Thermal renovation measures enable high energy savings
Thermal renovation is overrated; newly constructed buildings are the priority.
Without energy efficiency in the heating system and the successive renovation of existing buildings a significant reduction of energy consumption is hard to achieve. The majority of energy consumption for space heating and hot water in buildings is in older buildings which have not been thermally renovated so far, especially in single-family houses.
The sooner thermal renovation of buildings starts, in combination with renewable energy generation, the more cost efficient it will be, for us (lower costs) and for the climate – and so indirectly again for us. Half the energy used is currently lost due to the low quality of the buildings. Of the 3.9 million apartments, around three quarters were built before 1991. In total, around 60 % of existing living space needs energy efficiency upgrades; technical solutions are available. If the current rate is kept up, at most half the buildings will be renovated by 2050 which is not enough to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality in terms of the Paris Climate Agreement. Energy efficiency measures for heating boilers and heat distribution alone could save up to 20% of the energy demand. The model renovations initiated by the Climate and Energy Fund showcase what buildings should be like in future. Carbon-neutral buildings are a precondition for the path into a climate-friendly future.