The German Buildings Energy Act and the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

With the publication of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in May 2024, a new regulatory framework for the buildings sector has come into force. This must be transposed into German law. The Building Energy Act (GEG) and, in future, the Building Modernisation Act (GModG) must strike a balance between achieving the targets and ensuring a transformation pathway that is both economically viable and socially acceptable.

This project will 

• establish the methodological foundations for the further development of the GEG and, in future, the GModG,
• draw up proposals for requirements for new buildings and the existing building stock,
• carry out comprehensive cost-benefit analyses, and
• carry out further analyses, for example on implementation, social acceptability and neighbourhood-level solutions.

1. The first pillar stands for an increased use of renewable energies.
2. The second pillar calls for buildings to become more efficient. 

The project is examining whether and, if so, to what extent the requirements system (such as the energy balance of buildings, life cycle analysis) should be expanded. The guide values of the current requirements for new buildings, existing buildings and individual technologies as well as their calculation methods are also analysed and evaluated. Recommendations for action are then derived from the results. It is important that the proposals are technically feasible as well as acceptable to the markets and society. The project also analyses the EU framework conditions, in addition to German legislation.

The results obtained should contain:

• regulatory proposals,
• explanations,
• detailed calculations for individual, harmonised variants, if applicable, and
• take into account all technologies currently considered in building efficiency legislation.

‘Kurzgutachten zur Überarbeitung von Anforderungssystemen und Standards im Gebäudeenergiegesetz für Neubauten sowie Bestandsgebäude einschl. der Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtungen für Neubauten und Bestandsgebäude’ (Condensed report on the revision of requirement systems and standards in the Buildings Energy Act for new and existing buildings, including economic feasibility studies for new and existing buildings)

Expert opinion on the German Buildings Energy Act and the EPBD (in German)