The Council of the European Union has adopted the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Two articles urge Member States to consider fire safety in building renovations.
The amendments to the directive are a strong signal from the European Union that energy performance must not come at the cost of fire safety. This is an opportunity for national regulators to work on increasing fire safety in buildings when improving the energy performance of buildings.
The revised EPBD was adopted on 17 April by the European Parliament and will soon be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Articles including fire safety
- Article 2a paragraph 7
Each Member State may use its long-term renovation strategy to address fire safety and risks related to intense seismic activity affecting energy efficiency renovations and the lifetime of buildings.
- Article 7 paragraph 5
Member States shall encourage, in relation to buildings undergoing major renovation, high-efficiency alternative systems, in so far as this is technically, functionally and economically feasible, and shall address the issues of healthy indoor climate conditions, fire safety and risks related to intense seismic activity.
