How often does Europe manage to do something helpful? Not very, to be honest. But the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive looks like it could be one of the best things out of Brussels since chocolate or beer.

It’s not that the Directive is a flawless bit of Euro-law. In fact, it was left a bit rough around the edges to ease its path through the various stages of introduction – it has achieved a new record for speedy acceptance by the various committees. There’s also plenty of room for interpretation of phrases such as ‘public building’ and ‘industrial site’. The word ‘may’ appears quite a lot too.

But what the Directive has done is deliver the potential to really shake up the property market, and make energy efficiency a tool of market transformation. At the same time, this new piece of legislation could create a whole new industry revolving around the energy labelling and plant equipment checking requirements.

I write ‘potential’ and ‘could’ because of course, the UK government may (that word again) elect to ease this Directive into our Building Regulations in a very diluted form. The property industry is a powerful lobby group. Already there are rumblings from that direction, implying that any shenanigans with labelling buildings according energy use will affect prices, and have a negative impact on pension funds. Because they’re doing so well, aren’t they?

Building services looks set to do very well out of this new Directive. It could give a boost to the industry at a time when we might otherwise face a bit of belt tightening. With energy efficiency high on the property agenda, we’re perfectly placed to win clients who need good, solid advice about all the related issues.

However, this sector will have to make a good case. We can’t allow the UK government, and property developers, to get away with a wishy-washy interpretation and a loophole-laden set of rules. Time to come out fighting.

Source

Building Sustainable Design

Postscript

Karen Fletcher, Editor