Due to global warming, every country has agreed on specific targets and guidelines to reduce CO₂ emissions. Germany wants to reduce emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
This is not so easy, as the increase in residential and commercial space means that around 30% more building space is heated than 30 years ago. The CO₂ footprint is currently the most common measure used to keep track of CO₂ emissions.
The CO₂ footprint is the total amount of emissions calculated to show how much greenhouse gases are released by an activity, action, or process. The European average is 8.5 tons. Since this takes into account not only CO₂ emissions but also emissions from a total of seven greenhouse gases, the unit used is CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e).
The following factors are responsible for the CO₂ footprint:
- Transport/mobility: Distances traveled for leisure, work, and vacations.
- Household energy: Consumption of energy and electricity. This is strongly influenced by the climate of the country, i.e. how much external temperatures need to be regulated. In addition, living space, heat generators, the condition of the building envelope, and electricity consumption for lighting and electrical appliances also influence household energy.
- Consumption: Refers to the origin of consumer goods and the associated transport of goods and recycling. The more globalized and interconnected a country is, the more economic relationships exist in that country. This results in more consumer goods being imported and exported, which in turn increases the carbon footprint.
- Nutrition: Eating habits and the origin of products. Local and vegetarian products are therefore more ecological and reduce CO₂ emissions
One of the main reasons for high CO₂ emissions is real estate. To avoid this, there are various things you can consider when it comes to your property:
- Heat generators: The difference lies in whether a fossil fuel (e.g., oil, gas) or a renewable energy source (e.g., heat pump, solar or wind energy) is used. oil heating systems pollute the environment seven times more than heat pumps. Photovoltaic systems do not cause any emissions during their useful life and are therefore more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels.
- Lighting: Switching to LED bulbs would reduce electricity consumption, as regular light bulbs convert most of their energy into heat rather than light.
- The building category: From an ecological point of view, multi-family houses and commercial buildings make more sense because they lose less heat per unit of energy consumption. In single-family homes, the available space is used by fewer people than in multi-family homes, which means that people in single-family homes have a higher carbon footprint.
- The building envelope: A lot of energy is lost through heating when a building has an old, poorly insulated envelope. The poorer the insulation of a building, the higher the emissions. Often, renovation is all it takes to turn an older building into a sustainable property. Regardless of this, any reuse of existing building components (e.g., shell construction) makes more ecological sense than demolition and rebuilding.
Renovation benefits not only the environment, but also the tenant and the owner. Renovation saves the tenant heating costs and the owner benefits from increased returns and sales/rental prices thanks to a sustainable property. The resulting overall energy balance and thus also the CO₂ footprint are reduced, which benefits the environment. Targeted consulting allows these points to be identified and then implemented, always with a view to long-term value retention and marketability.
