, “5Cs for Energy Efficiency – The cornerstone of a viable Energy Policy for Europe”, highlights Conviction, Cash, Compliance, Communication and Compulsory Targets as the key ingredients to increasing activity in the efficiency arena. In particular, a high level of political commitment is needed to ensure that saving energy is the first order priority for the EU’s policies on energy, energy security and climate change. To this end, a compulsory element to the energy savings target is required to enable Member States to set a clear agenda for increasing the diffusion of energy efficiency technologies in all sectors. Such a mandate would also enable industry to more adequately forecast and plan for meeting the future needs of the efficiency market. The exchange also provided an opportunity to discuss the issue of financing; a vital element that must go hand in hand with policy-making. Energy saving technologies are often a zero- or even negative-cost option; however upfront financing is needed. Innovative programmes are essential to overcome difficulties in accessing existing funding for energy efficiency, while more dissemination on best practice incentives would encourage Member States to implement successful programmes. During the meeting, business leaders expressed the commitment of industry to work towards the target by proposing the creation of a High-Level Task Force of industry and policy-makers, presided over by the Commission. The Task Force would focus on how to achieve the 20% energy savings target over the next ten years, looking at barriers and challenges in particular. The leader of the delegation, Steve Wildman, Director and General Manager Siemens Oil and Gas UK, said: “Industry leaders are looking forward to establishing a closer working relationship with policy-makers and, in particular, the Energy Commissioner. We believe that such an initiative would facilitate an even more constructive dialogue to take place on energy savings”. More details here 8 October 2010: Paul Werbrouck elected as new PU Europe President (11.10.2010)The PU Europe general assembly of 8th October elected Paul Werbrouck as new association president with a two-year mandate. Mr Werbrouck, aged 62, is a Belgian civil engineer and has worked in the insulation industry since 1974. He is currently Group General Manager Insulation at Recticel nv/sa (Belgium). Paul Werbrouck stressed the will of the European polyurethane insulation industry to offer durable and sustainable solutions for low and zero energy buildings and hence respond to the urgent need of reducing the energy demand of new and existing buildings. “If Europe wants to achieve its 2020 and 2050 climate goals, bold measures to renovate the existing buildings stock are indispensable. Too often, investments in energy efficiency are seen as a cost and not a benefit for end-users and society as a whole. The energy efficiency industry must step up its communication efforts to address this information gap”, he concluded. The general assembly also elected Ilkka Pohjoismäki and Peter Fookes as association vice-presidents with a similar mandate. Mr Pohjoismäki is the Managing Director of SPU Systems Oy (Finland) whereas Mr Fookes is European Segment Leader - Insulation Board and Can Foam at BASF Polyurethanes (UK). 6 September 2010: Business and NGOs Unite to Urge Energy Ministers to Triple Efforts on Energy Savings and Efficiency (06.09.2010)Benefits highlighted as key to success for ‘Europe2020’ strategy. Europe’s energy ministers must lead the charge towards a three-fold increase in the impact of Europe’s efforts to stop wasting energy. Huge benefits from energy savings and energy efficiency are still being denied to the EU’s citizens and businesses - even when they strongly support it. This is the message that a novel coalition of 19 environmental and social NGOS, business and professional associations today delivered at a meeting with Paul Magnette, Belgian Minister for Climate and Energy Policy and the current President of the EU Energy Council. More details here 30 June 2010: PU Europe presents study on life cycle performance of insulation products (30.06.2010)Polyurethane insulation shows the lowest life cycle costs in all applications covered by a recent research on life cycle performance of insulation materials. Background: Building products are increasingly subject to European product-related sustainability requirements through initiatives such as green public procurement, eco-design, energy labelling and eco-labelling. However, the construction products industry claims that performance assessments can only take place at the level of the building. Amid this discussion, PU Europe asked the UK-based Building Research Establishment to develop a methodology for the assessment of insulation materials at the building level. Speaking at the Central European Sustainable Building Conference (30 June – 2 July 2010, Prague), Shpresa Kotaji (Huntsman Polyurethanes and PU Europe Life Cycle Assessment expert) commented, “The study findings clearly confirm that comparisons between insulation materials without taking into account the end-use application do not lead to usable results. It is essential to know how much of a specific