German construction ministry to limit lifecycle emissions of buildings
Clean Energy Wire / Table.Media
Germany's buildings and construction ministry is set to introduce limits on the greenhouse gas emissions that buildings can emit throughout their lifetime, as part of its effort to transpose a European directive into national law. The ministry is currently planning to implement the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), according to a paper on priority projects seen by Table.Media.
Limiting lifecycle emissions means that owners will not only need to reduce emissions when buildings are in use, for example by insulating walls or using more efficient heating systems, but also have to take into account the greenhouse gases associated with producing construction materials, their transport to the building site, the construction or renovation process itself, and ultimately deconstruction, demolition and disposal.
Countries including Denmark, France and the Netherlands already have laws that limit these embodied emissions. This approach counts greenhouse gas emissions associated with the materials used, materials replaced, the building's lifespan, and the gross floor area. This results in a carbon value that can be assigned to each square metre per year, which becomes more stringent over time.
The EPBD also requires countries to introduce minimum energy performance requirements for non-residential buildings and renovation plans for existing buildings. The deadline to implement the directive is the end of May 2026.
Other priorities for this legislative period for the ministry include amending the section on heating in Germany's Building Energy Act, commonly known as the 'heating law,' which stipulates the gradual phase out of gas and oil boilers, to make it "more technology-neutral, flexible and simpler". The ministry also plans to found "the world's biggest” research centre on climate-neutral and resource-efficient construction by the end of the year, and to double funding for urban development – where implementing climate protection and adaptation measures is a prerequisite to receive financial support – to 1.58 billion euros by 2029, according to the document.
