An Affordable Housing Plan combining energy efficiency and affordability

An Affordable Housing Plan combining energy efficiency and affordability

January 2025

An Affordable Housing Plan combining energy efficiency and affordability

The European flat glass sector is key for the EU’s decarbonisation goals. Its products reduce the energy consumption of buildings and improve occupants’ health and wellbeing. Flat glass is also essential to renewable solar energy generation and clean mobility.

In all its applications, flat glass is an irreplaceable material whose technological advances, availability and affordability are critical to many European industries, its economic security and low-carbon future.

However, demand for flat glass products is at an all-time low. This is due to a downturn in the construction sector, which accounts for 75% of our production, and to building renovation rates that are below EU targets. This situation has led to the closure of almost 20% of EU production capacity in the last ten months, a level not seen in any previous crisis.

The forthcoming Affordable Housing Plan must increase the offer of affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient housing. High-performance European-made glazing products will be essential to reach this objective. The Affordable Housing Plan should therefore help to lift barriers to window and glazing renovation to support sustainable and healthy housing.

The role of flat glass in Affordable Housing

Our Recommendations for the Affordable Housing Plan

The Affordable Housing Plan must take a holistic approach, focusing on running costs of buildings as much as initial investment costs. With no direct competence for housing, the EU can only focus on boosting the offer of highly efficient, sustainable buildings that will bring down prices, alleviate energy poverty and improve house quality.

Boost the demand for efficient buildings to reduce running costs

  • Robust and swift implementation of the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive by Member States with a tight scrutiny of National Building Renovation Plans and the deployment of One Stop Shops
  • Add energy efficiency technologies for building construction and renovation to the technologies of the Net Zero Industry Act
  • Develop a whole-life carbon methodology for products and buildings at the European level. At the building level, it is important to focus on reducing operational carbon as it will have a direct impact on energy bills
  • Ensure that the new Strategy for Housing Construction is consistent with existing energy efficiency legislations and promotes market available solutions
  • Enable the implementation of the new Construction Products Regulation to provide robust environmental data on products, while avoiding unnecessary red tape

Step up fundings for an affordable and sustainable building stock

  • Set up EU funding to ensure continuity in national financial schemes to support building renovation. Many schemes have been supported in recent years by the Resilience and Recovery Facility which will end in 2026. New instruments must be developed with a focus on worst-performing buildings
  • Carefully implement and closely monitor the ETS II on buildings to ensure that people suffering from energy poverty are not worse off. Ensure that the Social Climate Fund is supporting the most effective renovation work such as windows replacement
  • Review the EU taxonomy criteria for window manufacture and installation to lift inconsistencies and allow products of high-performance in all climates of Europe to qualify, help boost their manufacturing capacity and mainstream efficient products
  • Establish lead markets for European made and low-carbon products through Green Public Procurements, reduced VAT-rates and a ‘Buy-European Act’