National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) are a new strategic instrument under the 2024 recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) aimed at transforming the EU’s buildings into a highly energy-efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050. Stakeholders – from professionals to citizens – are encouraged to actively participate in the public consultations and contribute to the development of national plans that will define future funding priorities, policy frameworks and the long-term sustainability of the built environment. 

New tools to support EU countries in preparing their National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) were published by the Commission on 2 June 2025. The package includes an annotated NBRP template and a spreadsheet for NBRP data collection. 

(Note: Opinions in the articles are of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union)

Introduction

In April 2024, a major recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (Directive (EU) 2024/1275) was adopted. It significantly strengthens the EU framework to decarbonise buildings by 2050, and aligns it with the EU Climate Law and the Fit for 55 package. A cornerstone is the introduction of National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs). These plans are envisaged as the primary strategic roadmap for each Member State to achieve a highly energy-efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050. In essence, NBRPs take over and upgrade the role of the previous Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) that EU countries have submitted since 2014, serving as comprehensive roadmaps for renovating residential and non-residential buildings in line with the EU’s climate neutrality goals. Each Member State must set out detailed targets for 2030, 2040, and 2050, along with policies, measures, and investment needs to achieve a zero-emission building stock. They are more than just vision documents; they are actionable plans with concrete targets, milestones, and policy measures.

NBRPs aim to ensure that the Renovation Wave is underpinned by robust national planning, stakeholder engagement, and regular monitoring. NBRPs are closely integrated with National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to ensure coherence with broader energy and climate strategies. The sections below delve into what NBRPs entail under the new directive and how stakeholders can actively engage in the national stakeholder consultations, which are a unique opportunity for the stakeholder community to help shape these plans, so that, in the decades ahead, the EU’s buildings deliver market-aligned and tangible gains in energy efficiency, reduced emissions, and healthy indoor environments.

EU policy framework for NBRPs under EPBD

Article 3 of the EPBD mandates that each EU country establish an NBRP to guide the transformation of its building stock to the Zero-Emission Building (ZEB) level by 2050. The NBRP must present a comprehensive strategy, including:

• A snapshot of the national building stock, drawing on data such as Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) databases and other surveys. This overview must also identify market barriers, skills gaps in the construction sector, and the share of vulnerable households. The plans also need to consider workforce development, acknowledging that achieving renovation goals depends on having enough skilled workers.
• The NRBP should include a detailed roadmap with nationally determined targets for 2030, 2040, and 2050; for example, these might cover annual renovation rates, reductions in primary energy consumption, and cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
• An overview of the implemented and planned policy measures to achieve these targets. This shall include improvements to building codes, incentive programmes, the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers, one-stop shops for renovation advice, etc.
• An outline of the investment needs and financing sources to execute the plan. This involves estimating how much public and private funding is required, what financial instruments or incentives must be used, and ensuring coherence with EU funding.
• Specification of key benchmarks, such as the national definition of ZEB and the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS).
• An evidence-based estimate of expected energy savings and wider benefits (e.g. improved indoor environmental quality, health outcomes, job creation in the construction sector, and reduced energy bills) from the planned renovations.

Beyond Article 3, several other articles and annexes of the EPBD underpin the NBRP framework:

• Annex II sets out a harmonised template for NBRPs. This template standardises how the information should be presented to ensure comparability across countries. It mirrors the required content (overview, roadmap, policies, finance, etc.) in a structured format. The Commission has prepared two annotated templates intended to simplify the planning process and ensure that all mandatory NBRP elements set out in Annex II of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) are covered. Although their use is voluntary, they offer EU countries practical guidance to streamline the preparation of NBRPs.
• Article 9 of the EPBD introduces MEPS for existing buildings, which are a key instrument to drive renovations.
• Article 11 defines ZEB and mandates that all new buildings be ZEB from 2030 (public buildings from 2028). NBRPs should detail how the existing stock will transition from current levels to the ZEB level by 2050, likely by ramping up MEPS over time.

By design, NBRPs are intended to be ‘fully operational planning tools’, not just reports. The EPBD explicitly frames them around the energy efficiency first principle, meaning that whenever planning or investment decisions are made, priority should be given to measures that reduce energy demand most cost-effectively.

