New EU rules on the GWP of buildings: changing the way we design sustainable buildings.
The new EU rules on the GWP of buildings introduce a climate assessment that extends across the entire life cycle of the building.
Europe is accelerating its efforts to address emissions in the building sector by introducing a new framework dedicated to the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of buildings . The measure, linked to the revision of the EPBD Directive, aims to make the assessment of buildings' climate impact throughout their life cycle more uniform across Europe.
The topic not only concerns energy efficiency during the use phase, but introduces a broader approach that considers materials, construction, maintenance, operational consumption, and the end-of-life of the building. This shift is destined to have a direct impact on the HVAC sector, the choice of system technologies, and refrigerant management.
GWP enters the evaluation of buildings
The new European regulation defines a common methodology for calculating the Life-Cycle Global Warming Potential , i.e. the global warming potential associated with the entire life cycle of a building.
The evaluation will include:
- production and transportation of materials
- construction activities
- energy consumption during use
- maintenance and replacement of components
- demolition, recycling and waste management
- refrigerant-related emissions from HVAC/R systems
Among the most relevant aspects for the plant engineering sector is the inclusion of fugitive emissions from refrigerants, which will officially be included in the building's emissions balance sheet.
The framework will have to be applied from 2028 to new buildings larger than 1,000 m² and from 2030 to all new constructions.
HVAC and refrigeration become part of the climate strategy
The new European approach confirms a transformation that is now evident: HVAC systems are no longer evaluated solely in terms of energy efficiency, but also for their emission impact throughout their entire life cycle.
The framework includes numerous components and plant systems :
- heat pumps
- chiller
- air conditioning unit
- ventilation
- fan coil
- cold rooms
- storage and distribution systems
This means that design, choice of refrigerants, maintenance and operational life of the systems will have an increasingly significant impact on future environmental assessments of buildings.
For the HVAC/R sector, the topic of GWP therefore extends beyond the refrigerant itself, involving efficiency, materials, energy management and maintenance strategies .
From energy performance to life cycle assessment
In recent years, the building sector has focused primarily on reducing operational energy consumption. The new European framework introduces a broader approach, focusing on assessing a building's entire life cycle.
This approach could profoundly change the way we design new buildings and infrastructure, encouraging more careful choices not only regarding efficiency in use, but also the impact of materials, the durability of systems, the selection of refrigerants with a lower climate impact, and the management of maintenance, reuse, and end-of-life phases.
For designers and operators in the energy sector, the issue will no longer be just "how much a building consumes", but also "how much impact it has throughout its useful life".
Related Focus
FAQ
New European GWP regulations are shifting the focus from energy efficiency alone to a comprehensive assessment of buildings' climate impact throughout their life cycle. In the HVAC/R sector, this means considering not only energy consumption, but also direct emissions from refrigerants and those embodied in materials and system components. Sustainable design is therefore evolving towards an integrated approach to energy, materials, and environmental management.
In the medium term, European environmental requirements are expected to gradually tighten, with greater attention to operational and embodied emissions. At the same time, the adoption of natural refrigerants, smart HVAC systems, and digital tools for energy monitoring and management will grow. For the HVAC/R sector, this will mean designing buildings that are increasingly interconnected, efficient, and geared toward climate neutrality throughout their entire life cycle.
The main challenges concern the selection of refrigerants and technologies compatible with increasingly stringent GWP limits, without compromising performance and safety. From a systems engineering perspective, this requires the use of natural or low-GWP refrigerants, with design implications related to flammability, toxicity, or high operating pressures. Furthermore, assessing a building's carbon footprint requires advanced LCA analysis tools and greater integration between architectural and systems design.
