
Always see it in English
Always see it in English
One of the main causes of climate change is the excessive energy consumption of our buildings. In cities, the residential sector is responsible for approximately 30% of direct emissions, according to Deloitte's analysis in their report The Future of Sustainable Cities: Urban energy transition to 2030.
Much of Spain's housing stock is made up of old buildings that do not meet energy efficiency standards and require significant investment. In total, it is estimated that two-thirds of buildings require refurbishment and maintenance because they do not meet energy efficiency and thermal insulation standards.
The breakdown of consumption in cities shows that climate is the most important factor in explaining energy consumption and emissions in the residential sector.
La Improving energy sustainability in the residential sector faces a number of difficulties: a very diverse housing stock, construction techniques that do not meet energy efficiency criteria, challenges to renovation works due to the significant investment required and the disruption and inconvenience to the life of the people that inhabit these buildings.
Therefore, in order to tackle the challenges of energy sustainability, we need to take a pragmatic approach, analysing each case individually and identifying what measures are most likely to achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly urbanism.
According to Deloitte's report, the key measure that should be taken in this sector is the installation of heating control systems to improve energy conservation. The installation of thermostats and systems that allow users to adjust heating consumption and adapt it to outside temperatures could reduce thermal energy consumption by between 15% and 30%.
“The priority measures to be taken by the residential sector are the implementation of heating control systems, the switch to more efficient heating equipment, energy refurbishments, the replacement of appliances and the promotion of self-consumption”
“The light bulb was actually invented by Humphry Davy, but the glow did not last very long. Edison perfected it”
Then, depending on factors such as the existing heating in the home, the state of repair of the building, the climate zone and the investment required, heating equipment should be switched for more efficient options, such as heat pumps or natural gas condensing boilers. Heat pump systems are best for reducing energy consumption and emissions in a home, while natural gas condensing boilers are more efficient than conventional boilers and produce fewer emissions.
The next measure in order of priority is the implementation of energy refurbishments. Within this measure, the four most important types of refurbishments are window replacements, which can reduce heat consumption by between 10% and 25%, refurbishment of façades and roofs with layers of insulating material, or comprehensive refurbishment.
Despite the significant reduction in consumption produced by refurbishment (more than 60% heating reduction following a comprehensive refurbishment), another measure to consider is the replacement of appliances for more efficient models with an A++ energy rating, i.e., those with the lowest energy consumption.
In addition, the installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs of urban buildings or nearby surfaces (patios, gardens, car park roofs, etc.) could be considered to enable residential self-consumption. An increasingly widespread option is the use of organic waste for biomass energy generation, which has increased from 3.2% of energy consumed in Spain to 6% over the last 15 years. The domestic storage batteries in smart homes represent a huge step forward as they allow the storage of surplus solar energy that has been self-generated during the day.
The buildings that are built and refurbished today will continue to exist beyond 2050, so it is important that we understand that what we do today is mortgaging the future of our buildings. This means that introducing sustainability and energy efficiency criteria into any residential project must be priority.
Some recommendations for city councils and municipal administrations include: