Buildings
The Commission will comply with the relevant targets set in the package of proposals on energy and climate action aiming at delivering the European Green Deal
Introduction
At the top, a cloud graphic displays the overall target of a 30% reduction by 2030, accompanied by a wind turbine symbolizing renewable energy.
Below, the layout is divided into two main sections:
Left side: A large “32%” figure indicates the reduction achieved between 2019 and 2024 in buildings’ energy consumption. This section includes a building icon, a wind turbine, and a circular graphic element reinforcing the sustainability theme. Right side: A prominent “43%” figure shows the reduction in heating fuel use between 2019 and 2024. A small flame icon appears next to the percentage to represent heating fuel. In the lower right area of the image, two building icons and a wind turbine further emphasize the focus on sustainable buildings.
At the bottom, two information boxes highlight additional commitments:
Left box (with a chair icon): Brussels by 2030: Halve the number of buildings occupied Reduce office surface area by 25% Two downward arrows visually reinforce the reduction objectives.
Right box (with a binders icon): More than 100 actions Subtext: Actions aimed at creating more efficient, sustainable, and climate-resilient buildings and office spaces. The overall design uses green and light blue tones, with renewable energy symbols and building imagery to convey environmental progress and efficiency improvements.
Emissions from buildings represent a major part of the Commission's carbon footprint, and the aspect over which it exercises the most control is energy consumption. Reducing overall energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels are the two most important elements for reducing emissions.
A minor contributor, in comparison from an operational perspective, are losses of refrigerants from the technical installations in buildings of which each kilogram lost may result in several tonnes of CO2e. Far more important are the embedded emissions from building construction, and which are accounted for using an amortisation approach.
Buildings' energy consumption
The figure below indicates that the Commission continues to reduce its total buildings' energy consumption, and in the Covid years of 2020 and 2021 maintained this trend although more ventilation was required to avoid recirculating air in the buildings. The Commission reduced final energy consumption by 2% in 2024 compared with 2023, and by 32% since 2019.
Final Energy consumption at EMAS sites (2014 to 2024), MWh
There is a general downward trend observed at all sites due to a combination of Commission wide and site level initiatives as described in the section below.
Key achievements and actions
The Commission seeks, under the Greening Communication, to halve the number of buildings it occupies and reduce the surface of office area by 25% by 2030 including the replacement of some old buildings by new high-performance ones. (Buildings plan foresees occupying only 31 buildings by 2030).
In 2023, occupation of greener buildings as L107, L-51, SB34, and 7 buildings fully organised in dynamic collaborative space (DCS). In 2024, occupation of the first Brussels 'zero emission in-use' building, the new CO46.
In April 2024, and three years after the adoption of the new real estate strategy, the Commission sold 23 of its buildings in Brussels. The exit of these buildings will be gradual. The revenue from the sale will notably be invested to finance new buildings (incl. new conference centre) and renovate existing ones.
Brussels site continues developing winter and summer energy savings actions by closing some buildings on a short period of time:
- BEST (Building Energy Savings Together) summer action 2024: 29 buildings closed from 29/07 to 23/08 resulting in energy savings of 600 MWh
- End-of-year action 2024-2025: 39 buildings closed from 23/12/2024 to 02/11/2025 resulting in energy savings of 2100 MWh
- BEST winter action 2025: 33 buildings closed on 3rd January resulting in energy savings of 400 MWh
Brussels site continues to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings’ technical installations (such as LED relighting, new Heating, Ventilation and Cooling equipment, new regulation systems and energy and water monitoring) and to deploy more renewable energies (including photovoltaics panels in DAV1, L-15, SB34, CO46 and geothermal heat pumps in SB34 and CO46).
- 10% reduction in total energy consumption compared to 2023 and 27% compared to 2019.
- At the last trimester of 2024, Laccolith building was abandoned and DGT staff was moved to EUFO under modified DCS regime (individual or shared offices in dynamic settings). This led to important energy reduction (gas) for 2024.
- In 2024, OIL took over the management of two data centre rooms, KAYL and DRB, from TAXUD. Electricity from data centres increased in 2024, accounting for 42% of total electricity consumption.
- 2024 was a year without Mercier Euroffice in Luxembourg's building. portfolio and at the same time the first full year of occupation for Mercier Post Building, a building under dynamic collaborative space (DCS) for OP and DG CNECT staff. The building has Platinum level DGNB environmental certification for sustainable construction and will be EMAS registered during 2025's verification.
