Buildings Performance Institute Europe - BPIE

20/08/2026

What should a fair and inclusive building renovation transition look like in Hungary?

A new report by the Hungarian Energy Efficiency Institute (MEHI) as part of the project looks at this question through the lens of Hungary’s upcoming National Building Renovation Plan (NBRP), with a particular focus on how to identify worst-performing buildings and understand where they overlap with vulnerable households.

The findings highlight some important opportunities for ensuring renovation support reaches those who need it most:

🔹 A large share of Hungary's housing stock remains highly inefficient. Almost half of all homes are among the worst-performing buildings, and more than two-thirds suffer from poor energy performance (F category or worse), highlighting the scale of the renovation challenge ahead.

🔹 The challenge is particularly prevalent in rural areas. Almost 80% of Hungary’s worst-performing buildings are located in rural areas, and around 78% are single-family homes.

🔹 The situation becomes even more pronounced as settlement size decreases. Worst-performing buildings are particularly concentrated in villages, where they account for 76% of dwellings, compared with 23% in Budapest.

🔹 In Hungary, poor building performance and social vulnerability are closely connected, but do not fully overlap: some vulnerable households will be missed if only worst-performing buildings are targeted. Renovation policies within the NBRP need to consider both where these buildings are located, and where vulnerable households are concentrated.

So, what comes next?

The report highlights the need for robust targeting of worst-performing buildings, predictable financing, stronger involvement of municipalities and local stakeholders, and better coordination between the NBRP, the Social Climate Plan and the National Energy and Climate Plan.

📄 Read the full report in English and Hungarian: https://www.bpie.eu/publication/towards-a-just-building-renovation-transitionin-hungary-recommendations-for-identifying-worst-performing-buildings-in-the-national-building-renovation-plan/
Congratulations to the authors 👉 Anikó Pálffy Péter Sviszt Kata Kepes Éva Gerőházi and Adrienn Tóth

14/11/2024

For almost 2 years, local authorities in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia have been working to implement Building Renovation Passports (BRPs) as part of the project. But, what have they learnt and what challenges they encountered along this journey?

On a workshop organised last week in Bucharest, project partners shared their lessons learnt and key takeaways after implementing BRPs in municipalities to achieve deep renovation. Their two main highlights are:

🖊️ It is key to be part of a consortium that helps collaborate, share knowledge and build capacity.
🖊️ Local authorities can be key players to decarbonise the building stock, but more resources and expertise are needed, as well as long-term goals and planning.

Read in more detail about all the sessions in the workshop👉https://www.bpie.eu/news/deep-renovation-building-renovation-passports-romania-bulgaria-slovakia/

06/09/2024

Commissioners’ Hearings: BPIE suggestions for Building Prosperity - 10 policy priorities -

On behalf of BPIE (Buildings Performance Institute Europe), I would like to congratulate you on being re-elected to the European Parliament and wish you the best of luck in your work.  

27/08/2024

🗞️Our latest newsletter is out, in time for the rentrée!

What's included:
10 priorities for the new EU Commission to ensure buildings drive growth and social value

Plus:

Boosting renovation incentives with iBRoad2EPC 🛠️
Key insights on EPBD implementation 🔑
And more hot topics in the world of sustainable buildings! 💡
👉 Dive in now: https://mailchi.mp/bpie.eu/augustnewsletter2024

📩 Don't miss out—sign up for our monthly updates and stay ahead of the curve! http://eepurl.com/g1ZW5j

In Brussels, the new political season is beginning these days, and the pace of activities in European capitals is picking up as well. It is reassuring to see that the re-elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, defined her political priorities for the coming five years wit...

09/07/2024

🚀Report launch! FOUR reports identifying policy needs for successful implementation! https://www.bpie.eu/epbdwise/

After months of *desk research*, *interviews*, *topic-specific stakeholder workshops*, and *6 intensive roundtable discussions* with policymakers in Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine (whew!), we have identified the key policy needs for 5 crucial elements of the 2024 EPBD. This exercise is a foundational first step to formulate effective policy guidelines.

Each report provides a broad overall assessment of policy needs per topic and identifies the nitty-gritty details and key watch-out points that will need to be given special consideration for each country.

Here's a snapshot:
✅ National Building Renovation Plans (NBRP):

💡Not just a checkbox admin document! NBRPs have the potential to become dynamic strategic instruments to drive large-scale building renovations, sustainable urban development and equitable social progress, adding significant value.
🔍What you’ll find: 7 key criteria for NBRPs and 11 good practice examples.

