EU Policy Areas

Alignment with the New European Bauhaus

The openBEP4EU project directly supports the core principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB)—sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion—by rethinking how energy performance is assessed and communicated within the built environment. Through the development of a universal, open-source EU Kernel EPC Engine, the project aims to harmonize how buildings are evaluated across member states, supporting consistency and comparability while accommodating local variations. By promoting a data-driven, holistic approach to EPCs, openBEP4EU fosters a deeper integration of architectural quality, human-centric design, and environmental performance. This positions the project as a key enabler of NEB’s vision of transforming spaces into more beautiful, functional, and equitable environments for citizens.

The project also places significant emphasis on enhancing the visibility and transparency of EPC data, not only for compliance and investment decisions but as a mechanism to empower end-users and communities. By promoting open access to building performance insights, the project contributes to democratizing knowledge and enabling informed choices regarding renovations, health, and sustainability. In doing so, it aligns with the NEB’s objective of fostering community ownership and co-creation in the transformation of Europe’s built environment.

Contribution to the EU Green Deal & Renovation Wave

openBEP4EU directly contributes to the goals of the European Green Deal, particularly the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Recognizing the centrality of the built environment in this transition—buildings currently account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions in the EU—the project aims to transform EPCs from compliance tools into engines of innovation and renovation.

The project supports the Renovation Wave Strategy, which seeks to double the annual renovation rate of buildings by 2030. openBEP4EU enhances the functionality and reliability of EPCs through data enrichment, interoperability with digital building models, and integration with smart technologies. By increasing trust and usability, EPCs can become actionable guides for deep renovations and strategic retrofitting. The project’s open-source framework is also designed to leverage innovative datasets—from smart meter data to indoor environmental quality sensors—facilitating granular analysis and more tailored recommendations for building owners, energy planners, and policy makers.

Moreover, openBEP4EU supports the broader Green Deal ambition of fostering a just transition by enabling EPC tools that are accessible to all stakeholders, including SMEs, public authorities, and vulnerable households.

Synergies with the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI)

The EU Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is intended to measure a building’s capacity to adapt to user needs and grid interaction via smart technologies. openBEP4EU advances this goal by embedding smart readiness metrics within the broader EPC framework, thereby creating a converged assessment methodology that captures both energy efficiency and technological flexibility.

By leveraging IoT-generated data, automated control systems, and occupant feedback loops, the project supports the development of more dynamic and adaptive building performance profiles. This facilitates improved demand-side flexibility, supports energy communities, and enhances resilience to energy system stress.

Importantly, the project promotes cross-system interoperability, enabling data exchange between EPC databases, building management systems, and national registries. This approach fosters transparency, trust, and stakeholder collaboration across the building lifecycle. The inclusion of smart readiness indicators within the EPC structure also enables richer benchmarking, the identification of cost-effective upgrades, and the enhancement of user comfort and operational efficiency.

Support for the EPBD and EED

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) form the regulatory backbone of the EU’s strategy to reduce energy demand in the building sector. openBEP4EU reinforces the implementation and evolution of these directives by enabling more accurate, comparable, and dynamic EPCs.

The project directly addresses the EPBD’s emphasis on minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), zero-emission building (ZEB) targets, and building logbooks by offering a modular kernel engine that can be integrated into national EPC systems. This ensures consistency in the underlying methodology while allowing for local adaptability and progressive compliance tracking.

For the EED, openBEP4EU contributes to national energy savings obligations and the rollout of energy audits by enhancing the granularity and precision of building performance data. The project also supports the digitalisation of energy efficiency services, creating new opportunities for ESCOs, data analysts, and retrofit designers.

By boosting the trustworthiness and transparency of EPCs, openBEP4EU supports behavioural change, fosters market demand for high-performance buildings, and encourages data-driven investment decisions in energy upgrades.