material is required to meet the building design requirements and what are the knock-on effects of material choices on the building in terms of component thickness and weight, ancillary materials and building footprint.” The study confirms that the most common insulation materials show a comparable overall life cycle performance. Statistically significant differences are only identified for flat roofs where high mechanical performance requirements play in favour of polyurethane. The life cycle cost analysis concludes that polyurethane insulation systems are most cost-effective in all applications covered. “The study should allow refocusing the discussion on the essentials: the necessity to design low or zero energy buildings and the capacity of insulation materials to maintain their declared thermal performance over their entire life time,” Kotaji concluded. The PU Europe presentation is available here. 29 June 2010: Energy Action Plan: No energy policy without energy efficiency (29.06.2010)PU Europe today called on the European Commission to include comprehensive energy savings actions in the review of the EU’s Energy Strategy 2011-2020. Background: The Commission sees the overall goal of the EU’s energy policy in ensuring that consumers and enterprises obtain safe, secure, sustainable and low-carbon energy at affordable and competitive prices while ensuring supply security, combating climate change and stimulating growth and jobs. PU Europe welcomed the Commission’s intention to develop a far-reaching energy policy framework for the period 2011-2020. However, PU Europe believes that these goals will not be achieved without a comprehensive and ambitious policy towards saving energy. Investments in energy savings, especially in buildings which account for 40% of the EU’s primary energy use, tackle all of the issues identified by the Commission at a negative cost, i.e. they save money. Most supply side measures will not show the same level of cost-effectiveness. Oliver Loebel, the PU Europe secretary general commented: “In spite of all these positive side effects, Member States are unlikely to make full use of the energy savings potential as long as all related targets remain indicative. The June European Council clearly confirmed this assumption.” With this in mind, PU Europe calls for the following actions to be included in the Energy Action Plan:
“All the figures are at the table. It is now the responsibility of the European Commission to present an ambitious 2020 vision making full use of cost-effective energy savings potentials. It is good to know that the European Parliament would fully support this approach”, Loebel concluded. The letter is available here. 22 June 2010: EU Energy Saving Target Key to Achieving the New Europe 2020 Objectives (22.06.2010)A wide stakeholder coalition calls on the European heads of state for the inclusion of energy efficiency in the EU’s strategy towards a sustainable future. Background: In the wake of the June European Council, representatives of a range of business and professional associations and civil society interests expressed their disappointment as Member States did not pay more attention to energy saving when they endorsed the Europe 2020 strategy for steering the EU towards a smart, sustainable and inclusive economic future. However, improving energy efficiency to help meet the EU’s target of lowering energy use by 20% by 2020 is a win-win-win solution by generating a million new, local jobs, reducing imported energy dependency and helping Europe and its businesses take the lead in the global race for innovative and sustainable products. This perfectly responds to the objectives of the new 2020 objectives. On behalf of PU Europe, one of the signatories, Oliver Loebel commented, “Member States are increasingly reluctant to incentivise energy efficiency measures while struggling to reduce their public deficits. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that public money spent on support schemes for end-users has a positive return on investment even for governments”. The stakeholder coalition is concerned that, at current rates, only half of the indicative 20% savings target will be achieved. The consequence of this failure will be an unnecessary additional cost to consumers of 78 billion Euros annually. New research shows that a three-fold increase in policy impact will be needed to achieve the 20% target. The next months therefore represent a narrow window of opportunity: the forthcoming Energy Action Plan and review of the 2006 Energy Efficiency Action Plan must set out the framework and new legislation to ensure that the savings gap is closed. “Making the 20% target mandatory, as again called for by the European Parliament last week, would be a first crucial step”, Loebel concluded. The letter is available here. 20 May 2010: PU Europe publishes Environmental Product Declaration (20.05.2010)PU Europe presented today a generic Environmental Product Declaration for PU insulation boards to increase the transparency of construction products markets. Background: An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a communication tool that provides quantified information on the potential environmental