Webinar on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for buildings 

On 20 March 2024, in the framework of BUILD_ME project: “Accelerating 0-emission building sector ambitions in the MENA region,”, Guidehouse, in partnership with the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), organised a webinar on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for buildings, which hosted gained attention from over 100 participants. 

The webinar started with a welcoming note by RCREEE, represented by Akram Almohamadi, followed by an introductory presentation on BUILD_ME and its EPCs, delivered by Riadh Bhar (Guidehouse). The presentation covered the key challenges hindering advancing energy efficiency in buildings and the role of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to achieve efficient buildings, as well as the process of issuing the certificates in the target countries. 

The webinar included a panel discussion, moderated by Eslam Mahdy (Guidehouse), and provided insights from Dr. Ashraf Kamal (Housing and Building National Research Center) and Dr. Pierre El Khoury (Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation). They discussed the throughout the discussion, the panellists provided valuable insights into the significant developments in the building sector in Egypt and Lebanon, addressing both the successes and challenges associated with energy efficiency. Additionally, they shared their perspectives on the anticipated role that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) could play in decarbonising the building sector in their respective home countries. 

The webinar also provided the participants with a high-level understanding of the current status of energy efficiency in the building sector, highlighting the significant role that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will play in facilitating partnerships between financial institutions (FIs) and project developers. 

Lastly, Riadh Bhar concluded the webinar by summarizing the key takeaways and outlining the next steps of the project, including the upcoming national workshops and trainings as well as the procedures related to the rollout of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).