Belgian buildings consume yearly 147TWh*  and are responsible for 24Mton**  of CO2 emissions, a fifth of the total Belgian greenhouse gas emissions. They offer a huge potential of energy savings and energy supply which can shift towards low carbon sources. In long-term national energy- and climate plans, one cannot consider buildings and renovation measures as a standalone given in the future energy system.

Cross-sectoral factors need to be considered as well, such as the possibility of district heating, the electricity prices that determine the viability of a heat pump, and a deep electrification of mobility and heating which impacts the entire energy system. These types of questions are tackled within the EPOC project, a research project funded by the FOD economy that is combining the energy modelling expertise of 14 Belgian partners to calculate long-term energy scenarios for Belgium.

In this workshop a co-organization of the SRBE/KBVE and the EPOC project wants to go deeper into the challenge of decarbonization of buildings, and discuss effective policies to reach this ambition.