EU: European Commission launches BUILD UP web portal

On 16 June 2009 the European Commission launched the BUILD UP web portal, to the update of which will also contribute regularly its same users, aiming at sharing information on reducing the energy consumption of building.



A wide range of topics, regarding good practice cases in energy reduction and information on the relative legislation, will be covered on this website. Given that buildings are responsible for about 40% of the total energy consumption in Europe, improvements in buildings' energy performance are important to achieving EU energy-savings targets and combating climate change.

Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs underlined that "the BUILD UP portal will enable anyone from home owners to builders to share best practice for information. At the same time, it will inform and update the market about the legislative framework. BUILD UP can be an extremely useful tool to improve building performance".

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) adopted by EU in 2002 provided the Member States with an integrated approach towards efficient energy use in the buildings sector. In November 2008, a recast of the EPBD was proposed in order to generate additional energy savings amounting to 60-80 million tones of oil per year by 2020. As a result, in April 2009, an even more ambitious and demanding legislative resolution was adopted by the European Parliament. The position of the Council of the European Union is still being expected.