- Data from 2023 has been revised to reflect updated information from the owner of BECH: It was clarified that from 2023 part of heating and cooling has been produced using electricity instead of district heating, following the replacement of the existing system (district heating with gas cogeneration) with heat pumps. Consequently, the CO2e factor for district heating also required recalculation. Consumption in electricity increased for 2024, while for district heating was reduced.
- Green electricity accounts for 100% in 2024, however only 90% reported as green; owners from BECH didn't manage to provide renewable certificate.
- Reduced woodchip biomass consumption in CPE5 due to damage in the boiler.
- Energy data for 2024 include minor estimations due to late gas invoicing for some bldgs.
- Due to a logistical error in reporting of BETZ electricity for 2023 (4 440 MWh instead of 7 605 MWh), total electricity and final energy consumption has been corrected.
- Small corrections to data from 2020-2023 due to more precise calculations for fuel-diesel for emergency generators.
- Progress on construction of the Jean Monnet 2 (JMO2) building: official dates for completion May 2026 (phase 1), and December 2026 (phase 2) under revision with the contractors.
Overall, the JRC reduced its energy consumption in 2024 by over 25% compared to 2019. This was achieved through measures such as reducing temperatures and the daily schedule for heating and ventilation, where possible. Some medium-term measures are also being developed such as more efficient planning of scientific activities.
It should be borne in mind that most JRC sites host energy-intensive scientific and/or nuclear infrastructures that need to comply with specific regulations. For example, some of these facilities need to be continuously ventilated due to legal compliance. In addition, some scientific tests require (high) energy consuming specific procedures (e.g. the use of very low temperature freezers).
- JRC Geel, in 2024, experienced an overall 7% increase in energy consumption, driven by increased use of district heating (+318%), gas (+9%), diesel (+7%), and geothermal heat pumps (+17%), partially offset by a 11% reduction in electricity consumption. JRC Geel expects higher electricity use in 2025 due to the accelerator (Gelina: high-energy consumer) in 2025.
JRC Ispra's total energy consumption decreased by 0,5% in 2024 compared with 2023. The contribution from renewable sources decreased by 11,6% due to decreasing in use of “green” grid energy (-16%) while the production of PV panels has increased by (+21%). There was an increasing in energy produced, from natural gas, by trigeneration plant (+4%) and this has led to an increase in CO2e emissions from energy consumption of about 4,2%.
With reference to data reported in the following figure and tables, to relate the site's consumption to the activities under the responsibility of JRC Ispra, the following energy consumption contributions are not included within the reporting because outside the EMAS scope of JRC Ispra: EUROPOL Decryption platform (in force since 2021), Ispra-1 nuclear facilities (under SOGIN administration since end of 2019), Italian Fire Brigade, Bank office, Post office, Carabinieri station, bus contractor’s office, Wastewater treatment plant consumption related to Ispra Municipality.
The total energy consumption of the Ispra site for 2024, including all the above contributions is 76237 MWh (+1,8% compared to previous year), that corresponds to 31 MWh/p and 289 kWh/km2.
Due to the specific site characteristics of JRC Karlsruhe, only actions with major infrastructure works (e.g. thermal insulation of the old parts of buildings or renewal of the ventilation systems) that require heavy financial investment (ie likely more than EUR 10 million per action) will have a significant environmental impact on buildings' energy consumption.
As such funding levels cannot be foreseen, JRC Karlsruhe refrains from detailed planning in this context. Although they contribute to a more limited extent to improving energy consumption, other lower cost site actions such as exchanging "conventional" lights by light-emitting diode (LEDs), or reducing the time when the ventilation of the controlled areas is operating at 100% have been implemented.
- In 2024 the energy consumption at JRC Petten grew by approximately 10% mainly due to the increase of electricity and gas consumption for buildings. One reason for the increase could be the longer and colder Winter in 2024. Additionally, the study for the use of the geothermal system for heating and cooling was finalized.
- JRC Seville partially occupies a building built in 1990, that itself was made in part from reclaimed materials. The landlord plans to implement several energy efficiency measures, JRC Seville is looking to reduce the number of its ICT infrastructure rooms. In the medium-term, it also plans to move to a new energy-efficient building inspired by the values of the European Bauhaus.
