On 13 May 2026, Energy Efficiency for Europe took part in the hybrid event “Supporting EPBD implementation: Practical solutions developed by EU-funded initiatives”, co-hosted with fellow LIFE programme project partners and the European Commission’s DG ENER and CINEA.
Held ahead of the 29 May transposition deadline, the event brought together representatives from EU institutions, EU-funded projects and industry to discuss how the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) can be effectively implemented across Member States.
Speaking during Session 1, “The EPBD implementation system: Policy, market uptake, digitalisation and finance”, Energy Efficiency for Europe’s Head of Policy, Eline Blanchard, highlighted the crucial role Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) can play in accelerating EPBD implementation. Drawing on examples from members’ renovation projects across Europe, Eline outlined how ESCOs help translate policy objectives into practical delivery by combining technical expertise, financing mechanisms and guaranteed performance.
The session also featured a presentation from Antonis Papanikolaou on the latest developments within LIFE project OpenBEP4EU, of which Energy Efficiency for Europe is a project partner, demonstrating how a common open-source calculation engine based on EPB standards can improve the comparability and consistency of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) across Europe.
The recurring theme throughout the event was, given that the tools needed to support EPBD implementation already exist, the priority now is to scale up deployment, improve coordination and ensure that practical solutions developed through EU-funded initiatives are effectively integrated into implementation efforts across Member States.
