The revised and approved EPBD introduces a number of obligations in the construction sector, including the use of renewable energy sources (RES). It turns out that from 2029, all newly built houses will have to have either photovoltaic panels or solar collectors as standard.
- Pursuant to Art. 2 and art. 10 of the EPBD, Member States should ensure the deployment of appropriate solar energy installations first in non-residential buildings and then in residential buildings.
- from January 1, 2030, it will be mandatory to install photovoltaic panels or solar collectors on all new residential buildings, i.e. newly constructed houses.
- Find out what the difference is between solar collectors and photovoltaic installations.
The mandatory use of solar energy in building heating includes solar thermal and electric energy. This means that home owners will be able to invest in photovoltaic panels that will generate electricity partly intended to power, for example, heat pumps.
The EPBD also gives you a choice. Instead of photovoltaic panels, it will be possible to invest in solar collectors. What are they for and how do they differ from photovoltaic panels?
What are solar collectors used for at home and how do they differ from photovoltaics?
Solar collectors are mainly used to heat domestic hot water.
Additionally, they can be used to support water heating of the building.
Solar collectors convert solar energy into thermal energy of a heat carrier, which may be a liquid (e.g. glycol) or gas (air). There are two basic types of solar collectors available on the market: flat and vacuum tube. Due to technological difficulties, flat-plate vacuum collectors are rare.
Solar radiation is processed by an absorber module consisting of a network of copper or aluminum tubes attached to a thin copper or aluminum sheet covered with a highly selective coating.
The collectors are protected by a special solar glass with high solar radiation transmittance and a casing, usually made of aluminum profiles.
The absorber absorbs heat from the sun and transfers it to the liquid that flows in the collector (usually glycol). A solar heater is an integral element of the solar system used to heat hot water. The heat from the collector is transferred to the exchanger in the heater, which stores the water heated in this way.
A useful function of flat-plate collectors is the so-called reverse cooling, i.e. the ability to dissipate excess heat through the housing, e.g. in the event of a longer absence of household members, when the heat accumulated in the water is not used.
Vacuum tube collectors are also available from manufacturers. They are composed of parallel glass tubes with a diameter of 5-10 cm, connected to the absorber.
A vacuum is created in the pipes, thanks to which heat losses from such collectors are lower than in the case of flat-plate collectors. However, vacuum tube solutions are much more expensive. They are usually chosen when it is not possible to install a flat-plate collector in a suitable position.
Photovoltaic panels are used to generate electricity, which we can use not only to power heat pumps or other electric heating installations, but also to power utilities: lighting, electrical household appliances, etc.
Hybrid collectors combining photovoltaics with solar collectors are an interesting combination, because excessive heat generated during the production of electricity is dissipated, thanks to which the photovoltaics do not overheat. This combination extends the life and efficiency of photovoltaic panels, which decreases at too high temperatures.
However, the answer to the question is much more important: when will we be obliged by the EPBD directives and implemented national regulations to install home photovoltaics or solar collectors?
When will photovoltaic panels or solar collectors be mandatory in non-residential buildings?
Pursuant to Art. Articles 2 and 10 of the EPBD, Member States should ensure that appropriate solar energy installations are deployed, where technically appropriate and economically and functionally feasible, as follows from 1 January 2026 on all new public and non-residential buildings with a useful floor area greater than 250 m2.
On all existing public buildings (public administration, justice, culture, religious cult, education, higher education, science, upbringing, health care, etc.) with a usable area greater than:
- 2000 m2 from January 1, 2028;
- 750 m2 from January 1, 2029;
- 250 m2 from January 1, 2031;
- from January 1, 2028 – in relation to existing non-residential buildings with a usable area greater than 500 m2 where the building is undergoing major renovation or activities requiring an administrative permit for the renovation of the building, work on the roof or the installation of a technical building system.
When will photovoltaic panels or solar collectors be mandatory in homes?
The provisions of the EPBD directive provide for the mandatory installation of photovoltaic panels or solar collectors only on newly constructed buildings from 2030:
- from January 1, 2030 – on all new residential buildings, i.e. newly built houses;
- from January 1, 2030 – on all new covered parking lots physically adjacent to buildings.
Member States should establish a framework ensuring the necessary administrative, technical and financial actions to support the introduction of solar energy in buildings, including in combination with technical building systems or efficient district heating systems.
The EPBD directive does not directly indicate the obligation to install photovoltaic panels on existing, older houses, but rather requires the introduction of government incentives for the use of solar energy in existing houses and residential buildings.
Will it be mandatory to install photovoltaics or solar collectors in existing houses?
However, as Polish experience shows, house owners who refuse to install solar collectors or photovoltaics may be punished as in the case of mandatory thermal modernization of houses.
In particular, the provision on “a framework ensuring the necessary administrative actions (…) to support the introduction of solar energy in buildings” may become a temptation to create regulations requiring the introduction of this type of installations. Will this be true for sure? Time will tell.
However, in such a case, we will be able to choose solar collectors instead of photovoltaic panels, which only obtain heat and not electricity.
