Refurbishments: Whitepaper part 2 newly available
Energy-efficient renovations hold great ecological and economic potential, but property owners often lack comprehensive information. The white paper "Energetic refurbishments as an opportunity for the real estate industry", prepared in collaboration with intep and ewz, closes this gap. The first part highlights the urgency, the legal framework, the benefits and possible strategies. The new part 2 of the whitepaper shows measures for the building envelope and technology and explains the refurbishment process using two project examples.
Energy renovations are relevant
Buildings in Switzerland are responsible for about a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. The reason for this is in particular the use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are still used for heating and hot water in around 60% of homes.
Energy-efficient refurbishments hold great potential for increasing energy efficiency in operations and conserving resources. Farsighted refurbishment reduces marketing and vacancy risks and increases the attractiveness for investors, as sustainability criteria have an increasing influence on investment decisions. Institutional owners have a key role to play in reducing the environmental and climate impact of buildings, as they own around 40% of the apartments in Switzerland.
Determine remediation strategy, measures and timing
The condition of the building fabric and criteria such as market and expansion potential are decisive for the choice of strategy (total or partial renovation with or without expansion). In terms of building technology, the focus is on switching from fossil-fuelled systems to renewable ones. If necessary, the production of solar power with the inclusion of electromobility is also an option. Energy service providers such as ewz have suitable tools for exploiting savings potential in energy management.
Renovate building envelope and building services
Since about 20% of energy losses are caused by an uninsulated roof, roof renovation is very effective. Older windows have a heat loss of about 8%, so replacement pays off quickly. If the facade is insufficiently insulated, this can result in losses of up to 30%. However, comprehensive facade renovations are often complex and costly.
Climate-friendly energy sources such as lake, river or ground water, geothermal energy, wood, air, sun or waste heat can be harnessed for heating and cooling either as individual solutions or via heat networks. If electricity is produced with a photovoltaic system, as much of it as possible should be consumed on site.
Download links:
Whitepaper 1 "Energy refurbishment as an opportunity".
Whitepaper 2 "Energy refurbishment as an opportunity".
Practical example: Innovation behind a historic facade on Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse
ewz energy solutions
Locations in Zurich | Sils (GR) | Rolle (VD)
ewz.ch/energy-solutions
