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Building renovation in Würzburg
Photo: Daniel Karmann / dpa
According to the online portal Immobilienscout24, the building stock in Germany has a high need for energy-efficient renovation. 42 percent of the properties offered on the platform are rated worse than D with an energy efficiency class, according to the company. The number of renovations has been declining significantly for several years due to an unclear legal situation and high construction costs.
Subsidies for energy-efficient refurbishment were exhausted too quickly, said the platform's managing director, Gesa Crockford. "On the other hand, the discussion about the Building Energy Act has caused a great deal of uncertainty," she added. The controversial law provides for strict climate protection requirements for the installation of new heating systems, the federal government and parliamentary groups have been arguing about it for months.
According to the evaluation, when properties are renovated to make them more energy-efficient, they are renovated in such a way that they achieve the average energy efficiency class D required under an EU directive. Only ten percent of the properties on the platform are currently rated with the best efficiency class A.
In the case of particularly old buildings, an energy-efficient renovation is often more expensive than a new building. The Association of German Prefabricated Construction (BDF) therefore called for a demolition premium of at least 20,000 euros for old buildings that are replaced by more climate-friendly buildings.
kig/AFP