Danes strengthen strategy for energy renovations in buildings

The 21 initiatives for energy renovation of buildings is part of the Government’s energy agreement of 2012. They address standards for windows and other building materials, better guidance for homeowners and an improved energy labelling scheme.

Standards for new buildings have already been tightened until there are few additional gains to be made, but the vast majority of existing buildings will still be occupied in 2050, the strategy says. The plan is based entirely upon installing existing technologies, and improvements are mostly to be undertaken whenever maintenance is carried out, with no net cost to the building owner. Some of the measures apply to all sectors while others are aimed specifically at domestic, commercial or public buildings.

Already amongst the tightest in Europe, Denmark’s building regulation standards for roofs and walls will be revised again in 2015. New standards for windows will be introduced by 2020 in order to give the market time to adapt. Critically, regular checks will be increased to improve compliance with building regulations even further.

To address the needs domestic dwellings, the Government has launched a pilot scheme, dubbed “Better Property”, to provide a single hub point of advice for housing renovations. It will be rolled out nationwide, offering more tools and information to help inform decisions.

The normal repair cycle can be expected to cut consumption by 25 per cent by 2050. The new stimuli are set to increase this to an overall 35 per cent improvement. However, a 45 per cent reduction should be feasible if the cost of some key technologies fall, believes the Government.

Commenting on the launch of the new scheme, Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Building Rasmus Helveg Petersen (pictured) said: “The energy renovation strategy is the largest ever comprehensive strategy to reduce energy consumption in Denmark’s existing building stock. It is a significant milestone in our transition to an energy-efficient society. On the basis of the strategic initiatives, the Government expects to reduce heat consumption in existing buildings by 35% before 2050. This is an important signal to both building owners and industry. I hope that the building sector will use the strategy as a foundation for their long-term efforts and investments in new technological solutions.”