Large-scale energy efficiency renovations create a rare opportunity to deliver broad and lasting economic, environmental, and social benefits.
Buildings might not be among the first things that come to mind when we think about what we value most. But they should be.
Our homes, schools, day-care centres, hospitals, recreational facilities, and workplaces have incredible importance and impact on our lives. They are also the source of some of society’s biggest challenges.
Energy consumption and carbon emissions are among them. Globally, buildings are responsible for more than a third of energy use and carbon emissions. They are also among society’s most valuable physical assets.
And that creates an important opportunity
Constructed and renovated well, buildings can contribute to improving our health, wellbeing and productivity; to reducing energy consumption and costs as well as the impact on the climate and environment; to increasing energy independence; to strengthening local economies; and so much more. ROCKWOOL’s non-combustible, recyclable, and long-lasting stone wool products play an important role creating new generations of energy efficient, firesafe, and circular buildings around the world.
– Mirella Vitale, ROCKWOOL Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and Public Affairs
Indeed, investing in more energy efficient buildings is a triple win decision
Economically, well-insulated buildings consume less energy, with proper insulation potentially reducing heating needs by up to 70 percent. Less consumption = less cost. Especially in Europe, this also means less reliance on imported energy and therefore greater energy security. What’s more, some 16 million people are directly employed in the construction industry in the EU. And approximately 95 percent of construction sector is composed of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses with craftsmen generating two-thirds of their revenues within a 50 km radius of their homes.
Environmentally, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says, “No other energy resource can compare with energy efficiency as a solution to the energy affordability, security of supply and climate change crises. This is why the IEA calls energy efficiency the ‘first fuel’ of all energy transitions”. The world cannot achieve net zero emissions without addressing the built environment’s huge impact. The IEA estimates that energy efficiency improvements can drive 40 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emission reductions needed by 2040 to reach Paris climate goals. It is very straightforward – the less we consume, the less we emit.
In terms of social wellbeing, buildings affect the health, wellbeing, and productivity of the people who live, work, learn, recover, and play inside them in multiple ways. A building that is too hot or too cold increases health risks, including mental health and stress; too much humidity and dampness increases the probability of mould growth, which can lead to respiratory diseases. Poor lighting and ventilation and too much noise decrease productivity and learning abilities; noisy environments are also more stressful, which inhibits recovery in care facilities. Well-insulated buildings can also alleviate energy poverty and the associated health impacts from living in low quality buildings.
Advocating for energy efficient buildings
Even if the benefits of building new and renovating existing buildings for greater energy efficiency are multiple and substantial, it doesn’t always just happen. As Senior Vice President Mirella Vitale points out, “We have an obligation to help convince stakeholders such as policymakers, home- and building owners as well as construction, financial, and insurance professionals, that high levels of energy efficiency in buildings make sense, and that the many benefits outweigh the costs”.
Another important message is about the need “to do renovation right”. Most buildings are renovated only once in their lifetime. And so it is essential to get it right both for the near- and the long-term.
The EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a good example of getting it right in the near-term, in that the Directive focuses on renovating Europe’s worst performing buildings (energy efficiency-wise) first. This helps create the greatest benefit in the shortest time on all three key parameters – economic, environmental, and social – thus harvesting quick wins that also help sustain public support for the initiative.
Doing renovation right for the long-term entails using building materials that are durable, recyclable, and non-combustible, materials that will last for generations and can be recycled at end of their useful life. We have an opportunity to create a new generation of energy efficient, acoustically comfortable, aesthetically pleasing and fire-safe buildings – our homes, workplaces, schools, care facilities, and so much more. We need to get it right.
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