6th Edition of the “Romania Eficienta” Forum: Net-Zero and Beyond
The main theme of the 6th edition of the international conference “Romania Eficienta” Forum, an event organized by the Energy Policy Group (EPG) with the support of OMV Petrom, was “Boundaries and Opportunities for an Equitable Decarbonization of the Building Stock.”
The latest revisions to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EBPD) provide that in addition to being highly energy efficient, buildings are to be decarbonized, meaning zero carbon emissions. From January 1, 2028, all new public buildings must have zero emissions. This requirement will extend to all new buildings – both residential and non-residential – with effect from January 1, 2030.
Thus, “Romania Eficienta” Forum 2025 aimed to drive a conversation around the policy instruments, strategic priorities and regulatory mechanisms for a highly energy efficient, low-carbon, and socially fair built environment.
Top experts gathered to explore how national and EU policy frameworks shape the built environment and tackle socio-economic inequalities.
In the opening of the event, EPG President Radu Dudau set the stage for discussions, providing essential background information and key aspects related to net-zero targets for building efficiency.
Christina Verchere – CEO of OMV Petrom, carried on with the previously mentioned concept, adding that the company is constantly focused on promoting energy efficiency in Romania through educational campaigns and concrete renovation projects in public schools. “The energy transition is very clearly underway; that is not changing. There are maybe some debates about pace, about which technologies are working in the business case, but it is very clear that the energy transition is happening and we have set aside, in this decade, 3.5 billion euros to invest in projects with low and zero carbon emissions by 2030, to decarbonize the products we put on the market, to enable the change,” she noted.
On his part, Bogdan Atanasiu – Senior Policy Officer on Energy Efficiency in Buildings at DG Energy, underlined the opportunities of the EPBD implementation support package and the new tools to support EU countries and simplify the process of preparing their National Building Renovation Plans.
The first panel, moderated by Constantin Postoiu – Head of Data Analytics, EPG, addressed Building decarbonization policies and instruments for energy-poor households.
Eugen Panescu – Architect, Board member of the Architects Council of Europe (ACE), Catalin Lungu – President Romanian Order of Energy Auditors (OAER) and Eliza Barnea – Just Transition Campaign Coordinator for Romania, Bankwatch, examined measures and instruments to tackle energy poverty and how deep energy retrofits can reduce subsidy dependency and drive long-term economic benefits. They also evaluated whether EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings alone are sufficient for prioritizing renovations or risk overlooking key factors in addressing energy poverty.
Strategies for delivering high performing renovations for public buildings was the theme of the second panel chaired by Aura Oancea – Researcher, EPG. Alongside Anca Ginavar – Director, Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, Andrei Ceclan – President Societatea Auditorilor si Managerilor Energetici din Romania (SAMER) and Adrian Ghita – Executive Director of the Romanian Energy Efficiency Fund, she explored proposed actions for ensuring high performing renovations in public buildings by addressing performance gaps linked to occupant behaviour, financial risks, and investment barriers.
During the third panel – Advancing Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) through renewables and grid readiness, the panellists discussed pathways to implement and scale up ZEB principles at the neighbourhood level through renewable generation, energy sharing, and smart grid integration.
Horia Petran – President at Cluster pRO-nZEB, Mihai Moia – Executive Director Association for Promoting Energy Efficiency in Buildings (ROENEF), Dalia Stoian – Chief Engineer & Project Director, EFdeN and Tobiasz Adamczewski – Vice President, Forum Energii, Warsaw, pointed out important guidelines from the European Commission to achieve a low-to-zero emissions balance, policy mechanisms to facilitate the adoption of zero emission technologies in buildings, and examples from other countries to balance the energy system.
In conclusion, Radu Dudau, the moderator of the last panel, underlined that “nZEB is no return nowadays.”
The event was organized by the Energy Policy Group as part of the “Romania Eficienta” program, a multi-year project financed by private funds that promotes energy efficiency in buildings through public information campaigns, educational programs and renovation work at various public schools across the country.
