Zumtobel supports compliance with the EU Buildings Directive (EPBD)
news.news.press release
09/03/2026
- By the end of May 2026, the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) must be transposed into national law.
- Zumtobel supports customers in implementation with consulting and solutions for automation, sensor technology, and documentation.
- Sensor-based lighting management systems such as Zumtobel’s LITECOM help improve energy efficiency while advancing decarbonisation and the digitalisation of buildings.
By the end of May 2026, EU member states must transpose the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) into national law. This will introduce new minimum energy efficiency standards for new and existing buildings. In the non-residential sector, the least energy-efficient 16% of the building stock must be modernised by 2030; by 2033, this share will rise to the worst-performing 26%. Building renovation is set to be encouraged through investment incentives.
Lighting plays a key role within the EPBD. Zumtobel positions itself as a strong consulting and implementation partner for owners and planners, particularly in the areas of automation, sensor technology, and documentation. Its portfolio includes luminaires, lighting infrastructure, and lighting management systems designed to translate EPBD requirements into practical solutions – energy-efficient, smart, and people-centric. In addition, Zumtobel provides performance and lifecycle data that can serve as a basis for legally compliant planning.
Lighting management in the EPBD context
With regard to lighting, the EPBD highlights energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), and the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) as central factors. The SRI focuses on the integration of control, data analytics, and monitoring into the building automation system, including sensor-based control according to occupancy and daylight availability, regular performance checks, and predictive maintenance. EPBD documentation explicitly references lighting in the context of recommended integration into building automation systems and cites lifecycle calculation data – including global warming potential – as part of the evidence base.
Zumtobel’s intelligent, sensor-based lighting management system LITECOM can meet these requirements comprehensively. The highly adaptable system helps achieve energy savings, improve visual comfort, and reduce operating costs. Using intelligent sensors and advanced control technology, light is used only when it is genuinely needed – aligned with the visual task, available daylight, and the presence of people, continuously dimmed as required.
“Intelligently controlled, sensor-based lighting solutions are pivotal to meeting EPBD requirements – they can help maintain a building’s value, reduce energy consumption and improve lighting quality,” says Sebastian Gann, Sustainability Director at the Zumtobel Group.
For planning EPBD-compliant lighting, standard EN 12464-1 provides a strong foundation. It sets out requirements for illuminance levels, light quality (colour rendering), uniformity, and glare limitation. In addition, LITECOM uses sensors to determine precisely how much daylight is available, whether glare protection is required, and how much artificial light needs to be supplemented. For this purpose, LITECOM offers predefined sequences aligned with the day–night rhythm. By dynamically adjusting light colour and intensity to match the body’s biological rhythm, it supports lighting concepts that put people at the centre (Human Centric Lighting, HCL). During the day, the light has an activating effect; in the evening, it promotes calm and relaxation and can have a positive impact on sleep.
The EPBD also stipulates that sustainability must be documented in a building resource passport. Zumtobel can already provide the necessary data today – for example through environmental product declarations and evaluations based on its in-house Circular Design Rules. In EPBD terms, lighting becomes future-ready when it is planned as a controllable, integrable, and documentable system – one whose in-use energy profile can be transparently verified and whose components are designed for circularity.