Germany mulls energy rules for buildings

The German government has proposed a system of energy efficiency ratings for buildings as the EU pushes its Energy Efficiency Action Plan to help meet its ambitious target to cut greenhouse emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.

Energy efficiency and demand-side energy management measures are increasingly being seen as the sleeping giant of carbon abatement.
Earlier this year, a McKinsey study called for more emphasis on energy efficiency in buildings finding that a quarter of all practical, cost-effective emission reductions possible over the coming decades come from things like better insulation – at zero net economic cost long term.

EU nations must submit their energy-efficiency action plans to Brussels in the next few months and ministers have met with G8 counterparts to develop strategies.

Germany’s Transport, Building and Urban Affairs minister, Wolfgang Tiefensee, proposed a mandatory certification system for commercial and residential buildings that outline their energy usage and costs to buyers and tenants.

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