Making smart electrification tangible
The world is moving from climate commitments to climate delivery. Electrification, energy efficiency and circularity are now global priorities for 2035, and buildings sit at the heart of all three.
Inspired by WorldGBC's global ElectrifyNow campaign, BGBC launched Electrify Belgian Buildings to show what that delivery looks like in Belgium. Through real Belgian projects, we demonstrate how smart electrification supports a more competitive, resilient and low-carbon built environment, and how buildings can move from passive energy consumers to active participants in the energy system.
Smart electrification in practice
Smart electrification isn't a future promise. These Belgian projects show how it is already transforming our built environment.
Why it matters: the 2035 targets
At COP31 in 2026, the Presidency set three global targets for 2035 where buildings play a central role:
- 35% electricity share of final energy demand. Heating, cooling, on-site renewables, storage and smart controls make buildings central to clean electrification.
- 25% reduction in building energy consumption intensity. Efficient buildings cut waste, lower costs and make electrification easier for grids to manage.
- 15% global circular material-use rate. Reusing existing structures and materials reduces demand and waste across the sector.
The 35% target is also the goal of ElectrifyNow, which WorldGBC supports alongside more than 40 organisations and governments, including the European Commission. Today, electricity covers around 21% of global final energy consumption. In buildings, it already covers around 40%, according to the International Energy Agency. That shows how far electrification can go, and how much more buildings can contribute.
The solutions exist today. What's needed now are consistent, long-term policy signals, investment, skills and collaboration to scale them. Businesses are making the same call: more than 100 global companies back the "Seizing the Electric Advantage" statement, launched at COP31.
The Smart Electrification Framework
Electrification only delivers its full value when it's done smartly. That's why every case study is assessed through our Smart Electrification Framework, rooted in European energy policy and structured around four sequential pillars:
- Efficiency First: reduce energy demand through renovation, insulation and efficient systems. This is the foundation for the 2035 target of 25% lower energy intensity.
- Smart Electrification: phase out fossil fuels through efficient electric solutions such as heat pumps and EV charging, driving towards a 35% electricity share.
- Renewable Energy: integrate renewable electricity, particularly solar PV, so that electrification is also clean.
- Grid Readiness: enable buildings to interact with the grid through smart energy management, storage and demand flexibility, helping to keep an increasingly electric grid stable.
Together, Efficiency First + Electrification + Renewables + Grid Readiness turn buildings into more efficient, resilient and flexible assets. And by renovating and reusing existing buildings rather than replacing them, smart electrification also supports the circularity agenda.
Get involved
Are you working on a project that shows smart electrification in action? We're looking for Belgian projects that turn the four pillars into practice, from renovations and new builds to shared energy systems. Get in touch and help show how the Belgian building sector can move from ambition to implementation.
Read how Electrify Belgian Buildings connects to COP31 and the ElectrifyNow campaign in our news story.