A five-fold increase in energy efficiency is possible.
Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
Lecture series "The house is on fire"
29.09.2020, Karl Rahner Academy Cologne
The video below discusses the close interrelationship of people to their built environment. The buildings and urban structures that have been created in different eras are considered cultural assets worth preserving. We should preserve them and at the same time make them more energy efficient.
When you start the video, you can have German or English subtitles faded in via the usual YouTube controls.
If you are initially only interested in the videos on this topic, you can go directly to the corresponding playlist on YouTube. Another playlist shows the progress and results of our research project.
High energy consumption is typical for buildings constructed before 1977.
Energy-saving measures not only reduce energy consumption, but also help to minimize the greenhouse effect.
The energy resources on earth are limited.
According to a publication by the Federal Agency for Civic Education from 2013, the world's known reserves of coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium will last for 112, 54, 64, and 70 years, respectively - assuming consumption remains constant.
For inhabited or used rooms of an attic, the roof surface forms the largest part of the boundary surface and thus the largest part of the heat exchange surface.
The energy loss is very high in case of insufficient thermal insulation and leaky roof surfaces and windows. Therefore, energy-saving measures in this area are particularly efficient.
The outer walls form the largest part of the boundary of the building envelope and thus the largest part of the heat exchange surface.
Therefore, they are of particular importance for energy-saving measures.
Floor slabs of living and utility rooms that border on the ground must be moisture-insulated and thermally insulated.
A further thermal bridge can be created by ceilings bordering on unheated rooms.
