In June 2010 the amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive/EPBD came into force. As of 2021 it requires that all new EU-wide construction must comprise ‘near zero’ energy buildings. This regulation will apply to publicly used buildings as early as 2019. At the moment, many questions still await an answer, such as whether the near zero energy standard can be implemented economically at such a large scale, or what the correct balance is between legal requirements and incentives. In addition, the new EU directive only deals with those aspects of energy consumption to which legal peak limits already apply, i.e. heating, hot water, cooling, ventilation, and permanently installed lighting. But this means that a large part of energy consumption is still completely unregulated – particularly the electricity used in household appliances.