EPBD 2030 & Zero-Emission Buildings — Role of PIR Boards | BOKKA
EPBD recast 2024 — a new era of zero-emission buildings
The European Union is tightening building energy performance requirements in ways that will reshape design practice over the next decade. The recast EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) 2024/1275, in force since 28 May 2024, requires that all new buildings be zero-emission from 2030, and that the existing building stock be fully decarbonised by 2050. For investors, designers and contractors, this means working with thermal insulation materials of the highest possible performance — such as PIR insulation boards with λD 0.019–0.022 W/(m·K).
Key EPBD recast dates and their consequences
The recast EPBD sets out a schedule that Member States — including Poland — must transpose into national law. The most important deadlines are:
- 2028 — all new public buildings must meet the ZEB (Zero-Emission Building) standard,
- 2030 — the zero-emission requirement covers all new buildings (residential, commercial, industrial, warehouse and logistics),
- 2033 — the worst-performing residential buildings (EPC class G) must be upgraded to class D,
- 2050 — full decarbonisation of the existing building stock.
A zero-emission building under the EPBD is a facility with very high energy efficiency, whose small residual energy demand is covered 100% by low-emission sources: photovoltaics, district heating from renewables, or heat pumps. Without extremely efficient thermal insulation, hitting these values economically is impossible — even the best heat pump cannot offset large losses through the building envelope.
WT 2021 is only a starting point
The current WT 2021 (Polish Technical Conditions 2021) define the minimum thermal transmittance values:
| Element | WT 2021 U [W/m²K] | ZEB standard (indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Roof / flat roof | ≤ 0.15 | ≤ 0.10–0.12 |
| External wall | ≤ 0.20 | ≤ 0.13–0.15 |
| Floor above unheated space | ≤ 0.25 | ≤ 0.15 |
| Ground-bearing floor | ≤ 0.30 | ≤ 0.18–0.20 |
ZEB standards demand U-values 30–40% lower than WT 2021. Achieving these levels with high-lambda materials (glass wool λD 0.038, EPS 100 λD 0.036) means thicker layers — which translates into greater building volume, additional structural load and loss of usable floor area. This is where PIR holds the advantage.
Why PIR boards are the natural choice under EPBD 2030
PIR polyurethane remains the material with the lowest lambda available on the market among commonly used structural thermal insulations. A comparison of the thickness required to reach U = 0.10 W/m²K (a level close to ZEB for a roof):
| Material | λD [W/(m·K)] | Thickness for U=0.10 |
|---|---|---|
| termPIR® MAX 19 AL | 0.019 | ~19 cm |
| termPIR® AL | 0.022 | ~22 cm |
| Stone mineral wool | 0.036 | ~36 cm |
| EPS 100 polystyrene | 0.036 | ~36 cm |
| Glass wool | 0.038 | ~38 cm |
Practical consequences for an EPBD-compliant project:
- Thinner envelope — for over-rafter roof insulation, a saving of 15–20 cm of structural height, which means lower roof-truss cost, shorter metal flashing and lower parapet loads,
- Greater usable area — in a single-family house with two-leaf walls, a gain of 4–8 m² of net floor area within the same outer footprint,
- Long-term stability of parameters — PIR does not lose λD over decades of service, unlike mineral wool, which is exposed to moisture and settling,
- Fire reaction class B-s2,d0 (system) under EN 13501-1 — meets fire-safety requirements for residential and most commercial buildings,
- Compliance with EN 13165 — product standard for rigid PIR/PUR foams in construction.
PIR applications in zero-emission buildings
Pitched roof — over-rafter
Installing termPIR® over rafters eliminates thermal bridges at the timber structural members. An 18–22 cm board with a TAG tongue-and-groove edge ensures a continuous insulation layer and a U-value below 0.11 W/m²K.
