Source: Energy & Management Powernews, June 22, 2022
According to a survey of the Climate Neutral Germany initiative among owners of one- and two-family houses, these underestimate the savings potential of energetic renovation measures.
Half of the homeowners estimate the saving potentials of an energetic reorganization on only approximately 30%. This resulted in a survey among one thousand owners of one and two-family houses in Germany on behalf of the initiative climatic neutral Germany (IKND). "This is far from the actual savings potential of up to 80 percent," said Carolin Friedemann, IKND managing director and founder.
"This shows us that the German government needs to do more educational work here so that its ambitions for a climate-friendly building sector become reality and dependence on fossil fuels can be reduced," Friedemann said. Around 85% of all residential buildings in Germany are single- and two-family homes. Around 40 % of all greenhouse gas emissions in Germany are attributable to the building sector. Therefore, according to IKND, this is a major lever for climate protection and saving energy costs.
Energy costs underestimated
When the surveyors were asked to estimate the additional monthly costs for heating and hot water for this year, a significant difference between the estimated and expected price increases emerged. Nearly two-thirds of participants expected monthly additional costs for heating and hot water to be 100 euros or less. "These figures show many homeowners are not aware of what the current price increases for heating oil and natural gas mean for them," Friedemann explained.
For a sample household with gas heating, the additional monthly burden will be more like 150 euros. "The lower estimate is a possible explanation for the low interest in renovation," she noted. Two-thirds of owners surveyed did not know the energy efficiency class of their home. Three-quarters of one- and two-family houses in Germany were built before 1979. Thus, a large part of the building stock is over 40 years old and was built without mandatory consideration of energy efficiency standards.
For about three million one- and two-family houses, renovation measures are pending, according to the planned revision of the EU Building Directive. The EU Buildings Directive is being amended ahead of schedule as part of the Green Deal and provides for renovation measures for houses in the worst three efficiency classes.
Renovating for greater well-being
Homeowners who have installed new windows, insulation or a new heating system in their house in recent years are very satisfied, according to the survey, with 88% saying the results met their expectations and around the same number of respondents would renovate their house again. As a decisive reason for renovation, 80% of homeowners said that it had increased their well-being, followed by "increased energy prices" and the "increase in the value of the property" (65% each).
State subsidies hardly played a role in the investment decision. "Interestingly, this is different for those who do not plan to renovate," Friedemann noted. They could be persuaded both by government subsidies and by easy, uncomplicated implementation. Both arguments were mentioned by non-refurbishers in the survey. "This is where the Federal Ministry of Economics needs to step up its game in its energy-saving campaign and also simplify the subsidy system," Friedemann appealed.
Methodology
On behalf of the IKND, 1,007 people aged 18 and older were surveyed by the market research institute Kantar between May 18 and June 1, 2022. The target group of the survey were owners of owner-occupied detached or semi-detached houses. The survey is representative in terms of age, gender and federal state affiliation.
On the Internet, the six-page factsheet "Energy refurbishment: an invisible treasure" is available for download.
Author: Susanne Harmsen
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