The focus of the workshop was on the European regulations for building renovations: based on the revised EPBD, the minimum energy requirements for existing buildings (MEPS, as Minimum Energy Performance Standards) to be introduced here as well.
Hungary (also) has two years to transpose the directive, and at the same time to develop the National Building Renovation Plan, which replaces the Long-Term Building Renovation Strategy. In this planning document, it will be necessary to determine how Hungary implements the renovation requirements for residential and non-residential buildings: what renovation targets are defined by policymakers, what measures and programs are planned to achieve them, and what public and private sources are planned to be used for financing renovations.
The directive did not introduce mandatory renovation regulations for residential buildings, instead, Member States must define a renovation trajectory with which the average energy consumption of the residential building stock can be gradually improved. The average primary energy consumption of residential buildings must be reduced by 16% by 2030, and by at least 20-22% by 2035. Since the greatest potential for energy savings and emission reduction lies in the worst energy-efficient residential buildings, renovations should begin with the modernization of these buildings. According to its energy classification, a quarter of the 4.5 million domestic housing stock belongs to the HH category, which is the most common classification (25%). 40% of homes, 1.73 million properties, are in the worst three certificate categories. The worst performing buildings are typically single family houses built before 1980, falling into the category GG (i.e. classification close to average according to the previous certification categories) or worse. 2 million family houses out of 2.8 million (71%). It is therefore very reasonable that the Home Renovation Program launched in July 2024 also aims at the energy modernization of family houses built before 1990.
In the case of non-residential buildings, the directive requirements are stricter. In the case of public buildings, commercial and industrial buildings, programs must be introduced in the near future to ensure that the worst 16% of non-residential buildings are renovated by 2030 and 26% by 2033. The target energy level is determined by the member states themselves, taking into account that the goal is to achieve an emission-free building stock by 2050. It is possible and advisable to rely on the database of certificates to monitor the results achieved through the renovations, but for this, the market coverage and reliability of the certificates must be increased in the near future so that the database becomes suitable for monitoring the fulfillment of the requirements.
