The European Union has adopted  Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/52, which establishes a common framework for calculating the global warming potential over the life cycle of new buildings, to ensure comparable methodologies across Member States without removing national flexibility.

In line with the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the life-cycle GWP of new buildings larger than 1 000 m² will have to be calculated and disclosed in energy performance certificates from 2028. This requirement will extend to all new buildings from 2030.

The methodology covers the entire life cycle of buildings, including the production and transport of construction materials, construction processes, operational energy use, maintenance, demolition and waste management. It takes into account both operational and embodied greenhouse gas emissions.

The framework is expected to support the decarbonisation of the building sector, encourage the use of low-carbon construction materials and improve consistency with other relevant EU legislation.

_{Source of the picture: European Commission – Energy (©AdobeStock / Grand Warszawski)}