By 2050, 95% of Belgium’s property stock will need to be renovated

According to Recticel Insulation’s 2020 Insulation Barometer, more than 3.5 million properties in Belgium will need to be renovated or demolished to meet the European energy targets for 2050. Belgium’s property stock is therefore set to be transformed by 2050.

Indeed, as part of the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, Belgium has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95%. However… 13.2% of our country’s total emissions come from Belgian households.
This means that, to meet these European targets, homes in all three regions will need to achieve an energy performance rating of 100 kWh/m²/year, which is equivalent to an A or A+ rating in Flanders and Wallonia, and a C+ rating or better in Brussels.

However, according to the Insulation Barometer, the situation in Belgium is concerning. This was the position in our three regions at the end of 2019:

• In Flanders, only 1% of houses and 4% of flats achieved an A rating
• In Wallonia, 1.1% of all homes achieved an A rating
• In Brussels, 1.74% of houses and 8.91% of flats achieved a C+ rating or better.

This means that almost all of Belgium’s property stock falls short of the 2050 ambitions.

 

The best way to address this energy issue remains insulating the roofs and external walls of properties, which is currently the case for almost no homes in Belgium. A great deal of renovation or even demolition work will therefore need to be planned over the next thirty years.