Flat roof
For commercial and logistics facilities, termPIR® Pro-F with glass fleece for PVC/TPO membranes, together with izoGRASS® tapered insulation, allows the designed falls of 1.5–2% to be achieved without additional structural layers. The system holds FM Approved certification.
External wall — ETICS
For masonry walls with a thin-coat render system, termPIR® ETX is used, featuring glass fleece and European Technical Assessment ETA 17/0066. With λD 0.025 W/(m·K), the board is vapour-permeable — crucial for the moisture safety of the wall assembly. Note: standard aluminium-faced boards (termPIR® AL) must not be used in ETICS — the gas-tight foil would block water-vapour diffusion and lead to degradation of the render system.
Energy retrofit of existing buildings
The EPBD introduces a mandatory renovation passport — a document guiding the building owner through a phased upgrade plan towards the zero-emission standard. Insulation installed in 2026 must be compatible with a heat-source replacement and PV installation planned for 2030. Using PIR from the first stage means there is no need to add insulation later — which eliminates duplicated labour costs.
What you can do today
The EPBD will not take full effect tomorrow, but design decisions made today will govern 30–50 years of building service life:
- Investor building in 2026–2028 — design straight to the ZEB standard, even if it does not formally apply yet. The insulation premium is 3–7% of construction cost, and pays back through lower energy bills and higher residual property value.
- Owner upgrading a building — carry out the thermal retrofit “to EPBD 2050”, not to the minimum WT in force at the time of original construction. Repeating the same work in 10 years makes no economic sense.
- Designer and developer — factor in the renovation passport and coordinate insulation layers with planned PV and heat-pump installations already at the building design stage.
FAQ — frequently asked questions
Are WT 2021 requirements compliant with EPBD 2030?
Not fully. WT 2021 defines minimum U-values for building elements (e.g. ≤ 0.15 W/m²K for roofs), which are a starting point but not sufficient to reach the zero-emission ZEB standard required from 2030. ZEB standards assume U-values 30–40% lower, comprehensive renewable-energy solutions and an EP index close to zero. We recommend designing with a margin above WT 2021 — especially for buildings to be delivered after 2027.
Do PIR boards meet fire requirements for multi-family residential buildings?
Yes. A system using aluminium-faced termPIR® boards reaches fire reaction class B-s2,d0 to EN 13501-1, which meets the requirements of technical and building regulations for multi-family residential buildings up to medium-rise (SW). For facilities requiring class A2 (non-combustibility), sandwich panels with a mineral-wool core GS MW in class A2-s1,d0 are available.
Is aluminium-faced PIR board suitable for ETICS?
No. termPIR® AL, AL R-eco and MAX 19 AL boards have a gas-tight aluminium facing that blocks water-vapour diffusion — which disqualifies them from ETICS systems based on thin-coat render. The board dedicated to ETICS is termPIR® ETX with glass fleece, holding European Technical Assessment ETA 17/0066 and offering appropriate vapour permeability.
What PIR thickness delivers U = 0.10 W/m²K for a roof?
For termPIR® AL with λD 0.022 W/(m·K), the required thickness is approximately 22 cm (as a single layer or two layers 12+10 cm with staggered joints). With termPIR® MAX 19 AL at λD 0.019, the same effect is achieved at a thickness of ~19 cm. The exact value should be calculated taking thermal bridges and surface resistances into account in accordance with PN-EN ISO 6946.
Is a building renovation passport already mandatory in Poland?
EPBD Directive 2024/1275 requires Member States to introduce renovation passports as a voluntary tool by the end of 2026, with the prospect of making them mandatory for selected building categories in subsequent years. In Poland, the transposition of the directive into national law is under way. It is already worth treating a thermal-upgrade plan as a phased programme — designing successive steps so that they remain technically and economically compatible.
Planning a new build or thermal upgrade aligned with EPBD 2030? Get in touch with our technical department — we will specify termPIR® boards with the optimal thickness and lambda for your project. Contact us for samples, technical specifications and a tailored quotation.
