EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD): What Is Changing and What Building Operators Should Clarify Now

The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduces the zero-emission building standard for new buildings from 2028 and 2030 and sets minimum performance standards and development paths for existing buildings.

Concrete requirements for your buildings follow from national law, whose transposition the European Commission found incomplete in all 27 Member States in July 2026. 

According to the recitals of the directive, buildings account for 40% of the EU's final energy consumption and 36% of its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. The annual rate of energy renovations is only around 1%. The recast EPBD is meant to change that. This first part of our series explains what is changing, what the directive does not require and what building operators, housing associations and energy and metering service providers should check now.

What is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)?

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is the EU's central set of rules for reducing the energy demand and emissions of buildings. The revision (recast EPBD), Directive (EU) 2024/1275, entered into force on 28 May 2024. Its goal is a zero-emission building stock in the EU by 2050. 

The EPBD is addressed to the EU Member States and has to be transposed into national law. For operators and companies, the concrete requirements therefore generally follow from the respective national rules. The general transposition deadline ended on 29 May 2026.

EPBD Timeline: Key Deadlines at a Glance

The EPBD introduces new requirements for new and existing buildings step by step. These are the key milestones:

Which deadlines apply to new buildings?

From 1 January 2028, new buildings owned by public bodies must be zero-emission buildings. From 1 January 2030, the standard applies to all new buildings (Article 7). A zero-emission building has a very high energy performance and needs no or only very little energy. It causes no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels and no or only very low operational greenhouse gas emissions (Articles 2 and 11). Member States can exempt projects for which a building permit application was already submitted before the deadlines.

Is there an EU renovation obligation for existing buildings?

Not across the board. The 2028 and 2030 deadlines apply to new buildings, not to the entire building stock. For existing buildings, the directive distinguishes between non-residential (in UK terms: non-domestic) and residential buildings. 

For non-residential buildings, Member States must introduce minimum performance standards with target years 2030 and 2033. For the residential stock, a national reduction pathway for average primary energy use applies. Which measures follow for individual buildings is governed by the respective national law. 

The key pathways for existing buildings:

• Non-residential buildings: Minimum energy performance standards apply from 2030 and 2033. National thresholds are decisive. They are set based on the worst-performing 16% and 26% of the 2020 non-residential building stock. Exceptions are possible for certain buildings.

• Residential buildings: Average primary energy use of the residential stock must fall by at least 16% by 2030 and by at least 20 to 22% by 2035, compared with 2020.

• Heating: From 1 January 2025, Member States may no longer provide financial incentives for installing stand-alone boilers using fossil fuels. The national building renovation plans are to map out a gradual phase-out, with a view to a complete phase-out of fossil-fuel boilers by 2040 (Annex II).

Technical building systems and building data are also part of the rulebook. Part 2 of this series deals with them.

How far has national implementation of the EPBD progressed?

As of July 2026, transposition of the EPBD was incomplete in all 27 Member States. The general transposition deadline ended on 29 May 2026. On 15 July 2026, the European Commission therefore opened infringement procedures against all 27 Member States. The countries were given two months to catch up. 

This does not change the deadlines in the directive. National legislation may have developed further since then, so operators and service providers should check the current status in their country. Obligations, exemptions and funding schemes can differ from country to country.

What does the EPBD mean outside the EU?

The EPBD is EU law and does not apply in the UK, where England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own rules on the energy performance of buildings. Norway and the other EEA states apply it only once it has been incorporated into the EEA Agreement. Companies from outside the EU that own, operate or service buildings in EU countries work with the national laws that implement the EPBD there.

What does the EPBD not require?

The EPBD does not prescribe any specific wireless or measurement technology. It also does not oblige every building to install sensors from 2028. The 2028 and 2030 deadlines for the zero-emission standard apply to new buildings. Separate requirements apply to existing buildings. Which measurement and control technology is needed in which building depends on the building type and national transposition. At the same time, the directive contains concrete requirements for building automation and technical building systems for certain non-residential buildings. More on this in Part 2.

What should operators and service providers clarify now?

Early planning avoids costly retrofits because measures can then be bundled and sorted by deadline. Three questions help as a starting point:

1. Which group does the building belong to? New buildings, non-residential stock and residential stock are subject to different deadlines and target paths.

2. How good is the data situation? Is consumption data available per building, and are meters, gateways and building automation connected so that the data is usable?

3. Which sequence results? Buildings with the weakest energy performance and the nearest deadlines come first.

Why the EPBD becomes a data question

Anyone who renovates, prioritises or wants to demonstrate progress must know the consumption and condition of their buildings. Part 2 shows how existing buildings become data-ready. Part 3 covers indoor climate and energy monitoring in practice. 

A reliable data foundation is the prerequisite for targeted efficiency measures. Digital meters, intelligent gateways and open interfaces enable the automated collection and further processing of energy and building data, including by integrating existing metering infrastructure. 

Elvaco supports metering service providers, system integrators, energy service providers and housing associations with the digital collection of energy and building data, including sub-metering. Get in touch if you want to know where your building stock stands today. 

Sources: Directive (EU) 2024/1275 on EUR-Lex; European Commission, announcement of 15 July 2026

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About the EPBD

What is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)? 

The EPBD is the EU's central set of rules on the energy performance of buildings. The current version, Directive (EU) 2024/1275, is meant to achieve a zero-emission building stock by 2050. Concrete obligations follow from national transposition.

Does the EPBD apply directly to my buildings? 

In principle, no. The EPBD is addressed to the Member States and reaches operators through national laws. Check how your country transposes it and follow ongoing legislative procedures.

What is a zero-emission building? 

A building with a very high energy performance that needs no or only very little energy, and that causes no on-site carbon emissions from fossil fuels and no or only very low operational greenhouse gas emissions. New buildings owned by public bodies must meet this standard from 2028, all new buildings from 2030.

Do all buildings have to install sensors from 2028? 

No. The 2028 deadline applies to new buildings owned by public bodies, and there is no blanket sensor obligation for existing buildings. For certain non-residential buildings, however, the directive requires building automation. Which measurement and control technology is needed depends on the building type and national transposition.

Does the EPBD also affect existing buildings? 

Yes. Minimum energy performance standards apply to non-residential buildings from 2030 and 2033. National thresholds are decisive. They are set based on the worst-performing 16% and 26% of the 2020 non-residential building stock. Exceptions are possible for certain buildings. For residential buildings, a national reduction pathway for average primary energy use applies.

What changed compared with the previous EPBD? 

The recast replaces Directive 2010/31/EU as amended in 2018. New elements include the zero-emission building standard, minimum energy performance standards for non-residential buildings, a national reduction pathway for the residential stock, the end of incentives for stand-alone fossil-fuel boilers and wider building automation requirements.