ECF

Executive summary

The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) welcomes the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) (EU) 2018/844 as part of the “Renovation Wave” strategy and the “Fit for 55” legislative package.

The last EPBD revision in 2018 established the link between the building and mobility sector by providing requirements for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. ECF strongly supports this link as mobility related design and equipment in buildings impact modal choice and hence energy consumption, yet we regret that this directive effectively applies to electric cars only.

Beyond charging infrastructure, parking is a major determinant of an individual’s mobility choices; this is true for bicycles, cars and other personal transport modes. Put simply, if there is easy and convenient parking available at the beginning and end of a person’s journey for a specific mode of transport, this person is far more likely to choose that transport mode over another one on a regular basis.

The bicycle earns its place in the revision of this directive for at least three reasons.

• The bicycle is the most energy-efficient transport mode. An electric bicycle consumes at least five times less energy (per passenger-km) than an electric car (see Annex 1).
• A bicycle is also more space efficient than a car. Off-street bicycle parking as total space consumption per unit (ie the parking spot + access lanes) is up to 20 times lower compared to car parking. Providing more bike parking at the expense of car parking would help to keep increasing construction costs under control. The European Green Deal needs to go hand in hand with social balance.
• Consequently, bicycle parking per unit has a much lower carbon footprint compared to car parking. Less material resources are needed which has a positive impact on the overall life-cycle energy consumption of such buildings.

ECF therefore recommends to legislate these provisions in the forthcoming EPBD revision.

1. To introduce minimum requirements for bicycle parking.
2. To introduce minimum requirements for electric-bicycle charging infrastructure.
3. To improve the social, environmental and mobility performance of buildings by better regulating requirements for car parking.