impacts of a product or process based on information from a life cycle assessment (LCA) over its entire lifetime or a part of it. An important advantage of using EPDs is the possibility to add LCA-based information in the supply chain. This feature makes EPDs particularly valuable for the building sector where the final building is based on a large number of materials, construction products, semi-manufactured products and processes. The EPD for PU was established through a third-party verified system based on the future CEN standard prEN 15804 and covers the cradle-to-gate phase of the product. On behalf of PU Europe, Shpresa Kotaji (Huntsman Polyurethanes and PU Europe Life Cycle Assessment expert) commented, “With the publication of our EPD, we do not only respond to an increasing market need, we also want to pro-actively increase market transparency and facilitate sustainable material choices at the building level.” It is indeed important to know that EPDs for construction products cannot simply be compared on the basis of a weight unit. Comparisons can only be performed at the level of the building so as to establish how much of a product is needed to meet certain design requirements and how material choices affect the overall building design in terms of ancillary materials, component weight and thickness, building footprint etc. The PU industry will further step up its efforts to optimise production technologies and processes. “We can expect these efforts to lead to significant improvements in the overall environmental balance of PU insulation products over the next few years”, Kotaji concluded. The environmental product declaration is available here. 22 April 2010: Energy Efficiency: Stakeholder coalition calls for financial framework (22.04.2010)A wide coalition of industry organisations and NGOs called on President Barroso to direct financial assistance towards energy efficiency. Background: It is estimated that at least €115m of the „Community financial assistance to projects in the field of energy‟, adopted in support of the European Economic Recovery Plan early 2009, might remain unused. The coalition calls on the European Commission to use these funds to support the more aggressive use of existing technologies to achieve greater energy efficiency across Europe. Significant energy savings will be required if the EU is to meet its challenging 20/20/20 and climate policy targets. According to recent analysis, achieving 20% energy savings by 2020 would result in net savings of €107 billion per year by 2020, meaning over €600 per household. This would also reduce Europe’s dependency on energy imports by 20% and provide a unique opportunity to create at least one million new jobs. On behalf of PU Europe, one of the signatories, Oliver Loebel commented, “If the 20% energy savings target is not met by 2020, although it is generally considered as the absolute minimum, the 2050 emission reduction targets will become completely out of reach. However, the political and financial measures in place today are insufficient if the EU wants to achieve its 20% savings target.” The signatories of the call recommend that the European Commission allocates these unspent funds to support the diffusion of energy efficiency under a financial framework set up by the European Investment Bank. These financial schemes could play a critical role in triggering investments in energy efficiency whilst being an effective way to ensure that European taxpayers’ money is wisely spent. The letter is available here. 23 MARCH 2010: PU Europe calls for ambitious EPBD implementation at EUSEW (24.03.2010)Speaking at DG Energy's Buildings Conference at EUSEW on 23rd March 2010, PU Europe stressed the need for real ambition in the EPBD implementation. Background: The conference “From recast to reality - Public authorities leading the way to more energy efficient buildings” brought together key stakeholders from the building sector and national authorities to discuss the opportunities and challenges relating to the implementation of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. On behalf of PU Europe, Oliver Loebel stated, “The success of the EPBD implementation largely depends on the commitment of Member States to achieve maximum energy savings. If there is a lack of will, the directive provides sufficient loopholes to avoid realising the full cost-effective savings potential”. To make the recast EPBD a success, Member States should start immediately with its implementation. Transitional targets for new buildings need to be set and cost-optimal levels determined. A permanent dialogue with the construction supply chain and building owners and users is of the utmost importance with a view to avoiding skills gaps and explain the benefits of the directive. Last but not least, appropriate incentive measures need to be established to overcome the problem of upfront financing. “The real challenge however is refurbishment. The current renovation rate of 1.2% means that it will take 90 years before the EU building stock is completely upgraded – a period of time that is too long if the European Union is to reach its long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.” Loebel concluded.
