European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Cultural Heritage

Tools

Alexandrou, Eleni and Berggren, Kersti and Bourgès, Ann and Broström, Tor and Brito, Nelson da Silva and Bruguerolle, Antoine and Donnelly, Jacqui and Erikkson, Petra and Foster, Jez and González-Longo, Cristina and Gould, Anthony and Hughes, David and Huttunen, Marku and Haas, Franziska and Karamyan, Anna and McDermott, Deirdre and Mirouze, Chloé and Paulus, Ave and Pissarides, Chrysanthos and Radivojević, Ana and Shaffrey, Gráinne and Silvestru, Claudiu and Stoškus, Liutauras and Villalba Montaner, Clara; Alatalu, Riin and Iaquinta, Maria Teresa and Kishalı, Emre and Ritson, James and Tomšič, Miha and Vernimme, Nathalie, eds. (2026) European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Cultural Heritage. ICOMOS, Paris.

[thumbnail of Alexandrou-etal-ICOMOS-2026-European-Energy-Performance-of-Buildings-Directive-and-Cultural-Heritage]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Alexandrou-etal-ICOMOS-2026-European-Energy-Performance-of-Buildings-Directive-and-Cultural-Heritage.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 logo
Download (1MB)| Preview

Abstract

This report summarises the work of the ICOMOS Expert Group on the Implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in the Built Heritage Sector, established in 2023 to evaluate the impact of the EPBD recast on Europe’s historic buildings. Adopted under the European Green Deal, the recast Directive introduces Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), Zero-Emission Building (ZEB) targets, and life-cycle carbon assessment obligations. These measures represent a significant step towards climate neutrality, but they also present complex challenges for culturally and architecturally significant buildings. The Expert Group gathered evidence from over nineteen EU and non-EU countries through national fact sheets, thematic analyses, and case studies. Executive summary distills the main findings, strategic recommendations, and future priorities emerging from this research.

ORCID iDs

Alexandrou, Eleni, Berggren, Kersti, Bourgès, Ann, Broström, Tor, Brito, Nelson da Silva, Bruguerolle, Antoine, Donnelly, Jacqui, Erikkson, Petra, Foster, Jez, González-Longo, Cristina ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7522-0380, Gould, Anthony, Hughes, David, Huttunen, Marku, Haas, Franziska, Karamyan, Anna, McDermott, Deirdre, Mirouze, Chloé, Paulus, Ave, Pissarides, Chrysanthos, Radivojević, Ana, Shaffrey, Gráinne, Silvestru, Claudiu, Stoškus, Liutauras and Villalba Montaner, Clara; Alatalu, Riin, Iaquinta, Maria Teresa, Kishalı, Emre, Ritson, James, Tomšič, Miha and Vernimme, Nathalie
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)