Most of the energy requirements for the buildings are met from the electricity grid and from heating oil supplied on average three times per year and stored in an 85,000 litres bunded storage tank. There is no mains connection for gas on site because there is no mains gas in the area. Bio-LPG is supplied by two small propane storage tanks of 2,000 lts each and used for cooking in the canteen and restaurant, and to heat the water on from May to September when oil boilers are shut down. Heating oil has in recent years provided a larger share of the site's energy use than electricity. The trends in energy consumption are largely related to external causes such as climate, seasons (natural light levels) and to office occupancy rates. Insulating the building's roof and replacing/refurbishing windows has been effective. The replacement of old high-wattage lights with lower consuming LEDs will continue across the site. Final energy consumption reduced by 6% since 2022 and by more than 30% since 2019. A wing of the site was largely closed off for all 2023/24 and also helped reduce energy consumption since then.
Insulating the building's roof and replacing/refurbishing windows has been effective. The replacement of old high-wattage lights with lower consuming LEDs will continue across the site. Final energy consumption reduced by 6% since 2022 and by more than 30% since 2019. A wing of the site was largely closed off for all 2023/24 and also helped reduce energy consumption since then.
Overall, the absolute energy consumption trends across the seven Houses of Europe are positive, with 2024 recording the lowest total energy consumption since 2019. At all sites, measures such as temperature reduction, optimised daily schedules for heating and lighting, teleworking, and staff awareness campaigns have contributed to this outcome. Additionally, building closures during the end-of-year holiday period have further enhanced energy-saving efforts. As energy audits are gradually carried out at each location, more tailored and site-specific actions are expected to be introduced in 2025 to strengthen energy efficiency even further.
- Valletta records a slight increase in energy consumption compared to the previous year. However, the overall trajectory remains downward when compared to the 2019 baseline. The ongoing implementation of LED lighting and follow-up actions from the site’s energy audit are expected to support future efficiency improvements.
- Vienna continues to demonstrate a consistent record of reducing building energy consumption. This achievement is supported by various measures, including the installation of smart meters, the activation of motion detectors for lighting, and the completion of an energy audit.
- Nicosia showed a reduction in energy consumption in 2024 relative to previous years. Key actions contributing to this outcome include the upgrade to an energy-efficient lighting system and the completion of the site’s energy audit, with further recommendations planned for future implementation.
- Budapest also recorded a decrease in energy consumption compared to previous years. This improvement results from efforts such as the upgrade of the BMS and the installation of LED lighting throughout the building.
- Copenhagen and Sofia experienced an increase in energy consumption, which is attributed primarily to climatic conditions. In Copenhagen, the rise in electricity usage is notably linked to the installation of electric vehicle chargers. This emerging pattern warrants close monitoring, as it could distort perceptions of building performance.
- The Hague continues to adopt environmentally friendly measures, including the ongoing installation of energy-efficient lighting and sensor-based detectors. These efforts have contributed to a steady decline in energy consumption compared to previous years.
Key corporate level communications: addressing energy use
EU Institutions joined forces to achieve 15% of energy savings every autumn/winter as a contribution to European solidarity in times of energy scarcity. Energy-saving actions are continuing as part of the longer-term greening objectives.
Some of those measures are already being implemented in the context of the greening of the Commission. This includes, for example, the temporary closure of some buildings during the summer, under the ‘Building Energy Savings Together’ (BEST) action”, which achieved roughly 330 MWh of electricity savings.
Main actions to reduce energy consumption and emissions at EMAS sites
The Global Annual Action Plan (GAAP) 2025, highlights more than 100 actions under the heading Use more efficient sustainable, and climate-resilient buildings and office space. Some of the more visible actions are highlighted below.
Corporate actions to reduce buildings energy consumption (and emissions) include
- Buildings closure over holiday periods
- Lower thermoset settings and reduced 'comfort hours' for heating and ventilation
- More efficient use of office space, and adoption of dynamic collaborative spaces
- Efforts in line with EU initiative of Member States to reduce winter energy consumption by 15% compared to the five-year average
- Contracting electricity from renewable sources (most sites)
- Regular communication campaigns urging staff to switch off and generally minimise energy consumption
Site level actions are as follows
Overall, the JRC - beside implementing the actions mentioned in section i) above - have put in place additional measures such as:
- Reduction of the temperatures to 19 °C and the daily schedule for heating and ventilation, where possible.
