Energy Efficiency

Investment in buildings would boost energy security – BPIE report

Published

September 8, 2016

Country

Comments

0

Share

Published:

September 8, 2016

Country:

Comments:

0

Share

The latest report by the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) finds Slovakia and Hungary face a severe risk, and Bulgaria a substantial risk to become unable to heat the national building stock.

The report presents the new Building Vulnerability Indicator and offers an alternative solution to mitigating supply risks in Central and Southeastern Europe through building renovation. According to BPIE, a dedicated programme could, within 20 years, address all gas-using buildings and reduce their consumption by as much as 8.2 billion cubic metres per year or 70%.

The scheme would require an investment of up to EUR 81 billion from all countries in the region, authors said. It would lead to the reduction of energy bills of EUR 106 billion, more than offsetting the investment, according to BPIE. The benefit does not include economic advantages of reducing financial flows to third countries and the benefit of stimulating the national economy, the document notes.

Oliver Rapf, the institute’s executive director, said governments could generate domestic growth, modernize the national building infrastructure and improve living conditions. BPIE underscored its analysis considers an alternative approach to gas supply investments and instead proposes an ‘efficiency first’ solution. Reducing gas demand could considerably improve energy security and reduce the need for investments in the supply infrastructure, according to authors.

International developments over the past few years have intensified the energy challenges facing the countries in the region, BPIE noted. The interruption of Russian gas supply via Ukraine, volatile global oil prices and divergent interests of states renewed Europe’s concerns about its energy dependency, according to the findings.

Unlike supply-side solutions, which make the region more dependent on imported gas in the long term, demand-side solutions also bring a raft of other benefits – creating employment, boosting economic growth, cutting fuel poverty and improving the region’s often very poor air quality, the institute claims.

Tags: ,

Related Articles

Kosovo-outlines-energy-transition-2031-strategic

Kosovo* outlines energy transition until 2031 in strategic document

24 March 2023 - Kosovo* aims at 1.6 GW in renewables capacity by 2031, with 340 MWh in batteries. It opted to reconstruct at least three coal plant units.

Medeja Loncar Siemens sustainable development expenditure investment future

At Siemens, sustainable development is no expenditure but investment in future

07 March 2023 - Circular economy can bring Serbia 30,000 new jobs and increase its economy's competitiveness, CEO of Siemens Serbia Medeja Lončar said

George Papanastasiou New energy environment ministers names unveiled in Cyprus

New energy, environment ministers’ names unveiled in Cyprus

28 February 2023 - Business executive George Papanastasiou is replacing Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry Natasa Pilides

EUSEW Apply include your event in Sustainable Energy Days

EUSEW: Apply to include your event in Sustainable Energy Days

22 February 2023 - Sustainable Energy Days is a set of events from next month to June under the umbrella of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW)