Spain will reduce energy consumption in housing by 10% between 2020 and 2023 and will exceed the targets set by the European Union

The Government of Spain has managed to reduce energy consumption in housing by 10% between 2020 and 2023, with an average of 540,000 renovations per year in that period, according to INE data, and forecasts a reduction of 25% by 2030 and 33% by 2035, far exceeding the reduction targets of 16% and 20% for the same years set by the European Directive.

This is what emerges from the analysis included in the National Building Renovation Plan (PNRE), the strategic document aligned with the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) that will guide the complete transformation of the entire Spanish building stock, both public and private, to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and whose hearing and public information process began this Friday.

With the update of the Energy Efficiency Performance Directive (EPBD), the European Union is asking member countries for an action plan to meet the European decarbonisation targets for 2030 and to contribute to achieving a zero emission building stock by 2050, incorporating Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and retrofitting trajectories.

It is within this framework that the Government of Spain is promoting a large-scale plan to comply with this Directive: to transform residential and non-residential buildings into zero-emission buildings, thereby guaranteeing the efficiency and sustainability of the stock. It is worth noting that the reduction in consumption and emissions forecast by the National Building Renovation Plan between 2020 and 2030 is equivalent to the comprehensive renovation of 1,567,986 dwellings, exceeding the PNIEC forecast (1,377,000 dwellings), and that the reduction in consumption between 2020 and 2023 is equivalent to the comprehensive renovation of 615,000 dwellings.

To achieve these objectives, the PNRE proposes the deployment of seven policies with more than 200 actions grouped into 57 measures.

• Energy rehabilitation of buildings
• Fighting energy poverty
• Urban regeneration and sustainable neighbourhoods
• Boosting renewable energy
• Governance and financing
• Innovation, circularity and industrialisation
• Accompaniment, awareness-raising and training

Citizen benefits of the PNRE

The implementation of the measures contained in the National Building Renovation Plan will contribute to accelerating the decarbonisation of the building stock, reducing poverty and household energy bills, improving health and comfort, and generating economic growth and employment.

Broad participatory process

In drafting the PNRE, a broad participatory process has been deployed, involving four working groups, five expert roundtables and the participation of more than 400 agents. This process of creating the PNRE has been framed within the ARCE 2050 project. Zero Emissions Architecture (ARCE), an initiative of the Ministry of Housing which, in addition to its commitment to the decarbonisation of the built environment, is committed to quality architecture that includes a comprehensive vision of neighbourhood renewal and social equity.

Non official translation