9 February 2010: Wide Stakeholder Coalition calls for focus on Energy Efficiency (10.02.2010)Ahead of the European Summit, businesses organisations, NGO's and MEP’s call on EU Heads of State to put the spotlight on energy efficiency. Background Ahead of the European Summit on 11 February, an unprecedented coalition of European businesses organisations, NGOs and parliamentarians are calling on EU Heads of State to make energy efficiency the first order priority for the EU’s economic recovery and new ‘EU2020’ strategy.
‘Sexy’ insulation a hit at Bright Green in Copenhagen (21.12.2009)Brussels, 18 December 2009: Obama has praised insulation as ‘sexy’, for its win-win capacity of saving money on energy bills, while tackling change. Background Brussels, 18 December 2009 – President Obama has recently praised insulation as ‘sexy’, in terms of its win-win capacity of saving money on energy bills for consumers, while at the same time tackling change. With that in mind, it is no wonder that the topic of energy efficiency in buildings is proving to be so popular for delegates in Copenhagen. The Polyurethanes industry, which produces the most efficient insulating materials on the market, participated as an exhibitor at the Bright Green Expo in Forum Copenhagen from 12 to 13 December. Their large and interactive stand attracted over a thousand visitors over the two-day period. The exhibition, sponsored by ISOPA, the European polyurethane raw material producers, and PU Europe representing the European polyurethane insulation industry, took place in parallel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15). The Polyurethanes exhibit attracted a large number of visitors, as it highlighted the critical role of insulation in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrated the environmental and economic performance of polyurethane insulation products for low energy buildings. The stand also showcased some of the other environmental benefits of polyurethanes such as its energy efficient use in refrigerators which have models that are now 60% more efficient than refrigerators were 15 years ago. “There are still many who don’t realise that building insulation offers the largest CO2 savings potential of all energy efficiency improvement measures” said Wolfram Frank, Secretary General of ISOPA. “Having talked to so many policymakers over the last two days, we are getting the sense that politicians from around the world are waking up to this and that they are starting to realise that insulation is not only integral to fighting climate change but that it will save people money as well.” Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe, commented: “We need to create awareness around presently available solutions that will make a big difference and that can already be introduced now. Insulating buildings to optimal standards is really the low hanging fruit in the whole fight against climate change and could reduce global CO2 emissions by 20%.” Now that policymakers are waking up to this sexy appeal, it is up to them and the industry as a whole to incentivise the public into seeing the attraction. More information on PU insulation can be found on www.excellence-in-insulation.eu More information on Bright Green: www.brightgreen.dk The last PU Europe Newsletter of 2009 is now available on the Extranet (15.12.2009)Polyurethanes industry participates in Bright Green Copenhagen (09.12.2009)Brussels, 9th December 2009 – The Polyurethanes industry will participate as an exhibitor at the Bright Green Expo in Copenhagen from 12 to 13 December, with a stand sponsored by ISOPA and PU Europe.
Press announcement
The Bright Green exhibition takes place in parallel to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) and is an event that will give participants the opportunity to showcase the business response to the climate challenge, in particular to present the solutions and technologies developed by different sectors to tackle climate change. The Polyurethanes exhibit will highlight the critical role of insulation in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrate the environmental and economic performance of polyurethane insulation products for low energy buildings. The stand will also showcase some of the other environmental benefits of polyurethanes such as its energy efficient use in refrigerators. “We wanted to be in Copenhagen at Bright Green to show our ongoing commitment to engaging with policymakers and to contribute to the climate debate,” said Wolfram Frank, Secretary General of ISOPA. “There are still many who don’t realise that building insulation offers the largest CO2 savings potential of all energy efficiency improvement measures.” Oliver Loebel, Secretary General of PU Europe, commented: “We need to create awareness around presently available solutions that will make a big difference and that can already be introduced now. Our goal is to make important little-known facts well known; for instance, that insulating buildings to optimal standards could reduce global CO2 emissions by 20%.” A cocktail reception “The fundamental importance of conserving energy in buildings“ will be hosted at the stand on Sunday 13 December 2009, from 12.00 to 13.00, offering an opportunity to discuss the key role of buildings in tackling climate change and in particular how this sector could help in reaching the new reduction targets that will be discussed in Copenhagen. There will also be a short demonstration of passive housing. The Polyurethanes stand can be visited at the Bright Green exhibition, stand number 44, on 12-13 December 2010.
