International activities

The Renovate Europe Campaign (REC) is a European initiative that aims to reduce the energy demand of the EU building stock by 80% by 2050, so that we reach the near-zero energy buildings (nZEB) standard by mid-century. The REC encourages stakeholders across Europe to develop and implement ambitious renovation strategies to triple the annual renovation rate of buildings in the EU from the current 1% and ensure that all renovations are deep or phased deep renovations to achieve the target energy savings.

Launched in 2011, the Renovate Europe Campaign is an initiative of EuroACE, the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings, supported by 49 industry and civil society partners and 18 partners active at national level. MEHI is the Hungarian partner organisation of the Renovate Europe Campaign (REC) since 2013.

REC is the only EU-wide campaign focusing exclusively on the ambitious renovation of the EU building stock, working to promote energy efficient building renovation through a technology-neutral, integrated and holistic approach. The energy renovation of buildings is an important tool in the fight against climate change and a key element in the EU’s ability to meet the Paris Agreement targets.

The practical application of the EPBD requirements varies among Member States, and having the legislation in place does not automatically result in compliance. The mechanisms for regulatory enforcement have a great impact on compliance.

The aim of this project, lead by MEHI, is to investigate the actual application of the EPBD, what mechanisms are applied and how effective its implementation is, and whether it serves its goal to significantly improve energy performance of the building stock.

The actual analysis of implementation and enforcement of the EPBD is outlined in 6 Member States: Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The investigation covers 3 major themes related to the residential sector:

1. The scope and application of minimum requirements
2. The role and application of Energy Performance Certificates in meeting the requirements
3. Policy support: level of ambition, framework conditions, financial and technical support systems.

The assessment will be followed by an evaluation whether the findings of the assessment imply a need for possible amendment of the current EPBD in order to achieve better enforcement in the assessed countries.

The think thank of the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (IEECP) was the lead partner in a study funded by the European Climate Fund (ECF), in which MEHI was the Hungarian collaborating partner. The research looked at the impact of the Fitfor55 package in 10 Southern and Central European countries, in particular the impact of decarbonising heating on energy-poor households.

In the framework of an international research, MEHI, in cooperation with Eastern and Central European countries, prepared a summary study on the possibilities of introducing minimum energy performance standards for buildings in Hungary. The study was based on interviews with key stakeholders, which led to recommendations for different building segments – residential, rental and office – and different intervention points.

In 2022, it will be implemented in partnership with the Energy Club.

In 2019, MEHI held a workshop with, among others, a representative of the European Commission and a representative of the ITM on the development opportunities of domestic energy efficiency subsidies in Hungary and the V4 countries.

In 2018, MEHI participated in an analysis of four areas in the Visegrad countries: the situation of energy certificates, innovation opportunities, the issue of building energy renovation with reduced EU funding, and the housing situation of low-income people.

MEHI’s Director, Zsuzsanna Koritár, is the Hungarian ambassador of energy efficiency on behalf of C4E conferences.