- EU Parliament approved a new law for member states to start the renovation of buildings to make them more energy efficient.
- Buildings account for 40 per cent of the European Union’s energy use.
The European Parliament has approved a new law for member states to start the renovation of buildings to make them more energy-efficient and reduce the EU’s carbon emissions. A majority of 370 members of the European Parliament voted in favour of the bill, while 199 opposed and 46 abstained.
Also, buildings account for 40 per cent of the European Union’s energy use, and fossil fuels is used to heat buildings. The new rules will lead to upgrading buildings to use less energy.
This move is to discourage countries off Russian gas faster and curb households’ bills. Green MEP Ciaran Cuffe, who negotiated the law, said, “This law is going to help people to save money on their energy bills and take people out of energy poverty while reducing emissions from our buildings and cutting demand for fossil fuel imports.”
Furthermore, under the new law, the EU‘s 27 member states will have to apply newly created standards to non-residential buildings, like offices or hospitals, and can use EU funds to make them more energy efficient.