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Ever-increasing energy consumption is one of the greatest challenges facing Europe and the world today. Most consumption is derived from fossil fuels - much of it imported from outside Europe, depleting natural resources and contributing to global climate change, through increased greenhouse gas emissions. When the EU signed the Kyoto Protocol, it promised to reduce these emissions by 2012, by 8% in comparison to 1990 levels. To meet this commitment, significant changes of behaviour are required now, both in terms of energy supply and demand management.
Buildings fulfil multiple purposes. Primarily, they provide shelter with the aim of creating comfortable working or living conditions for their inhabitants. Apart from these functional aspects, buildings also play a role of cultural identification and social representation. To satisfy all these diverse expectations, a range of financial, material and energy resources are required to construct and to maintain any building.
Housing, and the so-called tertiary sector (for example public administration, hospitals, schools, etc.), account for more than 40% of final energy consumption in the EU. And as these sectors expand, this trend is bound to increase their energy consumption and hence carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To counter this process, the European Council has endorsed a European Commission Energy Efficiency Action Plan, and a complementary EU Directive specifically aimed at improving the energy performance of buildings2. Improved energy efficiency in the buildings sector therefore constitutes a significant part of the package of EU policies and measures needed to comply with Kyoto Protocol commitments.
Across Europe numerous examples of effective measures have improved the energy performance of specific buildings and to a certain extent, many have been supported by EU funding programmes. But for the most part these measures have not yet been applied sufficiently to tap their full energy-saving potential.
Increasing the amount of information available and the levels of know-how transfer is seen as crucial for accelerating the market penetration of enhanced building technologies and instruments on a broader scale. Such initiatives should pay special attention to innovative technologies and design concepts which have passed the primary demonstration stage and are close to commercialisation with promising market prospects.
Some 36 partner organisations from 22 EU-member countries made up the OPET Building Network and have carried out a set of actions to promote and disseminate efficient and innovative building-related energy technologies and instruments. These have addressed both new construction and building refurbishment, with the overall aim of improving the energy performance of buildings and thereby contributing to smooth and rapid application of European regulations in the sector.
This brochure highlights the results of the OPET Building consortium.
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