The current energy crisis poses significant challenges for consumers in Germany—especially with regard to energy consumption in the residential and nonresidential buildings they use. Improving energy efficiency in buildings can make a significant contribution to energy security.
In private households, space heating and hot water supply account for over 70 percent of energy consumption. Rising gas and oil prices are having a full impact on the housing stock, approximately 50 percent of which is heated with natural gas and 25 percent with oil. A major reason for this is that a large portion of the building stock was constructed before the first Energy Conservation and Thermal Insulation Regulations took effect in 1977 and is therefore very often technically deficient and in dire need of renovation.

A push toward building energy efficiency is all the more important given that, starting in early 2024, every newly installed heating system should, as far as possible, be powered by 65 percent renewable energy. Without a high level of energy efficiency, energy consumption and the associated energy costs will rise to unprecedented levels, which could jeopardize public acceptance of the energy transition in the building sector. The energy-efficient modernization of buildings, the use of renewable energy, and changes in user behavior all contribute simultaneously to reducing CO2 emissions and lowering energy demand. The BDI therefore published a “call to action” at the end of 2022, urging the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to finally take action. Hölger Lösch commented: “The federal government’s energy-saving campaign must finally focus on energy consumption in buildings! Seventy percent of energy consumption in private households is for heating, and every second apartment is heated with gas. The first winter of the war will be followed by at least a second winter of gas supply shortages. That is why the federal government must now advocate for ensuring that, in 2023, everything that can be done is done for buildings everywhere.”