A critical innovation is the alignment of NBRPs with the EU’s integrated energy and climate planning cycle. Under the Governance Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/1999), Member States already prepare 10-year National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) with updates at mid-term. The EPBD leverages this framework by synchronising NBRPs with NECPs. According to Article 3, each Member State must submit its draft NBRP every five years as part of its NECP (or update). In fact, after the initial plan, the NBRP will essentially become a component of the NECP. This NECP link ensures NBRPs are not standalone documents sitting on a shelf; instead, they are woven into the core national and climate and energy strategies and subject to the same follow-up and accountability as other NECP elements. It also facilitates the European Commission’s oversight. The European Commission assesses each draft NBRP and can issue country-specific recommendations within six months, much like it reviews NECPs. For the first round (draft NBRPs due by 31 December 2025), the European Commission will review the draft NBRPs by mid-2026 and advise on strengthening them if needed. Member States must ‘take due account’ of these recommendations in their final plans or explain publicly why certain recommendations were not followed.

In summary, the EPBD establishes NBRPs as a central policy tool to drive the Renovation Wave at the national level. Through clear targets, enforceable standards, integration in NECPs, and Commission oversight, the EU aims to ensure that each Member State not only plans but delivers a trajectory to a climate-neutral building stock by 2050.

Stakeholder engagement and public consultations in 2025

For NBRPs to be effective, robust and inclusive, they need to be tailored to national and local realities and benefit from broad support from those who will implement them, local authorities, industry, financial institutions, building professionals, building owners, and citizens. Acknowledging this, the EPBD places significant importance on stakeholder engagement in the development of NBRPs. Each Member State needs to conduct a public consultation on its draft NBRP before submission to the European Commission. The NBRP consultations represent the collective brainstorming and consensus-building phase for the EU’s renovation revolution. With active public participation, NBRPs stand a better chance of being realistic, well-supported roadmaps that everyone, from government to building owners, feels ownership of.

Member States are required to submit their draft NBRPs by 31 December 2025. The European Commission will review and provide recommendations by mid-2026. Member States then finalise the NBRPs by the end of 2026, officially adopting them as policies. Key aspects of this engagement include:

• The Directive specifies that the public consultation must involve municipalities (which often oversee building permits and local renovation programmes), NGOs focused on energy poverty or consumer rights, construction sector representatives and building professionals, and financial institutions.
• Member States need to publish a summary of the consultation results and how these were taken into account.
• Given the end-2025 deadline for draft NBRPs, most countries will run their consultations during 2025.
• Some countries might choose to formalise the NBRP as part of a national law or strategy document, giving it additional weight domestically.

As of May 2025, several countries have announced or are expected to announce consultation events or draft plans for comment.

Spain is one notable example[1] that has undertaken a participatory approach early on. Spain has turned the drafting of its first National Building Renovation Plan into a year-long public conversation.

• Early in 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda convened an inter-ministerial core team, then opened parallel working groups with Spain’s autonomous communities, municipal authorities and a broad array of market actors (construction federations, finance, real estate owners, as well as NGOs that speak for energy-poor households).
• In tandem, five expert roundtables dig deeper into key themes: tackling energy poverty, de-risking private finance, building the national renovation data backbone, industrialising retrofit solutions, and shaping the rules for offices, hotels and other non-residential buildings. Each group produces short recommendation papers, feeding them back into the central drafting team and creating a rolling loop of dialogue and written feedback.
• A Gantt-style calendar published on the ministry’s website shows how this dialogue will culminate: draft minimum energy-performance standards for non-residential buildings go to public debate by May 2025; the residential trajectory will follows in the summer; a consolidated draft NBRP is promised for November, leaving four weeks for final comments before Madrid forwards the plan to the European Commission on 31 December 2025.
• Every workshop slide deck, meeting minutes and stakeholder comment is uploaded within a fortnight, and the ministry replies to each suggestion in a public ‘response matrix’, turning transparency into trust and, ultimately, ownership of Spain’s renovation roadmap.

This participatory model is good practice that could be replicated or adapted by other Member States in the coming months. Further information on the processes and timetable for the Member States’ national public consultations has been featured in this dedicated news item of the BUILD UP Portal. The news will be a live document, updated periodically with further information of the Member States.

EU-funded activities supporting NBRPs

The EU has funded activities to support the implementation of NBRPs and the EPBD’s new provisions. These projects often serve as laboratories for innovation, developing good practices, tools, and knowledge that Member States can leverage.

EPBD.wise (2023–2026) is a project funded under the LIFE CET programme, directly geared towards facilitating EPBD implementation. EPBD.wise provides targeted support to local authorities in six countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. It helps them to design and implement the new EPBD measures. A key focus is on developing policy guidelines for the measures introduced by the EPBD, including NBRPs, ZEB, renovation passports, EPC improvements, and MEPS. By engaging local governments and stakeholders, EPBD.wise aims to create a replicable model of intensive support that can be extended EU-wide. The consortium is producing tools for policy design, monitoring and evaluation to ensure that national governments have practical blueprints to meet EPBD obligations. In short, EPBD.wise is kickstarting on-the-ground action so that policy instruments are translated into concrete actions and renovations at the local level.

