Insulation is key to reach climate targets in building sector – study

Better insulation for existing buildings to make them more energy efficient is the cheapest and most promising way to reach 2030 climate targets in Germany’s building sector, according to a study by energy think tank Agora Energiewende* and the European Climate Foundation. Two percent of existing buildings needed to be insulated annually, which is twice the current rate. The alternative would be the large-scale use of synthetic fuels to replace fossil gas and heating oil, which could cost German households an additional 8.2 billion euros per year. Efficient buildings are the basis for the use of the entire range of technology options in heat supply - from heat pumps and heating networks to solar thermal systems and the use of power-to-gas (PtG), writes Agora Energiewende in a press release.

Find the press release and study in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheet Power-to-gas: Fix for all problems or simply too expensive? and the dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency.

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.