But what is it really about?

The revised EPBD directive marks a clear shift in how energy efficiency is approached. For Swedish property owners, the coming years will be less about immediate renovation obligations and more about requirements for planning, transparency and strategic foresight. At the centre are energy data, long-term targets – and new ways of structuring renovation decisions over time.

From individual measures to strategy

EPBD signals a transition from a traditional, measure-based approach towards a more integrated strategy for the long-term development of buildings. Rather than focusing on individual technical interventions, the emphasis is placed on understanding a building’s energy performance as part of an ongoing process. The key question is no longer whether energy efficiency improvements should take place, but how they should be implemented step by step, in what sequence measures should be prioritised, and at which points in time they are most rational to carry out.

The first important milestone is 2026, when EPBD is to be transposed into Swedish law. At this stage, the change is primarily methodological. The energy performance certificate system is further developed, requirements for energy data are tightened, and new planning instruments are introduced. For property owners, this means that energy performance must be described, analysed and followed up more systematically than before, rather than new technical requirements taking immediate effect.

The renovation passport – function before terminology

A central element of EPBD is what the directive refers to as a Building Renovation Passport. In the Swedish debate, there has been some caution around the term itself, as it can easily be perceived as prescriptive or mandatory. In investigations and background material, it has therefore often been described instead as a stepwise renovation plan, a long-term renovation plan, or a building-specific roadmap for energy efficiency. In practice, however, it is the function that matters, not the label.

The renovation passport is intended as a building-specific, long-term planning document showing how energy performance can be improved progressively over time. It starts from the building’s current state, defines a long-term target, and outlines a logical sequence of measures that can be implemented in line with maintenance cycles, refurbishments or system replacements. The ambition is to reduce the risk of short-term decisions that hinder future improvements or create lock-in effects.

From a legal perspective, the renovation passport is fundamentally an owner-held document. EPBD requires Member States to establish a system for such planning tools, but does not impose requirements for central registration or general regulatory oversight. In a Swedish context, it is therefore likely that the renovation passport will remain an internal decision-support document, used voluntarily in dialogue with advisers, financiers or when applying for support schemes, rather than something routinely requested by local or national authorities.

When requirements become binding

The more binding elements of EPBD come later in the timeline. For new construction, requirements for zero-emission buildings are introduced gradually – first for publicly owned buildings from 2028, and subsequently for all new buildings from 2030. This means that energy performance, system choices and on-site energy production must be analysed already at early design stages.

For existing buildings, it is primarily the non-residential stock that is subject to direct minimum energy performance requirements. By 2030 and 2033, the poorest-performing parts of the stock must be upgraded, based on nationally defined threshold values. Here, the energy performance certificate becomes the key instrument for identifying buildings that risk falling within the scope of mandatory measures.

For residential buildings, EPBD focuses more on improving the average performance of the stock at national level than on an equally strict building-by-building obligation. Nevertheless, regulatory steering may still be strengthened through national policy packages, incentives and potential requirements in specific situations.

From plans to practice with BIM Energy

As energy efficiency evolves from a purely technical issue into a strategic portfolio question, new demands are placed on analysis and decision support. The renovation passport assumes that measures can be analysed in relation to one another, that their interdependencies are understood, and that their effects over time can be quantified.

With BIM Energy, energy performance certificate data and building models can be used as a basis for simulating different renovation strategies. In this way, the renovation passport can be operationalised as a dynamic roadmap, where alternative stages are tested, compared and adjusted as conditions change. The focus shifts from isolated measures to coherent strategies at both building and portfolio level.

A new way of working takes shape

EPBD therefore represents not only new regulatory requirements, but also a changed way of working. Energy efficiency becomes a long-term process, where the right measures must be implemented at the right time and in the right order. For property owners who establish a data-driven and structured approach at an early stage, this creates better decision support, reduced risk and greater flexibility when future requirements eventually become binding.

Renovation passports at a glance

A renovation passport is a long-term, building-specific planning document for stepwise energy efficiency improvements. It is not a permit and does not imply any requirement for immediate implementation. The document is owned by the property owner and is intended to function as decision support over time. EPBD requires that a national system for renovation passports is established, but does not mandate central registration or general regulatory oversight.