GreenRenoV8 (2024 – 2027) is a LIFE Clean Energy Transition project that helps Member States turn the revised EPBD’s new requirements into on-the-ground renovation action. Working in five pilot regions across six seismically active countries — Slovenia, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy and Spain — its nine-partner consortium develops National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) and smart Building Renovation Passports that fuse energy efficiency trajectories with seismic-resilience upgrades, embodied carbon caps and tailored financing roadmaps. The project’s toolbox of policy guidelines, decision support software and monitoring templates gives national and local authorities a practical blueprint for drafting NBRPs, rolling out Zero-Emission Building pathways and meeting the EPBD’s life cycle carbon disclosure rules. By demonstrating how energy, structural safety and whole life carbon considerations can be addressed in a single renovation pathway, GreenRenoV8 offers a replicable EU-wide model that can double renovation rates, unlock investment and translate the directive’s ambitions into climate-resilient, cost-effective renovations on the ground.

In addition, other EU-funded efforts intersect with NBRP themes. For instance, the Concerted Action EPBD now has a dedicated topic on ‘National Building Renovation Plans and MEPS’ to foster exchange of implementation practices among implementing authorities. The website of the initiative also lists the public authorities in charge of the EPBD implementation, an additional source for information on the public consultations. The BUILD UP Skills initiative is addressing the workforce aspect and has supported the development of analyses of the current state of skills and roadmaps in 15 EU countries (further information on the BUILD UP section dedicated to the initiative).
At the city and regional level, the Urban Agenda for the EU has set up a new thematic partnership on ‘Building Decarbonisation: Integrated Renovation Programmes and Local Heating and Cooling Plans’. The partnership explores how National Building Renovation Plans can be ‘translated’ into neighbourhood-scale renovation programmes and aligned with the obligation, introduced by Article 25(6) of the recast Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791, for municipalities with more than 45 000 inhabitants to draw up local heating and cooling plans. By bringing together Member States, regions, cities and expert networks, it will produce recommendations, pilot methodologies, and share good practice on integrating NBRPs with municipal strategic planning. 

Complementary capacity building and technical assistance for municipalities are funded through the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme. The LIFE-2025-CET-LOCAL topic, for example, finances projects that help local and regional authorities design renovation roadmaps, prepare heating and cooling plans, and implement other EPBD-related measures, explicitly earmarking resources for ‘capacity building in public authorities.’

In summary, EU-funded activities act as enablers and accelerators for the NBRPs. They fill knowledge gaps, test solutions, and build capacity. By integrating the outputs of these projects, Member States can make their renovation plans more effective and evidence-based.

Conclusion

The introduction of NBRPs under the EPBD provides a clear, structured roadmap for 2030, 2040, and 2050, ensuring that the high-level goal of a building stock at ZEB level by 2050 is backed by concrete targets, policies, and investments. By replacing the LTRS with more powerful plans, the EPBD has addressed past shortcomings and provided tools for stronger governance. NBRPs are more than just compliance documents, they will be the engine that drives the EU’s Renovation Wave to the next level. The public consultations and integration with NECPs mean NBRPs are not developed in isolation, but rather through dialogue and aligned with national energy and climate objectives. This integrated approach fosters ownership and accountability. Citizens, local governments, building professionals, industry, building owners and financial institutions all have a stake in both the process and the outcome, increasing the likelihood of smooth implementation.

Crucially, the success of NBRPs will be measured by outcomes on the ground: more efficient buildings, lower energy bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and healthier, more comfortable indoor environments for EU citizens. Achieving these outcomes will require overcoming challenges such as financing gaps, workforce shortages, and the sheer scale of renovation required. However, the framework set by NBRPs is designed to tackle these. Plans must identify investment needs and funding sources, address skills development, and prioritise the worst-performing and energy-poor buildings. By doing so, NBRPs aim to ensure the transition is not only towards climate goals but also towards greater social equity, renovating the buildings of the most vulnerable and eradicating energy poverty as part of the deal.

Looking ahead, 2025 will be a decisive year as draft NBRPs emerge across Europe. The plans will signal how Member States intend to achieve climate neutrality. The European Commission’s review in 2026 will be an opportunity to further coordinate and share knowledge among Member States and to improve plans where needed, ensuring they collectively meet the EU’s energy and climate targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050.

References

[1] Find here the recording and slide deck presenting Spain's approach to stakeholder engagement delivered by Adrián Escobar Pastor, Technical Advisor Officer, Spanish Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (part of the “National Buildings Renovation Plans”, February 6, 2025 webinar, Efficient Buildings Europe webinar series on EPBD implementation).