More information on polyurethane insulation can be found on www.excellence-in-insulation.eu More information on Bright Green: www.brightgreen.dk
For more information, please contact:
PU Europe was originally founded in 1981 as BING to become the European voice for the National trade associations representing the rigid urethane insulation industry. Today PU Europe represents foam producers, raw material suppliers and component manufacturers from eleven EU Member States. The involvement of the entire value chain means that PU Europe is able to access and disseminate solid scientific data and life cycle information on polyurethane insulation products. ISOPA is the European Diisocyanate and Polyol Producers Trade Association. Diisocyanates and Polyols are the main building blocks for polyurethanes. ISOPA promotes the highest standards of best practice in the distribution and use of these raw materials, ensures that all stakeholders can easily access accurate and up-to-date information on diisocyanates and polyols, and shows how polyurethanes help fulfil society's present and future needs. ISOPA’s eight members are Bayer Material Science, BorsodChem, Dow, Elastogran, Huntsman, Perstorp, Repsol, and Shell Chemicals. PU Europe welcomes agreement on Buildings directive (18.11.2009)PU Europe applauds Trilogue agreement on the recast Energy Performance of Buildings directive. The Trilogue agreement of 17th November on the recast Energy Performance of Buildings directive is good news for the energy efficiency of Europe’s buildings and a strong message to the COP 15 negotiations starting on 7th December in Copenhagen. PU Europe applauds the strong will of all those involved in the negotiations to reach an ambitious compromise on a complex matter within a short period of time. In particular the European Parliament, led by rapporteur Silvia-Adriana Ticau, has shown real determination throughout the process. PU Europe welcomes in particular the following elements of the recast directive:
In addition, PU Europe strongly supports the agreed provision on the display of the Energy Performance Certificates in commercial and public buildings, the leading role of public authorities in implementing the recommendations on the Energy Performance Certificate and the obligation to inform buyers and tenants about the efficiency rating and proposed improvement measures. National governments must now take the necessary steps to ensure full and timely implementation of the directive. Commission proposal for the CPR (17.11.2009)PU Europe welcomes revised Commission proposal for the Construction Products Regulation (CPR). The revised CPR proposal clarifies a number of important issues and can be supported by PU Europe in most of the points. More specifically, PU Europe cannot accept CE marking without a declaration of performance being drawn up. With a view to avoiding an empty declaration in Member States without product requirements, a small number of essential characteristics could be defined per product group. These characteristics would have to be declared wherever the product is put on the market. Manufacturers should be allowed but not obliged to declare the performance regarding characteristics which are not mandatory. PU Europe supports the Commission position according to which no information on dangerous substances should be added to the declaration of performance. This is already covered by REACH and the Basic Works Requirement 3. PU Europe also believes that marks in addition to the CE mark cannot be made mandatory. Finally, PU Europe welcomes the Commission’s decision to accept the Parliament amendment according to which the use of ETAs is limited to construction products not covered or not fully covered by a harmonised standard. More details here. Energy Efficiency Industry call (04.11.2009)Energy Efficiency Industry calls on Commission to adopt ambitious Energy Efficiency Action Plan. The European Energy Efficiency Industry Forum has expressed its regrets that the presentation by the Commission of the third EU Energy Efficiency Action Plan had been postponed. In a letter addressed to Commission President Barroso, the Forum calls on the EU executive to use the delay to develop a truly ambitious and deliverable final proposal, with clear implementation and timetable details. The letter is available here. Eco-label for buildings (13.10.2009)The eco-label for buildings is on the wrong track and will not be accepted by the market, says PU Europe. PU Europe, the European poluyrethane insulation association, has called on the European Commission to press for a fundamental review of the draft eco-label criteria for buildings. The label development should be based on a scientifically sound method, respect binding eco-label procedures and include a true dialogue with construction supply chain members. PU Europe strongly recommends that the work should start with the most relevant ecological indicator which is resource consumption during the building’s use phase. Environmental requirements ought to be based on existing ISO or the future CEN/TC350 indicators and health aspects should refer to the standards developed by CEN/TC351. Read more. PU Europe newsletter (12.10.2009)PU Europe newsletter 6-09 is now available on the PU Europe extranet. Energy performance of buildings directive (17.09.2009)PU Europe: Recast must include at least three key elements if the EU really means business when it comes to climate change.