- Medium-term measures such as the temporary mothballing of least energy-effective buildings or the efficient planning of the scientific activities.
More specifically and as an example, the main measures implemented in Ispra site in 2024:
- Improvement of energy management for the trigeneration plant
- Energy audit and implementation of measures for building 18 -Data centre, buildings 100 and 101
- Implementation of efficient automatic energy management procedures for buildings (especially 26b, 102, 58,58a)
- Ventilation and heating provided in offices only between 8:00 and 18:00, from Monday to Friday
- Reduction of street lighting hours
- Reduction of hot water temperature in the district heating, from 85°C to 80-70°C (depending on weather conditions)
- Heating and ventilation switched off during the Christmas holidays until 06.01.2025 in critical buildings
- Demolition of buildings 63 and complex 5
- Specific actions implemented in laboratories (e.g. punctual shutdown of air conditioning systems serving areas not used intensively in VELA 10)
- heating temperature set to 19°C from December 2024
JRC Karlsruhe has introduced energy-saving measures since winter 2022 which reduce the time when the ventilation in the controlled area is running at 100% by 2.5 hours per day, hence increasing the time when the system is running at 50%. In addition, the controlled area was closed on days when less work was expected (e.g. bridge days) during which ventilation was running at 50%.
Grange maintained temperature reductions (19°C in occupied offices, and 14°C in unoccupied offices), turned off parking and street lights between 9pm and 7am in addition to the replacement of old lights by LEDs.
DG COMM: Site level actions are as follows
- Installation of LED lighting and movement sensors (All sites)
- Smart meters (Vienna)
- Manual ventilation for cooling, when possible (Nicosia)
- Inspection of buildings outside the occupancy hours to detect any irregular energy use (Vienna)
- Renovation of heating room, installation of a new boiler and 2 pumps (Copenhagen)
- Monitoring of temperature in server room (Budapest, Valletta)
- Monitoring of electricity service supply (Copenhagen, Sofia)
- Energy efficiency audits (completed in Valletta, Vienna, Nicosia, ongoing at other sites) and follow-up works (Valletta)
Final energy consumption data by surface area and staff
Buildings' final energy consumption, 2014-24, part A - MWh/p
Buildings' final energy consumption, 2014-24, part B - kWh/m2
Total renewable energy
The Commission has reduced the total quantity and proportion of energy from non-renewable sources over the years, as shown in the table, navigate to final energy consumption at EMAS sites (2014 to 2024), MWh on this tab, Total renewable and non renewable energy consumption. Consumption of energy from non renewable sources in 2023 was 18% lower than in 2022, and 41% lower than in 2019. Non-renewable represented 51% of energy consumption since 2023 compared with 58% in 2019.
In 2024 in Brussels, the reduction in renewable energy consumed is linked to the overall decrease in energy used, due to continued reduction in the office space of the EC building portfolio and continued replacement of old buildings by more sustainable ones, the implementation of a medium and long-term energy efficiency action plan in the buildings to reduce energy consumption.
In Brussels, since 2023, the BERL, SB34 and L-15 are equipped with photovoltaic panels (PV). In 2024, the installation of PV in new CO46 building is operational but need to be complemented by a metering system. Moreover, the project for the new renewable energy sharing schemes from nearby PV has been launched for DAV1 and NOHE. The implementation of a peer-to-peer system between NOHE and BERL, as well as between DAV1 and CHAR, is also planned to be effective in 2025. Other buildings are equipped with photovoltaic panels such as COLE and WALI. The newest buildings SB34 and CO46 are equipped with geothermal heat pumps.
In 2024, Luxembourg could have seen an increase in renewable energy consumption, primarily due to the replacement of BECH's existing heating system (district heating with gas cogeneration) with heat pumps powered by renewable electricity. However BECH's owner didn't provide a proper renewable certificate so instead of reporting 100% renewable electricity we only report 90%.
Also to note that district heating is not considered a contributor to renewable energy. This is the case even though the city's plants connected to CPE 1,2 and DRB incorporate a significant proportion of renewable sources, such as wood pellets and waste incineration, into their energy mix.
- The renewable energies at the JRC Ispra site decreased by 11,6% in 2024 compared to the previous year mainly due to the 16,5% decreasing of the electricity purchased from contractors while PV plants production increased of 20,8%.
