3 Jul 2012 - The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and how to save on energy costs
EPTDA released its new EU legal monitoring report, in association with EPTDA’s Legal Watchdog Koen Lauryssen (Van Cutsem, associate member). In this report, EPTDA is tackling a broader topic not only being of interest for the mechanical power transmission and motion control industry, but in general also for every European commercial and residential building owner and developer: the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
This directive is a legislative instrument for improving the energy efficiency of Europe's building stock. Originally adopted in 2002, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive was reviewed in 2010 to rectify its shortcomings. The new Directive had to be transposed into national law by July 2012.
One of the key changes, amongst others introduced by this recast was the extension of the scope of the directive to all existing buildings undergoing major renovations, having to meet minimum efficiency levels.
The directive includes the use of renewable energies like solar panels while minimizing energy-loss with better insulation, double-glazing and similar measures. The Corinthia Hotel Lisbon, the official host venue of the EPTDA Lisbon 2012 convention (26-28 September), is a good example of energy performance best practices:
The five-star Corinthia Hotel Lisbon, in collaboration with the Portuguese German Chamber of Commerce Training Centre, was selected to take part in an energy saving best practices study aimed at encouraging the use of solar thermal energy in hotels. The proposals put forward by the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon team ensured a reduction of no less than 11% of the hotel’s total energy costs, representing an energy saving potential of up to 70 MHz per year and a CO2 saving potential of 14 ton per year. The Corinthia Lisbon’s study was presented in several UE countries as an example of the best strategy on energy saving in the hotel business.
(Source: Corinthia Hotel Lisbon)
For more details on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, members can access the full report in the Members Area of the EPTDA website: CLICK HERE (password protected).