European legal status of the improvement of energy efficiency in buildings

Energy efficiency in buildings and the penetration of renewable energies are important targets in order to reduce the European Union´s dependency on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. The study collected information from a questionnaire among 27 European Union Member States and Norway. The aim of study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current national regulatory framework assessing the homogeneity of approach focusing on three aspects: 1) influence of building energy regulation on innovation and policies for the integration of renewable energy in energy efficient buildings, 2) integration of energy efficient investments in national housing markets for sale and rent, 3) employment of economic (administrative) incentives for energy efficient buildings up to “nearly zero-energy” buildings. The study shows a heterogeneity in the design of national regulatory framework. This heterogeneity strengthens the importance of better integration of regulatory and policy instruments and the best practices cross-fertilization among European countries.