- Renewable energies include also the contribution of thermal exchange with lake water. To be noted that the renewable energies also include the contribution of heat pumps located in buildings 46i and 58 and the heat pump located in building 59x (recovering heat from the district cooling network). This value is not reported in the final energy consumption as it cannot be considered primary energy.
- The earlier assumption of chapter buildings energy consumption were made also for the calculation of total renewable energy consumption: the relative third-party contributions were therefore excluded from the reported data. The total 2024 Ispra site renewable energy consumption (MWh) contributions including all third parties was 22 071 MWh.
- In 2024, JRC Geel, the observed decline in renewable energy consumption is associated with the decrease of electricity usage.
- JRC Karlsruhe does not set a target regarding the non-renewable energy use in buildings because the only type of energy coming from renewable sources is electricity. Electricity is supplied by KIT and upstream supplier(s) without JRC Karlsruhe having any influence on its sources.
- JRC Petten. In 2024, the renewable energy consumption increased by 3%. The site is located closed to the beach which attracts seagulls. This can lead to several issues such as droppings, nesting or scratching which reduces the efficiency and overall energy output. Due to these risks the site started to install nets to prevent the seagulls from landing on the panels. Additionally, the site regularly uses a service to clean the PV panels.
- JRC Seville uses non-renewable energy solely for heating and emergency electricity supply.
Grange has been using biogas for its cooking since 2023. The percentage of renewables in the electricity mix has increased from less than 40% in 2021, to more than 60% in 2022, and exceeded 75% since November 2023.
In 2024 the Houses of Europe used significantly more renewable energy than in 2019. The share of non-renewable energy was reduced from 82% to 69%, and overall consumption decreased. This reflects strong progress toward cleaner energy use. In the coming years, increased investments will be oriented towards developing on-site renewable energy, based on the results of our recent energy audit.
Fuel use by site
The mains points are as follows:
- Most sites have contracted electricity with certificates of origin from renewable sources in recent years.
- JRC Karlsruhe and DG SANTE at Grange do not have a main gas supply.
- The main source of energy at JRC Ispra is the internal trigeneration natural gas plant, complemented by electric energy purchased from the grid, on site photovoltaic plants and cooling energy provided by exchange with cooling water. Other contributions come from different heat pumps (e.g. through exchange with wastewater or groundwater) located along the site and from diesel and petrol used for laboratories.
- JRC Petten uses diesel fuel for the emergency generator. The last delivery was made in June 2022, meaning the consumption data for diesel is valid for the timeframe June 2022- March 2024.
- District heating supplies four buildings in Luxembourg and the JRC sites in Karlsruhe and Geel.
- Most buildings in Luxembourg (8 out of 12) have a main gas supply, while the CPE5 also uses woodchip/biomass.
- Diesel is only used as the predominant heating fuel at DG SANTE at Grange, although at most sites it is used for testing the back-up generators. It was phased out in Brussels buildings several years ago.
Renewable energy
The main points are summarised below:
There have been large increases in use of geothermal heat pumps in recent years.
Brussels plans to develop solar panel installation in the following years, as specified before.
Luxembourg's JMO2 building will be one of the most technologically advanced building to be used by the European Institutions. It is targeting a BREEAM certification level "Excellent", and will benefit for example, from: a photovoltaic solar system, a water softener with CO2 (healthiest and most ecological system available on the market), building occupation detection, energy recovery elevators converting braking energy into electricity, ventilation heat recovery of over 85%, etc.
- JRC Geel contracted a company to design the PV installation in accordance with building constraints and Flemish legal requirements, with a focus on cost-effectiveness and minimal environmental impact. The installation is scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.
- At JRC Petten, a feasibility and compatibility study on using in future the existing geothermal system for heating/cooling in buildings was conducted. The study is still in development.
- JRC Ispra will further increase its renewable site energy consumption in the next few years by installing other PV systems (about 1,5 MW installed in 2024) and running pilot projects to produce and use hydrogen on site. On top of that, the site tried to acquire bio-methane to replace natural gas in the trigeneration plant including in the gas supply contract this request. However, there are currently important technical and market capability obstacles. Currently the renewable energy sources of JRC Ispra are:
- electrical energy purchased from the grid (100% green);
- electrical energy produced from the photovoltaic panels system (+6,8% of peak capacity compared to 2023);
- cooling energy from lake water heat exchange;
- thermal and cooling energy recovered through the heat pumps located in buildings 59x, 46i and 58.
