You can make a difference Most political decision makers sympathise with the idea of energy savings in buildings. They are necessary and technically possible. Despite this fact, much more could still be done to help improve the energy efficiency in our buildings. Far too many people believe erroneously that it is very costly to invest in energy savings. The truth is that energy waste is not cheap - it costs billions of euros and dollars, and millions of tonnes of air pollutants. Today it is possible to build new houses that consume 70% less energy for heating than Europe’s strictest requirements. The indoor climate of these well insulated houses is better. Lifetime cost savings on energy expenses far outweigh the small investment in energy efficiency. Largest potential in old buildings New buildings have a long economic and environmental impact, but only constitute a fraction of the building stock. The biggest energy loss today is from our old buildings. In many old houses, the heating bill can easily be reduced. If energy efficient technology is used, reductions of even 88% have been obtained. These refurbished houses can waste less heating energy than brand new houses fulfilling the minimum requirements of Europe’s strictest energy codes. No renovation without improved insulation The potential for profi table energy savings in existing buildings is massive. How can this potential be realised cost-effectively? The cheapest way is to take advantage of modernisation projects and improve energy efficiency each time the building is renovated. It is relatively cheap to add extra insulation when the roof or the façade is being renovated and the building professionals and scaffolding are in place anyway. Many buildings may only be modernised every 30 years, or 3-4 times during their lifespan. Not improving energy effi ciency as part of modernisation is a costly missed opportunity. Saving money, energy & CO2 If buildings undergoing refurbishment were also brought up to modern energy standards, €102 billion could be saved in energy costs in the 15 original EU countries alone. This is more than twice the annual capital costs for the investment in energy efficiency. At the same time nearly 400 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually on the completion of the renovation cycle, show Ecofys figures. In addition thermal comfort would improve, and some 300,000 jobs could be created. EU Diretive on Energy Performance of Building From January 2006, the EU directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings requires that buildings larger than 1000 m2, undergoing major renovation, must also be modernised to contemporary energy standards. Yet, most buildings are much smaller, so the directive misses most of the savings potential. However countries like Germany, Sweden, UK, Norway and Denmark are among the fi rst to make energy efficient modernisation mandatory for all buildings anyway. Read more about the EU directive