The JRC assesses the first national building renovation plans: climate ambition is advancing, but financing, energy poverty and metrics continue to reveal significant differences between countries.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) analyses the first 16 complete drafts of the national building renovation plans required under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Their common objective is to guide the transformation of the residential and non-residential building stock towards highly energy-efficient and decarbonised buildings by 2050.
The assessment finds progress compared with the 2020 renovation strategies. All plans set targets for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while the use of a common template has improved their structure, consistency and comparability.
However, translating this ambition into results remains challenging. The quantification of policy impacts is incomplete in 14 of the 16 drafts, and gaps remain in minimum energy performance standards for non-residential buildings and in data on the actual rate of renovation. The social dimension also requires further development: only around 30% of the plans set clear targets for reducing energy poverty over the entire period, and the link between these targets and financing needs remains weak.
Overall, the picture is one of substantial progress, but also of a transition that remains uneven. The final plans, expected by the end of 2026, will need to strengthen financing, impact measurement and the protection of vulnerable households in particular.
