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You are here: Home / General Article / Sustainability and property: energy efficiency – and then?

14. March 2017 | BLOG Team

Sustainability and property: energy efficiency – and then?

Slowly but surely those in the German real estate industry – and possibly some day also those responsible for federal subsidy policy – seem to realise that, while not requiring a lot of energy, a well-insulated building still comes with its own difficulties: bad room air, elaborate ventilation solutions in order to avoid mildew and other related issues. At the ECE sustainability congress in Hamburg this was reflected in the central questions of the day: What will buildings as well as entire districts look like in the future and how will city planning be approached? During the day’s ultimate panel discussion Professor Kunibert Lennerts of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) captured the entire issue in a nutshell: he said he hoped that the house of the future would be so designed that its residents can simply open a window if they so desire. With surprising clarity most participants of the panel identified federal subsidy policies as the biggest stumbling block for the sensible and sustainable redevelopment of property.

The panel largely agreed that especially with regard to existing real estate not all buildings could be lumped together. At the same time individual solutions are difficult to realise because of the high degree of regulation in the building sector. Another problem is that federal subsidies are almost entirely spent on new construction although the greatest potential lies in the renovation of existing buildings. According to the panel the 2016 tightening of the German energy saving regulation (EnEV), which is aimed at new construction, achieves almost no CO2 savings while increasing the cost of new construction by eight per cent.

At least the German Property Federation (ZIA), the lobbying organisation for the German real estate sector, is already much further advanced. It argues that districts must be considered in their entirety. According to the ZIA it must be possible to find the most suitable kind of energy supply for each individual location, energy advice to tenants must be included and craftspeople must be trained for complex technical heating solutions. To my own delight, and entirely in agreement with the Cradle to Cradle concept, their ideas for district planning even include planting concepts and social spaces.

Bernd Schwarzfeld of BZE-Ökoplan contributed the most radical ideas: He called for a complete ban on newly installed heating systems for inner city renovation and conversion projects. Instead, he argued, creative solutions to cover their heating requirements must be found by looking for excess energy in the surrounding area. Whether such a concept would be feasible in every case may be questionable. However, it certainly is a goal that could initiate technical innovation beyond the existing mainstream concepts.

On the whole however, the panels and presentations yielded rather few contributions that strayed too far from the gospel of efficiency policy. Unfortunately part of the reason for this – and this could be heard time and again – is that topics like healthy room air, building materials or social aspects are seldom addressed by residential and commercial tenants or customers. However, investors and landlords should beware of passing the blame. If – as became clear during a number of conversations – a considerable portion of participants travel to a sustainability congress by plane from cities that offer perfectly good rail links, a lot remains to be done on one’s own doorstep.

Filed Under: General Article, Politics

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Insights

Appointments

June 22, 2022: The Central Real Estate Committee (ZIA) organizes the Real Estate Industry Day in Berlin; participation in the panel “Climate Protection” with the topic Cradle to Cradle. More information (some in English).

June 27, 2022: Climate Forum Buchholz in der Nordheide

July 2, 2022: Climate Council Buchholz in der Nordheide.

July 7, 2022: Speech at Heuer Dialog in Bremerhaven on opportunities for real estate development in the city. You can find more about the event here (in German).

September 22, 2022: Lecture on “The Cradle to Cradle principle – necessary for climate protection” at the Lions Club Hamburg-Hoheneichen.

October 20, 2022: Introductory statement at “eKKon 2022” – the Austrian congress on eFuels in Vienna. It is about the growing importance of eFuels in the climate debate.


Cradle to Cradle Congress 2021

Logo C2C-Congress

Cradle to Cradle Congress 2021: Because of the Corona pandemic the C2C Conress took place in three parts this year: The first one was on June 14, 2021 in Freiburg. The second took place on September 7, 2021 in Mainz, the third November 4, 2021 in Mönchengladbach.


eFuels

Synthetic fuels are one of the decisive factors for the energy transition away from fossile fuels. That is why I am committed to the further development and practical use of eFuels and became a member of the Sounding Board of the eFuel Alliance in May 2021.
English website of the eFuel Alliance


Climate committee

Constituent session: Photo: City of Buchholz / Helms

In May 2021, the climate committee was constituted in the climate forum at my place of residence in Buchholz in the Nordheide. I am pleased to be chairwoman of the advisory board! The city has set itself the goal of becoming climate neutral and there is still a lot to do to achieve this. The committee advises the municipal  administration on fundamental questions of climate policy.
To the article on the Buchholz website (in German)


Right Livelihood Laureate 2021

Right Livelihood Award

They stand up against violence and climate change and address the most pressing questions of our time: Marthe Wandou (Cameroon), Wladimir Sliwjak (Russia), Freda Huson (People of the Wet’suwet’en, Canada) and the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (India) are the winners of the Right Livelohood Award (“Alternative Nobel Prize”) 2021. Please find here the award ceremony documentation or read more about the laureates in our blog.


Federal Order of Merit

After the award ceremony, Olaf Lies, Monika Griefahn and Rainer Rempe stand together. Photo: Frank Ossenbrink

After the award ceremony, Olaf Lies, Monika Griefahn and Rainer Rempe stand together. Photo: Frank Ossenbrink

Our CEO Dr. Monika Griefahn received the Federal Order of Merit. Please read more about her biography and about the award ceremony in our blog.


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