Portuguese homes have the lowest energy saving rates in the EU

Portugal is the country in the European Union (EU) with the lowest energy saving values in residential buildings, according to an analysis by the environmental association Zero in a recent report by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The analysis is especially poignant given the energy crisis unfolding across the world. Energy efficiency is on everyone's minds, and Portugal is scoring low on this vital metric.

“Portugal is the EU-28 country that presents the lowest values ​​of energy savings in residential buildings in the three classes of renovations” (deep, medium and light), says Zero –  the Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System. This is based on the conclusions of the most recent European Commission JRC report on Member States' progress in implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which is currently under review.

When we consider non-residential buildings, Portugal again has the lowest savings rates resulting from light and medium renovations and the second lowest value resulting from deep renovation, only ahead of the United Kingdom. For energy savings in both residential, and non-residential buildings, Portugal is at the bottom of the list.

“The report demonstrates that deep renovations have a much more significant impact on energy savings compared to light and medium level renovations”, stresses Zero. Despite this, most of the national investments in renovation took the form of medium and light renovations, where energy savings rates are lower.

Portuguese building stock is obsolete

The association states that “the Portuguese building stock is obsolete, particularly in the residential sector”. This is due to a set of problems that affect the energy performance of buildings across the country that, “in addition to the natural aging of materials and the lack of maintenance” that they point to, includes the original “physical characteristics of the building, namely in terms of the low thermal performance of the surroundings, and the inefficiency of the installed energy systems”.

Looking on the bright side of things; according to the report, Portugal registered an exponential growth in the number of energy certificates issued between 2011 and 2018 (225% in residential buildings, 633% in non-residential buildings and 379% in public buildings), which, for Zero, “is a very positive aspect”.

However, the association considers that the tax incentives and financial instruments promoted to improve energy efficiency in Portugal “still have limited results”. “Portugal is still below the desired energy performance for buildings and needs to move forward with actions at the national level, in line with current policies and strategies to comply with the objective of climate neutrality”, argues Zero.

This is not only something that would help Portugal to meet its climate goals though. As energy prices continue to rise, and consumers pay more, a more immediate benifit of improving energy efficiency is making itself clear. Quite simply, higher energy savings mean less wasted energy. And less wasted energy means lower bills. It seems obvious that there is some catching up to be done, and the current energy crisis has only made that more clear than ever.