“NRW’s new government aims to undermine building efficiency”

The likely new coalition government in Germany’s most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) seems to aim for watering down energy efficiency standards for new buildings, Environmental Action Germany (DUH) said in a press release. During their coalition talks, the conservative CDU and the economic liberal FDP parties have signalled that they consider Germany’s new Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) to be a hurdle for housing investments, DUH explained. The organisation’s head, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, said that “efficiency standards only play a minor role if you look at total construction costs”. He argued that “the alleged conflict” between affordable housing and climate protection “is being used once again to further business interests”.

See the press release in German here.

Read the CLEW dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency for background.