- At JRC Karlsruhe, the installation of PV is not possible due to regulatory restrictions.
- JRC Seville´s new building is projected with a solar dome able to produce about 2 twice the electricity it will consume
DG SANTE at Grange is learning from the challenges it has faced in measuring the impact and maintaining its solar hot water heating system.
DG COMM There is currently no on-site renewable energy generation in the Houses of Europe. However, four of the seven Houses have already undergone energy efficiency audits, which identified concrete opportunities for improvement. Based on these findings, we will invest heavily in on-site renewable energy solutions. A rollout of photovoltaic systems is planned as a key step in this transition.
Emissions from buildings
These represent a significant proportion of the Commission's carbon footprint, and include those from energy use in the buildings, from refrigerant losses for installations, and from construction of the buildings. Non-CO2 emissions, such as particulate matter are also considered.
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption
Buildings’ energy consumption represents the part of the carbon footprint over which the sites have the most control. Data in the figure below show that the Commission reduced emissions by 9% in the last year, from 41 ktonnes CO2e in 2023 to 37 ktonnes in 2024. Overall, the Commission has reduced emissions from buildings gradually since all sites have been included in reporting in 2014.
There are relatively few actions that directly target reducing CO2e emissions from buildings, as this is often an additional benefit of actions that primarily target reducing energy consumption.
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption at Commission EMAS sites (tCO2e), 2014 – 2024
Data in the figure above also shows that Brussels emissions from energy consumption are relatively low considering its total consumption reflecting that electricity is supplied from renewable sources.
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption at Commission EMAS sites (tCO2e/p), 2014 – 2024
Brussels and JRC Ispra together accounted for more than two thirds of total CO2e emissions from buildings' energy consumption in 2024, with JRC Seville, Grange and the EC Representations responsible for very small amounts.
Since mid-2023, part of the heating at BECH has been generated using green electricity, following the replacement of the existing system (district heating) with heat pumps. The CO2e factor for district heating has been recalculated from 2018 onwards due to values provided by BECH owner.
In 2024, Luxembourg reduced its CO2 emissions from buildings' energy by 40% compared to 2023. Abandoning MERCIER EUROFFICE in mid 2023 and LACCOLITH on the last quarter of 2024 together with the replacement of BECH's existing heating system, these were the main reasons for this reduction.
JRC Geel: The significant emission reduction observed in 2023, attributed to decreased district heating usage, was likely an artefact. In 2024, the district heating contractor replaced the monitoring system with digital meters and adjusted the settings- action prompted by suspected data acquisition issues-which revealed high level of consumption and led to increased level of CO2 emissions.
At the JRC Ispra site, the trigeneration gas plant provides for a more efficient energy supply for the site than that would be provided by the market and satisfies the thermal energy needs that anyway could not be provided by any external operator. The grid supplies a small amount of electricity, and the site is therefore responsible for a significantly greater proportion of the total emissions. The emissions related to buildings' energy consumption in 2024 increased by 3,87% compared to 2023 mainly due to a higher consumption of natural gas. The same assumption of chapter building's energy consumption was made also for the calculation of total emissions from buildings’ energy consumption: the relative third-party contributions were therefore excluded from the reported data. The total 2024 Ispra site values for CO2 emissions related to buildings’ energy consumption including all third parties is 12 595 tonnes.
The figure above shows the historical trends in per capita buildings emissions along with the aggregated Commission value. A gradual return to work in 2021, resulted in a 5% increase in per capita emissions but 2022 and 2023 continue to show a decrease despite the return to the office. The JRC sites in Geel and Petten significantly reduced their emissions in 2018 by switching to an electricity contract with predominantly renewable sources. JRC Seville followed in 2020. Moreover, JRC Geel employs heat pumps in one of its main buildings. Although such renewable supplies result in low or zero emissions for energy use, there is a small amount representing embedded emissions of the renewable sources.
Emissions from refrigerants
Refrigerants have Global Warming Potentials (GWP) typically between 1 000 and 10 000 meaning that a leak of just a few kilograms can have the equivalent atmospheric global warming impact of several tonnes of CO2. They typically account for 1 to 2% of buildings’ CO2e emissions from energy consumption.
Between 15 and 20 refrigerants are recorded in EMAS reporting at JRC Ispra and JRC Geel, and 15 at JRC Petten, and the distribution by site is shown in the figure below.
