“In the past we would focus on measuring and metering energy supply. Today the technology exists to measure potential savings and audit whether those savings have been achieved after work has been completed. When it comes to any large-scale renovation programmes, particularly for social housing, real quantifiable performance must be achieved and must be measured.”
New research by the end-use Efficiency Research Group of the Polytechnic University of Milan, supported by Knauf Insulation Italia, shows that deep building renovation using high-quality wall and roof insulation can generate energy savings of up to 80%.
Katarzyna added: “In addition to dramatically saving emissions, such renovation also converts buildings into giant ‘batteries’ that store comfortable temperatures for several days. This in turn optimises buildings giving them the flexibility to tap into cheaper off-peak energy supplies or renewable energy. This flexibility could play an important role in the decarbonisation of Europe.”
A critical component of making high performance renovation possible is finance. Ondrej Sramek, our Director Corporate Affairs Eastern Europe, highlights the importance of leveraging funds from the EU’s Emissions Trading System for maximum impact.
“After the crisis, large-scale renovation programmes will need to be mobilised as fast as possible using overstretched resources. A great deal can be learnt from a scheme initiated in the Czech Republic where revenues from the EU’s ETS have been channelled into home renovation programmes for over 10 years.
“These schemes have been adapted over time and offer different levels of subsidy that range from 30% to 50% and inspire home-owners to carry out deep home renovations, often to a very high standard. The initiative has proved to be highly successful and Knauf Insulation has been working with the Ministry of the Environment to promote the programme in other countries.”
There are also other sources of funding. In Germany, financial giant KfW issued almost €100 billion in loans and grants for energy-efficient construction and renovation in the decade to 2017 triggering further investments of more than €260 billion and securing 320,000 jobs every year in the process. In the first quarter of 2020, despite the corona virus, demand for these programmes remains high providing a major driver for climate protection and for supporting growth and employment.
For Peter Robl, our Public Affairs Manager for Eastern Europe, European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) offer another unmissable opportunity to maximise the renovation wave.
“The remaining financial resources from the ESIF 2014-20 programming period should be allocated for green recovery. Already there are national building renovation programmes in place that show how this money can be leveraged to maximum effect.
“The Green Deal proposals also announced the revision of state aid guidelines for energy and the environment. We need clarification on how they can be adapted to support energy efficient renovation.”
Our EU Public Affairs Manager Katarzyna Wardal adds: “The pandemic has sent shockwaves across Europe and the world. However, when this crisis ends, an exciting green recovery inspired by renovation will provide the energising force that Europe needs to build a better society, better environment and better economy.”