Zero‐Emission and Zero Demolition: Promoting Conservation Interests Through the Implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

To achieve “zero‐emission” in buildings, “zero demolition”—keeping existing buildings in use—could be promoted to a greater extent. Continuous use can even prove to be beneficial for climate mitigation as well as for conservation of heritage values in the building stock. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) has been revised and entered into force in the EU in May 2024. It gives member states the opportunity to adapt several central concepts, with the ultimate objective of achieving a decarbonised building stock by 2050. This study shows how conservation interests are conveyed and taken into account in the earliest stages of the EPBD implementation by two Swedish authorities with responsibility for heritage and built environment. The study aims to identify challenges and opportunities for aligning the implementation with conservation interests. Data have been collected through interviews with involved officials. An agnostic perspective is applied in the analysis, rejecting presumptions of conservation practices being intrinsically sustainable but highlighting the practices’ potential to contribute to sustainability. The new EPBD allows for national implementation in line with conservation interests, which include exemption from energy requirements for heritage buildings and promotion of circularity. Results from this study show that the two authorities focus on the exemption as the main conservation interest, but in the discussions between them other interests are taken into account. The results aim to support clearer statements from the conservation sector and increased relevance, not only in this context but in others where climate mitigation is the objective as well.