The focus of European policies aimed at a competitive low-carbon economy is buildings. Minimizing the energy footprint of existing buildings and achieving close to zero energy buildings represent the core of the Energy Efficiency Directive. In accordance to the EU’s commitment energy efficiency first policies, Member States are looking to adopt actions to make energy savings from the building sector.
Encouraging investment in sustainable energy projects is one of the strategic priorities of European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). But how stakeholders in the building sector can collaborate to transform the European building stock into a highly efficient environment?
Castellum provides a great example on how a private real estate developer can use EU funds and European Investment Bank (EIB) credit for constructing office buildings with maximum energy efficiency. Recently, the EIB has signed a EUR 75 million loan with real estate company Castellum, for the construction of two “Nearly zero-energy buildings” in Sweden. The loan was made possible by the support of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), central pillar of the European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe.