In a recent interview, the Belgian Green Building Council (BGBC), together with leading organizations from the construction, real estate and financial sectors, calls for an urgent harmonization of Belgium's building energy performance (PEB/EPC) methodologies.
Today, three different regional calculation methods create unnecessary complexity for property owners, investors, project developers and financial institutions. As public subsidies decline and private financing becomes a key driver of energy renovation, transparency and comparability have become essential.
The challenge is no longer primarily technical — it is increasingly financial.
Without a common approach, banks and investors face difficulties assessing the sustainability and risk profile of projects, slowing down investment decisions and ultimately delaying the renovation wave needed to meet climate objectives.
The message from the sector is clear: harmonization does not mean centralization. Regions would retain their competences while relying on a shared calculation methodology that enables clarity, comparability and confidence across the market.
As Belgium prepares to implement the revised European building performance directive, aligning PEB methodologies could become one of the most effective levers to accelerate the decarbonization of the built environment.
A unified language for building performance is not an administrative detail—it is a prerequisite for scaling sustainable investment and renovation.
Many thanks to Maude Destray for covering this important issue and helping bring the conversation on PEB harmonization and the energy transition of Belgium's building stock to a wider audience.
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