EU directive for energy upgrades of buildings
About 1 million properties in Greece will have to get an energy upgrading by the end of next year, according to a new European Commission directive. These properties find themselves at the lowest energy efficiency levels and, depending on their category (whether they are stores, apartments etc), they will need to move up at least one level by end-December 2022.
The new directive is actually quite different to the leaked draft, as it does not include the ban on leasing or selling buildings that have not been upgraded in energy terms.
The penalties for owners who do not implement the upgrades will be determined by each member-state, according to the directive. However, besides any penalties, a property that ranks low in energy efficiency will have a lower resale value than one that ranks higher. Owners who do implement the upgrades will have every reason to communicate them to candidate buyers or tenants, giving them an advantage over properties that have not been upgraded yet.
The Commission’s plan provides for zero emissions from all new buildings by 2030 and from all state properties by 2027.