✅Zero-Emission Buildings (ZEBs):

💡While ZEB represents a significant shift from the previous nZEB standard, member states don't have to start from scratch! Many robust nZEB definitions, methodologies, best practices, and new research provide a strong basis for effective ZEB implementation.
🔍What you’ll find: 12 key criteria for an effective ZEB definition & 7 good practice examples.

✅Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS):

💡To fill their purpose, MEPS will require robust design of other elements of the EPBD including NBRPs, EPCs and RPs, and of course, more and better building stock data.
🔍What you’ll find: 5 policy needs & 6 good practices from Flanders & Brussels (Belgium), France, Scotland, England and Wales, and the Netherlands.

✅ Renovation Passports (RPs):

💡Renovation Passports are intended to make renovation easier for homeowners. There are two potential approaches that have different implications in terms of governance: integrating the RP into the EPC (national competence) or developing it as a standalone document within existing energy advisory schemes (regional competence). There are benefits to both, but a harmonised approach with EPC offers important cost-efficiency benefits.
🔍What you'll find: 9 policy needs and 7 good practices

✅EPCs are core to a well-functioning renovation ecosystem, and outcomes of this first work shows a range of areas for policymakers to focus their efforts to strengthen national EPC schemes.
🔍What you'll find: 6 policy needs and 7 good practices

📖 Access the full reports here: https://www.bpie.eu/epbdwise/

27/05/2024

Join us next week for the webinar on energy efficiency policies and renovation initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans 🏘

With a panel of experts from Serbia and Slovakia, we will assess implications of provisions in the newly adopted and other policy files for public authorities🤝

Find out more and register here 👉 https://www.bpie.eu/event/energy-efficiency-policies-renovation-initiatives-western-balkans/

30/04/2024

📣Webinar📣 Better data for better policy making

With the entering implementation phase, the need for robust has never been more crucial.

Join us on May 7th as we'll delve into the new EU Building Stock Observatory & the BuiltHub project!

🕤May 7th, 09:30 - 10:30, online

Agenda & Registration:

The final agreement on the Buildings Directive and its impending integration into national policies marks a pivotal moment for the enhancement of energy efficiency across the EU. Recent conversations within the BuiltHub project with local decision-makers have revealed a unanimous recognition of the....

24/04/2024

❗️Less than a week to register for the webinar💻on the role of for municipalities in Central and Eastern Europe in context of the 📃

Don't miss this opportunity to ask about the impact of the EPBD in countries like Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia!

Register here👉🔗https://lnkd.in/epxXQJtX

04/04/2024

What role will play in the recently adopted by the European Parliament for municipalities in Central and Eastern Europe?🏘

📆 Join us on 30 April in a webinar organised by the project in which we will address local authorities' questions on the EPBD implementation in Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia🔎

Registrations are open here👉 https://loom.ly/89S_g1I

13/03/2024

📢 New report!

💶 EU €50 billion took effect on 01/03 & 1st payments are set to be made this month, and other multilateral donors from around the world are mobilizing funds, such as the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and many others.

🏗 We therefore propose 6️⃣ investment criteria to ensure that money goes towards a sustainable reconstruction of Ukraine's buildings:

1⃣ Investments should be directed towards projects that consider minimum energy efficiency requirements for individual building elements. This should apply to all buildings, whatever the level of damage.

2⃣ Buildings damaged during the war should not be exempted from minimum energy efficiency requirements.

Reconstruction projects which receive public support and funding from multilateral donors, must systematically follow energy efficiency requirements.

3⃣ Investments should be directed towards projects that involve technical building systems based on renewable energy solutions.
We call on multilateral donors to allocate funds to projects that do not allow heating equipment based solely on fossil fuels.

4⃣ Investments should be directed towards projects that improve the entire energy performance of buildings.

Multilateral donors should refer to standard which sets energy performance & renewable energy thresholds.

5⃣ Investments should be directed towards projects that support climate change adaptation to ensure the built environment is resilient to extreme weather events such as dust storms, hurricanes, fires, floods and droughts.

6⃣ Investments should be directed towards projects that address material circularity. Use of sustainable materials & waste recollection & reuse of debris should be considered to reduce use of primary raw material.

As Russia's war wages on, imagining reconstruction is a challenge. But rigorous investment criteria should bring many benefits to Ukraine:
🟢a future-proof energy system
🟢supporting the country’s path to join 🇪🇺
🟢providing health & comfort for people.

💡Multilateral donors & policymakers have a responsibility to ensure money flows to than before

The 6 investment criteria is not about ticking boxes, but about investing in the future of a .

Read the report here🔗https://www.bpie.eu/publication/building-back-better-6-investment-criteria-to-drive-a-sustainable-reconstruction-of-ukraines-built-environment/