The European Union of Electrical Wholesalers (EUEW), the voice of electrical wholesalers at European level, joins forces with the European Copper Institute and peer organizations CECAPI and EuropeOn in an effort to issue a joint reaction to the draft version of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive that has been circulated with the aim to get reactions to its proposals.
On December 6th, the European Copper Institute along with partners EUEW, CECAPI and EuropeOn sent an official, joint position letter, in respect to the consideration of electrical installations into the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. This letter was addressed to Mr. Frans Timmermans, the Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal and to Kadri Simson, the Energy Commissioner.
The European Union of Electrical Wholesalers was involved in the preparation of this joint reaction document through the contribution of EUEW Senior Adviser for EU Affairs, Mr. Bernd Gruner, and with the support of Mr. Alexander Dewulf, EUEW President and Mr. Eric Piers, EUEW Secretary General. The main aim of this joint position letter is to point out the necessity to include electrical equipment in the EPBD, “as a backbone of the electrification in new and existing buildings”. Mr. Eric Piers, EUEW Secretary General agrees that “the electrical installations with all its components and functions will play an important role in achieving the 2050 goals of the green deal”.
The Copper Institute, the initiator of the position letter, and partners explain the main purpose of the letter as follows: “The upcoming revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is a unique opportunity to ensure buildings are ready for this electrification and can contribute to a decarbonised energy system. With this letter we would like to stress the importance for the EPBD to better consider in-building electrical installations as the backbone of decarbonised buildings, and to share our recommendations to ensure their safety, future-readiness, efficiency and smartness.” EUEW joins the Copper Institute and partners in their concern that “Electrical installations are not specifically considered within the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and several elements indicate that they should be”.
Apart from stating the main reasons for which electrical installations should be included in the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the signing partners of the position letter addressed to the European Commission also recommend using different tools of the current EPBD along with the new tools proposed during revision “to ensure that the renovation of the building stock adequately addresses electrical installations”.
Same as with previous, similar projects, with this new collaboration, the EUEW intends to take a firm grasp of its place in the ecosystem. EUEW wants to continue to be the strong voice of electrical wholesalers at European level, while also developing into one of the most important players representing the joint position of electrical wholesalers in respect to all pieces of legislation and initiatives with a strong impact on their industry, now and in the future. Moreover, in these crucial times, EUEW intends to further assert and strengthen its current standpoint in the industry and continue to build a very strong foundation for existing and future partnerships with peer organizations.
Find out more details about the joint position in respect to the EPBD, the specific proposals of the group of partners and the whole text of the letter and annexes sent to the European Commission.