European Commission unveils new energy efficiency strategy

The European Commission have launched 'Renovation Wave', a new energy efficiency strategy that could lead to the renovation of 35 million buildings and the creation of up to 160,000 jobs.

This new strategy offers a set of policy measures, funding tools and technical assistance instruments that could accelerate the renovation of buildings in order to improve their energy performance.

As a part of this strategy, the European Commission is also going to examine how their funding mechanisms could support energy efficiency and savings schemes to help lower-income populations.

With this new project they aim to:

• prioritise the decarbonisation of heating and cooling;
• tackle energy poverty;
• upgrade the worst-performing buildings; and
• renovate public buildings such as schools, hospitals and administrative buildings.

Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, commented: ''We want everyone in Europe to have a home they can light, heat, or cool without breaking the bank or breaking the planet. The Renovation Wave will improve the places where we work, live and study while reducing our impact on the environment and providing jobs for thousands of Europeans.''