EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 820: Notat samt høringssvar vedrørende den danske regerings høringssvar vedrørende kommende initiativ om en renoveringsbølge

Europaudvalget 2019-20
EUU Alm.del Bilag 820
Offentligt

Danish response to the public consultation on the initiative regarding the

Renovation Wave

Center

Centre for Global Climate Ac-

tion

Team

EU Green Transition

Date

24 June 2020

Case No

2020 -

The Danish Government agrees with the Commission that the European Green

Deal should be a cornerstone in EU’s economic recovery after the COVID-19

pan-

demic and that the energy sector plays a central part. In this regard, the Danish

Government supports the focus in the European Green Deal on energy and re-

source efficient building and renovation initiatives aligned with the principles of the

circular economy.

Recovery measures aiming for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions should take

a holistic approach by focusing on energy efficiency, including the Energy Effi-

ciency First-principle, increased use and production of renewable energy and a

cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This will enable the creation

of jobs across Europe whilst paving the way for climate neutrality in 2050.

For this reason the Danish Government supports that energy efficiency, including

the renovation of buildings, should be a priority to support the economic recovery.

The Renovation Wave should support mobilisation of private investments, such as

ESCO-projects, including considering the possibility for specific funding to be set

aside for these types of measures

Furthermore, the Danish Government supports an ambitious implementation of the

current energy savings targets and calls on the Commission to put forward pro-

posals to further strengthen energy efficiency on a European level, for example by

strengthening EU legislation regarding eco-design. The Commission should work

towards a framework that ensures the Renovation Wave delivers reductions of

greenhouse gas emissions thereby contributing to the EU’s reduction target for

2030 and the objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest.

Lastly, the Danish Government fully supports efforts focused on exploring effective

ways to target public buildings. Denmark’s Climate Action Plan for energy and in-

dustry sets ambitious targets for energy efficiency in buildings both owned and

used by government institutions.

The Danish Government would like to highlight the following elements in need of

further elaboration as well as relevant observations from a Danish context:

/ NILOS

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EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 820: Notat samt høringssvar vedrørende den danske regerings høringssvar vedrørende kommende initiativ om en renoveringsbølge

Financing and institutional setup

It is important to keep in mind the Energy Efficiency First-principle and respect the

purposes for which earmarked funds for associated programs and how they con-

tribute to achieving our common targets for 2030 and beyond. In order to have a

clear understanding of the financial framework and funding sources for the Renova-

tion Wave, the Commission should clarify the institutional setup and which EU pro-

grammes, in particular, it would be relevant to channel funds from before publishing

the Strategic Communication and Action Plan expected in the third quarter of 2020.

Adhering to the European Court of Auditors Special Report 11/2020 on Energy effi-

ciency in buildings, the Commission should as a core priority ensure that cost-effec-

tiveness guides EU spending on the Renovation Wave across all relevant pro-

grammes in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deliver higher energy

efficiency and other benefits at lower cost. This should include using improved indi-

cators to measure energy savings and greenhouse gas emission-reductions and

rewarding measures that deliver on these priorities in the most cost-effective way.

“Industrialization” and smart technologies in buildings

There is a huge potential for increasing the use of digital tools in order to ensure

optimal operation of buildings and maintenance of building systems as well as inte-

gration of renewables in buildings. Also, fostering the “industrialisation” of building

renovation - including as part of larger approaches, e.g. at district level - should be

pursued while taking into account the different nature of the building stock in the

various Member States. The Commission should ensure that the Renovation Wave

supports promoting and strengthening the use of digital tools and carrying out more

efficient district approaches, while adopting a holistic and pragmatic approach to

“industrialization”.

Energy poverty

In Denmark, energy poverty is a social issue and consequently addressed through

social policy. Green renovations is a priority in the social housing sector, where the

Danish National Building Fund's support system in the future will contain a new

green support criterion, a new green guarantee and a fund for experiments. This

will improve energy efficiency of buildings in the social housing sector while also

improving energy efficiency, creating green jobs and securing both healthy and

contemporary social housing. The Commission may consider a possible focus on

energy poverty in the Renovation Wave, but this should neither restrict nor demand

that the Member States set up specific measures targeting energy poverty via their

national policies on energy.

Regulatory barriers and state aid

The Danish Government would like to take this opportunity to highlight matters re-

lated to state aid. The revision

of the EU’s state aid rules should continue to sup-

port a cost effective green energy transition towards climate neutrality in the EU.

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EUU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 820: Notat samt høringssvar vedrørende den danske regerings høringssvar vedrørende kommende initiativ om en renoveringsbølge

The Commission should ensure that the revision of the EU’s state aid rules contin-

ues to support a cost effective green energy transition towards climate neutrality in

the EU and in that context both ensure alignment with newly revised EU energy

legislation and take account of the development of new green technological solu-

tions.

Awareness and communication

It is important to ensure focus on creating awareness on the benefits of energy effi-

ciency measures in the coming efforts related to the Renovation Wave. The Com-

mission should work towards a clear message when communicating to the Euro-

pean public about the multifaceted benefits of building renovation such as improved

indoor climate etc.

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