Breakdown of refrigerant emissions by site 2024 (tCO2e)
Trends in emissions from refrigerant leaks
Overall, the Commission’s total and per capita refrigerant losses have increased, and Brussels accounts for nearly half owing to the large number of staff working in buildings with HVAC systems. In 2024 Brussels reported emissions for two new refrigerants which have far lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) values than most other refrigerants (R455A, and R1234ze with GWP of 148 and 7 respectively).
In Luxembourg, total losses increased significantly, as losses of R134a were reported in 2 cooling installations during maintenance inspections in ARIANE and MERCIER POST buildings. The relevant installations have since been repaired.
- Despite efforts to prevent gas leaks, JRC Geel experienced, in 2024, a significant SF₆ gas loss from the Monnet accelerator due to a rupture in the central column, as well as additional losses during the decommissioning of cooling systems.
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At the JRC Ispra site, the 35 tonnes of CO2e of losses recorded in 2024 originated mainly from technical rooms (around 16 tCO2e) and the trigeneration plant (around 5 tCO2e). Refrigerant leaks are reduced of 10% with respect to 2023. The remaining minor leaks come from fridges and HVAC in offices. A cause analysis has been done for all the machinery involved. It was therefore possible to understand the causes according to the various machinery (e.g. damage of valves of cogeneration plant, compressors of laboratory and restoration fridges, mechanical system of HVACs equipment).
As an additional preventive measure, specific actions have been put in place to reduce the probability of further leaks, such as valves replacement every two years at trigeneration plant, a general control of all the fridges of the laboratory concerned and a maintenance check every three months for all office HVACs equipment.
- JRC Karlsruhe continues to report no losses during normal operation under its protocol (less than 3%).
- JRC Petten recorded a 125% increase in refrigerant loss in 2024.
Grange did not experience gas losses in 2024 under the F-gases maintenance schedule.
The common refrigerant used in the Houses of Europe is R410A. While there was an increase in 2023 due to a malfunctioning of equipment in Valletta, no leaks occurred in 2024.
Emissions from buildings
Emissions from buildings (fixed assets) are evaluated using an amortisation approach in which the emissions for a building are distributed over its assumed design life. Different sites may use different values according to the characteristics of their buildings. It is a 'broadbrush' approach, a relatively small number of factors are applied to the calculation. The calculation of fixed asset emissions by site in the figure below are subject to the following considerations:
Fixed asset (embodied) emission for Commission buildings (tCO2e), (2018-2024)
The spreading of these emissions across a long period of time limits the impact of the introduction of just one building in the scope. Figures for 2022 show the first effects of the new building policy, in the framework of the Greening of the EC communication, aiming at a reduction of 200 000 office m² by 2030. The small increase for 2023 is due to the entry of the new building L107 in the EMAS scope. The decrease in 2024 is due to the removal of three buildings from the scope. In the coming years, the impact of emissions is expected to gradually decrease. However, the lapse between quitting old buildings and the incorporation in the EMAS scope of new ones may slightly cause fluctuations in this figure.
In 2024, Luxembourg's fixed asset emissions for buildings account for 4 605 tCO2e, slightly increased compared to 2023 due to the addition of 2 Data centre rooms in KAYL and DRB. The value will continue to change during the next few years as more buildings are removed from the portfolio with the final move to JMO2 which should be a long-term solution.
- In JRC Ispra, fixed asset emissions account for 2 804 tonnes CO2e in 2024. It depends on building’s design life and the type of construction, and is based on a 50 years amortisation period. The overall value reduced by 13,7 % since 2019 and 0.4% with respect to 2023.
- In JRC Karlsruhe, fixed asset emissions are based on the generic factor - "not specified - offices" (m²) - which is unchanged since 2016.
- In JRC Seville, the 30-year building is fully amortised.
For DG SANTE at Grange, the 25-year building is fully amortised
For DG COMM's EC Representations A common 50 years design life period is used for the Houses of Europe.
Given the stable building portfolio in the seven Houses of Europe, declared fixed assets emissions are also stable.
Non CO2 emissions to air
Considerations are as follows at the JRC sites where calculations have been presented for several years:
At JRC Geel, the emissions from air pollutants (SO2, NO2, etc.) are rather low and relatively stable because most of the buildings are heated by natural gas and hot water. Other emissions arise from the use and testing of the emergency generators, which run less than 100 hours/year. In 2024, total air emissions increased due to extended use of emergency generators during maintenance and replacement of the electrical system.