PU Europe calls on Member States to pave the way for a truly ambitious EPBD recast and accept at least these three key aspects in the final text. This would provide the EU with a powerful tool to combat climate change and bring much-needed new impetus to the COP 15 negotiations starting on 7th December 2009. The Union’s credibility would indeed suffer if new building legislation was adopted in a halfhearted manner on the day of the conference start. Moreover, it would be in contradiction to daily statements hinting at buildings as the largest energy using sector and the one with the highest cost efficient savings potential. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates at 70-75% the long-term energy savings potential for new build and this without additional costs or with very limited additional costs for owners. The total feasible potential for energy savings by renovation and refurbishment is estimated at 55-80% depending on the building type and region. More details here. European polyurethane insulation industry adopts new name (31.08.2009)PU Europe replaces BING as the name of the European polyurethane insulation association. PU Europe is the new name of the European association of polyurethane insulation – formerly known as BING. “With this move, we want to establish a closer link between the products we represent and the name of our organisation”, the association’s secretary general Oliver Loebel said. “With the new European Parliament and Commission coming in, this change in name was very timely”. There are indeed numerous challenges waiting for strong input from the polyurethane insulation industry. The revised energy performance of buildings directive is in the legislative process and a number of parallel sustainability initiatives such as eco-design, energy labelling, eco-labelling, green public procurement and a new basic works requirement of the future construction product regulation offer both risks and opportunities. Other current priorities include the implementation of REACH, the development of new EU rules for ozone depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases and the European waste policy. “With polyurethane, we have a fantastic thermal insulation product to meet the requirements of low energy buildings”, says Loebel. “On the other hand, we see that a lot of awareness raising still needs to be done to show that with polyurethane, low energy buildings do not require major design adjustments. This is an important competitive advantage for our products.” PU Europe has therefore launched a communication campaign and will have a joint exhibition stand with ISOPA at the world climate summit in Copenhagen (13-14 December 2009). The organisation has its head office in Brussels and represents nine national trade associations and 20 supplier members. This makes PU Europe a unique platform which brings together the whole supply chain and allows for significant synergies in areas such as research and interest representation. To mark the event, PU Europe has developed new websites for the association (www.pu-europe.eu) and for polyurethane insulation in general (www.excellence-in-insulation.eu). PU Europe newsletter (04.08.2009)PU Europe newsletter 5-09 is now available on the PU Europe extranet. Green Public Procurement (04.08.2009)The draft Green Public Procurement criteria for insulation are not acceptable!, says BING. More details here. Energy Efficiency Action Plan (17.07.2009)PU Europe supports an ambitious revision of the EU Energy Efficiency Action Plan. More details here. PU Europe newsletter (16.06.2009)PU Europe newsletter 4-09 is now available on the PU Europe extranet. Construction Products Regulation (11.06.2009)BING calls on the Council to reject the Parliament amendments 49 and 101. Read more. PU Europe newsletter (29.04.2009)PU Europe newsletter 3-09 is available on the PU Europe extranet. |
16 April 2013: The Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint Method Should Explicitly Exclude Construction Products
PU Europe calls for a clear statement that the PEF method will not apply to construction products.
15 March 2013: European Parliament endorses Renovate Europe’s long-term target on building renovations
The European Parliament’s Report on the Energy Roadmap 2050 stresses the importance of reducing energy use in buildings.
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