To boost energy performance of buildings, the EU established a legislative framework designed to increase the energy efficiency of buildings, reduce their carbon emissions and lessen the impact of climate change. This complements the 2008 Climate Change Act which requires a reduction in carbon emissions by 80% on 1990 levels by 2050. As emissions from buildings account for 40 - 45% of all carbon emissions in the UK, it is important to ensure that this is mitigated by making existing buildings more energy efficient, and that new buildings are designed and built to a high standard of energy efficiency. The EU directives and UK regulations together have shown positive results on the energy performance of buildings. Since rules on energy efficiency have been introduced, buildings of today consume only half as much as typical buildings from the 1980s. The EPD Directive was transposed into UK regulations in 2007 and requires both domestic and business premises to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when constructed, sold or let. Some public buildings must display their EPC. It also requires some air conditioning units to be regularly inspected.
