Heat transition, climate-neutral buildings and free heating

The construction and building sector is responsible for a large part of CO2 emissions. Measures to save energy and in the sense of the circular economy are therefore particularly effective in this sector. There are already examples of efficient renovations and new buildings.

The operation of buildings in Germany accounts for about 35 percent of final energy consumption and about 30 percent of CO2 emissions are caused by buildings, according to the Federal Environment Agency. Achieving climate neutrality in the building stock is not only a goal, it is also a major challenge facing us all.

"According to the EU Commission, all buildings in the EU are to be climate-neutral by 2050. For the real estate industry, this means that particularly inefficient buildings belonging to efficiency class G must be renovated by 2030," adds Franziska Okunneck, location policy officer at the Lübeck Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Two of many good examples: The planned residential quarter "Zur Alten Täschnerei" in Kuppenheim, Baden-Württemberg, achieves a degree of energy self-sufficiency of over 70 percent through the efficient use of thermal energy from the river Murg, the extensive use of solar energy and consistent low-energy construction. Around 143 residential units will be built in the village near the French border from 2023. In Düsseldorf, a total of around 8,800 square metres of climate-friendly office rental space is to be built by 2025. The special feature: The energy for heating and cooling the new Balanced Office Building BOB in Airport City is available free of charge from renewable sources. Geothermal energy from below and photovoltaics on the roof provide the building with 100 per cent free energy throughout the year.

What the future of modern buildings could look like is being researched at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, among other places. It's all about innovative technologies, new materials and pioneering systems. The modular experimental building NEST celebrated its opening on the campus of the research institution in 2016. Anyone who wants to know what is currently happening there can take a virtual tour of the project: www.empa-virtual.ch/nest. The research is intended to help sustainable innovations in the building and energy sector spread more quickly.

(Photo: © Peter H., Pixabay)