“Far from climate neutral”

Germany risks missing its climate targets in the building sector “unless something drastic is done,” Joachim Wille writes in Frankfurter Rundschau. An energy-efficient upgrading of the country’s building stock on average could increase energy savings by up to 90 percent, Wille writes with reference to a study by the German Energy Agency (dena). “But unfortunately: Theory is one thing, but implementation is what counts,” he writes. The upgrade rate of less than one percent annually is far too low and measures are often only half-hearted, Wille says. Instead of stoically focussing on thermal insulation of buildings, the government should instead push the heating supply’s shift to more renewable energies, he argues.

For background, see the CLEW factsheet Combined heat and power – an Energiewende cornerstone?