The energy performance of buildings is at the heart of European environmental policy, which establishes, with the DPEB (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive), a normative framework common to the Member States of the EU. The revision of this directive involves new requirements in terms of reducing energy consumption, with an ambitious goal of zero emissions in the new one by 2030. In France, the 2020 Environmental Regulation (RE 2020) constitutes an important regulatory evolution on the subject, which is currently the most demanding in Europe.
From RT2012 to RE2020, a look back at the evolution of thermal and environmental building standards
Since 1974, the day after the first oil shock, several thermal regulations have been put in place in order to promote the construction of buildings that consume less energy. The latest regulation in this area, the RT2012 thermal regulation, was intended to meet the objectives of the 2007 Grenelle Environment Summit: reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions until reaching a quarter of what they were in 1990 in 2050.
For its part, the RE2020 environmental regulation is provided for by the ELAN law (Evolution of Housing, Development and Digital Technology). It goes beyond the requirements of RT2012 on the issue of the energy performance of new buildings, but above all, it introduces the consideration of the entire life cycle of the building to measure its environmental impact: during the construction phase and during the operation phase.
The objectives of RE2020
RE2020 is part of a continuous dynamic, both at national and European levels, to improve the comfort and energy performance of buildings. Its goals are threefold:
- Accentuate the reduction of energy consumption in new buildings, in particular through better insulation performance
- Reduce the environmental impact of new construction and buildings in general by activating levers at all stages of the building's life cycle: from construction materials and processes to energy consumption during the operating phase (heating and water, lighting, air conditioning)
- Offer occupants a place to live or work adapted to climate change, in particular with better resistance to heat waves.
The new requirements of the RE2020
Thermal regulation (RT) has given way to environmental regulation (RE), with more global objectives. The major innovations of RE2020 are as follows:
- In taking into account climate change and its effects on buildings (house or building), with the creation of an indicator of discomfort for occupants
- Within the extended scope of energy assessment, which considers heating and cooling as well as ventilation, lighting and the production of domestic hot water, with an emphasis on renewable energy sources
- In taking into account the impact of the manufacture of building materials, with the valorization of bio-based materials.
RE2020 and LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)
One of the most important regulatory developments is the introduction of life cycle assessment in RE2020 (ACV). With the entry into force of RE2020 on 1 January 2022, carrying out a LCA to quantify the environmental impact of new buildings has become the norm. RE2020 imposes LCA for the only GHG emission indicator, with maximum thresholds not to be exceeded in order to limit the impact of the building on climate change. But the realization of a complete LCA allows manufacturers to make informed choices based on many other metrics, such as water pollution or waste production.
Towards a tightening of RE2020 requirements
In 2022, the RE2020 applies first to the construction of single-family houses and collective housing, and then to the construction of offices and primary and secondary educational institutions. In a third phase, the standard is extended to other types of buildings such as shops, gyms, train stations or hotels. Its requirements must also be tightened in successive stages, with the entry into force of new obligations and the lowering of tolerance thresholds in 2025, 2028 and 2031. Each level corresponds to a new threshold for reducing the carbon impact, first by 15%, then by 25% and finally by 30%. Other requirements are gradually being put in place: the exclusion of gas heating in new collective housing, in particular, will not take place until 2024.
Update on the energy performance of buildings in Europe
The Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (DPEB), in force since 2006, is the reference legislative instrument at European level. It includes a harmonized method for calculating the energy performance of buildings, common certification systems and standardized protocols for the control of heating and air conditioning installations. Member States remain free to set their own minimum energy consumption standards in their territories. The DPEB has been amended several times, in 2018 and 2021. The latest revisions focus on the objective of “zero emissions” for all new buildings by 2030 (including single-family homes) and as early as 2027 for public sector buildings. The energy consumption performance certificates are also adjusted to allow better readability.
Energy consumption in the building sector is a crucial issue and an essential lever for meeting the objectives of the Energy and Climate Law. Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 can only require a change of scale in the low-carbon and low-energy certification thresholds. While the RE2020 regulation only applies to new buildings, renovation is another issue that should not be overlooked. Here too, standards are in the process of being strengthened, towards buildings with low energy consumption but also, as in construction, towards the use of bio-sourced and low-carbon renovation materials. Faced with the climate emergency, the entire stock of housing and buildings for professional use must meet the highest environmental requirements.
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