Climate change and rising oil prices: Why energy efficiency in housing is crucial
Geneva, 16 July 2008 -- Buildings are major contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Worldwide, 30 to 40 per cent of all primary energy (i.e. energy contained in raw fuels) is used in buildings. In Europe, they account for 40 to 45 per cent of energy consumption. They also account for a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions: in the European Union, the residential sector represented 77 per cent of all CO2 emissions from buildings in 2002. In low-income countries this share can rise to over 90 per cent.
Enhancing energy efficiency in buildings in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region will not only decrease GHG emissions, but also reduce national dependencies on increasingly expensive energy imports. Programmes to improve existing housing stock in Western Europe have already led to an average reduction of energy consumption of 50 to 60 per cent. Low-energy buildings have brought average energy consumption per square metre (m2) per year to less than 50 kilowatts (kW), as compared to 150 to 200 m2 in “normal” housing. But even more is possible. “Passive” housing, in which no conventional heating system is needed, can reduce energy consumption by an average of 12 to 13 kW, or about 90 per cent that of normal housing and about 60 per cent that of innovative low energy buildings.
While some countries have carried out impressive energy saving programmes, others are still lagging behind, often because of insufficient technical or organizational know-how. Ironically, this has led to a situation where dwellers in “rich” regions pay significantly less for energy than those in poorer regions.
In some countries in the UNECE region with economies in transition, existing buildings – in particular those constructed between the 1960s and the 1980s – are characterized by low thermal efficiencies and wasteful heat distribution systems. Energy efficiency in Ukraine’s housing stock, for example, is 3 to 5 times lower than that of western countries. Heat loss in buildings in Kazakhstan is 50 to 60 per cent higher than in western countries under comparable conditions. Many of the countries in the eastern part of the UNECE region still use construction norms and regulations dating back to the Soviet era, and new buildings are still being built with low thermal efficiency.
The time is ripe to act for these countries. After more than a decade of stagnant housing production, new housing programmes are now being developed. While this could be a chance to improve the energy performance of the housing sector by undertaking a step-by-step restructuring of the existing stock, several obstacles hamper use of the newest construction techniques. These include insufficient budgets and a weak public sector, outdated building codes, limited knowledge of existing technical improvements also at low cost, low levels of research activity, an immature housing market and an inactive private sector.
An in-depth discussion on the issue of energy efficiency in housing in the UNECE region, addressing the obstacles mentioned above, will take place during the next session of the UNECE Committee on Housing and Land Management, to be held on 22 and 23 September 2008 in Geneva.
The session will benefit from the presence of experts from member States and relevant non-governmental organizations, as well as practitioners from the private sector. Work will potentially be carried out in synergy with the UNECE Sustainable Energy Division, which has a significant programme of work on energy efficiency undertaken through its Energy Efficiency 21 Project. Participants will discuss the main gaps in energy efficiency in different countries, the weaknesses in the legislative framework, incentives, the status of practice and other key issues relating to better energy efficiency in the housing sector. The Committee will also consider the establishment of a special task force on energy efficiency in housing to carry out work with member States and the private sector through two international workshops to be held in 2009.
The Committee session is expected to make an important contribution to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 7 (ensure environmental sustainability) in the UNECE region, by promoting the integration of appropriate energy policies in countries’ development programmes.
For more information on the issues to be discussed at the meeting, please visit: http://www.unece.org/hlm/sessions/69thsession.htm.
For additional details on the session, and if you wish to participate, please contact:
Ms Paola Deda
Secretary to the UNECE Committee on Housing and Land Management
UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management Division
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2553
Fax: +41 (0) 22 917 0107
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.unece.org/hlm/welcome.html
Ref: ECE/ENV/08/P13