Unless you are lucky enough to be sitting in a park with a laptop, then if you are reading this you are probably in one of the 160 million buildings in the European Union.

Unless you are lucky enough to be sitting in a park with a laptop, then if you are reading this you are probably in one of the 160 million buildings in the European Union. In total they account for 40% of Europe's energy use and the room for savings is extensive. MEPs on the Energy Committee recently backed proposals that should see all buildings constructed after 2018 having to produce their own energy. The plans relate to proposed changes to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

MEPs on the Committee want VAT reductions to be available for materials that will help insulate buildings. They also want an Energy Efficiency Fund set up to support private and public investment in buildings.  Increasing people's awareness of how to save energy and tips on energy saving could also be available on a common website.
 
The report by Romanian Socialist Member Silvia-Adriana Ţicău wants solar panels and heat pumps used to ensure that buildings can produce their own energy. She also wants national targets set and the European Commission to establish a Europe wide definition of “zero energy buildings”. The Energy Committee also wants the Commission to establish a common methodology for calculating the energy performance of buildings by 31 March 2010.
 
It is hoped that the changes in the directive will lead to a 5% reduction in energy consumption across the Union and a similar fall in CO2 emissions within just over a decade.
 
The report was adopted by the Committee on 31 March.  The first-reading is expected to take place during the May Plenary in Strasbourg through the co-decision procedure.