Cumulative energy consumption as a funding criterion in the building sector-Final report

📌 What is the cumulative energy demand – and what significance does it have for the evaluation of building products and construction methods?
Answers to these questions are provided by our newly published final report in the project “Cumulative energy consumption as a funding criterion in the building sector”.
In the project, Dr. Jan Steinbach and Jana Deurer were in charge of calculating the cumulative energy demand (CED) and the global warming potential for a large number of reference buildings over their entire life cycle – in new and existing buildings.

🔍 Key findings:

🔋 In the context of energy and resource efficiency and energy security, the CED is an important parameter for the evaluation of construction methods, energy standards and building types – alongside the global warming potential.
🏗️ The efficiency standard of buildings has a decisive influence on the CED and the level of greenhouse gas emissions. The efficiency requirements for new buildings and refurbishments should therefore be increased.
🏚️ The comparison between refurbishment and new construction shows that The renovation of existing buildings – including a new heat supply – is associated with a lower CED than the construction of new buildings.
🧱 The construction method has a subordinate influence on the CED. Nevertheless, the manufacturing and construction phase must not be neglected in order to achieve the climate targets.

🔄 To this end, both the refurbishment of buildings and the reuse of building products as well as the targeted use of materials with low manufacturing energy requirements are recommended.
🧭 In order to implement these recommendations, key political instruments – such as the Sustainable Building Quality Seal, the Federal Promotion of Efficient Buildings (BEG) and the Building Energy Act (GEG) – should be further developed.

📄 Link to the report:
Der kumulierte Energieaufwand als Förderkriterium im Gebäudebereich

🧮 Good to know:
The CONIC (Construction Impact Calculator) model was developed as part of the project, which can be used to calculate the environmental impact of different building types, efficiency standards and construction methods over the entire life cycle.
The model is currently also being used in the evaluation of federal funding programs.

💬 If you are interested in discussing the project, please contact us by sending an email to info@irees.de

Many thanks to the Federal Environment Agency, Benjamin Krick, Burkhard Schulze-Darup and Dr. Bernd Steinmüller for their cooperation and support!