Robert Dijksterhuis
Year:
2022
Languages: English | Pages: 1 pp
Bibliographic info:
42nd AIVC - 10th TightVent - 8th venticool Conference - Rotterdam, Netherlands - 5-6 October 2022

By 2050, the entire built environment must be climate neutral. Before that final date, we have to find an alternative to the use of fossil energy in the built environment. The switch to a climate neutral built environment requires an integrated approach, focusing on switching to alternative, non-fossil fuels and on reducing the energy demand by taking energy efficiency measures.

The European Commission concludes that the current renovation rate is about 0.8% per year. This must increase to at least 1.5% and for public buildings even to 1.7% per year if we want to achieve our final goal in time. The European Commission urges to start with the worst performing buildings, since this is most cost efficient and will lead to the highest emissions reduction in the short term. This requires actions from home owners, including housing associations, government, including municipalities, academia and business.

We can use this effort to improve the quality of our living environment, show that renovation can also provide people with more comfort and save money. Renovation to keep your house warm and save heating costs, but without overheating on hot summer days and without reducing indoor air quality by sealing crevices too much.

The energy and climate crisis exist, so we need to accelerate now. We can’t afford to get stuck on the question of who does what first. If we work together intensively, we can achieve the goals. It requires innovative, creative and heroic solutions. Continuing current building and installation practices will lead to poor solutions. Cooporation and exchange of information between many parties is required. We are not in a competition with each other, but with time.