JRC Geel: Total air emissions buildings (tonnes) as minimum (SO2, NOx, PM10)
At JRC Ispra, the figure below shows that total emissions of CO and NOx from the trigeneration plant in 2024 have increased compared to last year mainly due a larger use of the engines.
The yearly emission of ammonia (NH3), monitored since 2022, underwent a decrease (from 720kg to 78 kg) compared to the previous year and still remained at low absolute values.
NOx, CO total emissions from Ispra trigeneration plant, (kg)
As agreed with the Italian authorities, the trigeneration emissions threshold values set by Region Lombardy are ensured by means of the overall emission, in terms of mass flow for CO and NOx, assuming the continuous operation of the plant for the entire year. These values were respected also during 2024 and will be communicated to the interested parties. The start-up of the new highly efficient trigeneration plant is scheduled for the first semester of 2025.
The NOx emissions in JRC Petten are based on calculations and are not measured. According to the calculations the NOx emissions increased in 2024 by 18.9%. The source for the NOx emisssions are heating installations in buildings.
Estimated NOx emissions (tonnes) at JRC Petten
JRC Seville's non-CO2 air emissions are mainly the result of the consumption of gas by the boilers. The calculation multiplies the gas consumption by the maximum concentration of NO2 emissions, announced by the manufacturer (NOx < 56mg/kWh).
Such emissions are not measured at DG SANTE at Grange or at the DG COMM's EC Representations.
Nuclear particles
JRC Geel, with its nuclear license, is strictly regulated by the Federal authorities (Fanc and BelV). In the frame of the environmental impact, besides the waste produced, one of the site's obligations is to monitor alpha emissions. As shown in the figure below, these emissions are rather stable and well below the limit of 888 kBq. JRC-Geel is also mandated by nuclear regulatory authorities to measure environmental annual radiation doses at multiple locations across the two accelerators. The results consistently remain well below the prescribed annual limit of 1,000 microsieverts per year (μSv/a).
Atmospheric emissions containing emitting aerosols at JRC Geel, kBq
In JRC Karlsruhe for official values relating to potential radioactive emissions to the surrounding environment, the site participates in the KIT Campus Nord’s surveillance program in addition to constant measurements made by JRC-Karlsruhe itself. KIT has an extensive surveillance program measuring air, soil, water, and vegetation for radioactivity and is obliged to give regular reports about these measurements to the Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, the supervising authority for nuclear installations in Baden-Württemberg. Figure below
JRC Karlsruhe exhaust air: aerosols declaration to authorities (Bq/y)
JRC Ispra, as established in the operational provisions for nuclear installations and under Italian law, has set up a program of environmental monitoring in order to detect and record potential radioactive releases and monitor the level of radioactivity in the environment in its surroundings. This uses a network of fixed instrumentation for sampling and/or direct measurement complemented by environmental sampling made within the site and in the surrounding areas.
The site is authorised to discharge low quantities of gaseous and liquid radioactive effluents, through authorised release points, in accordance with the limits set out in operational provisions of the Discharge Formula issued by the Italian Regulatory Authority. Gaseous radioactive effluents can be released from the nuclear installations after filtration and continuous radiometric control. Similarly, the release of radioactive liquid effluents is permitted only after treatment and prior radiometric control. The amount of releases is measured in activity (Bq), compared with the authorized limits and reported as a percentage of the site discharge Formula limits.
In 2022, a new discharge formula was approved by the Italian control authority, which is also valid for future decommissioning activities, and which in some cases led to a reduction in the authorized discharge threshold limits. The total activity released in 2024, both liquid and air, is of the same order of magnitude of the previous years and remains well below the authorised thresholds. The amount of gaseous radioactive releases is equal to 0,176% of the threshold limits and the amount of liquid releases are equal to 0,218% of the threshold limits (Figure below). The overall releases resulted in negligible doses for the population, quantified well under 1 microSv/year, even under conservative assumptions.
Gaseous and liquid effluent levels at JRC lspra, % of discharge limit values
The 2025 target is to keep discharges well under the authorised threshold limits, in line with the values of recent years and to keep, in any case, the dose values to the population well below the threshold of non-radiological relevance of 10 microSv/year, as defined by Italian legislation and European directives.