The property sector and technology need to work together

Energy-efficient buildings set to become the norm by 2020

New and upcoming environmental requirements mean that property companies and developers have to act. Their future success depends on deploying innovative power and air conditioning systems.

Within environmental policy, new standards are rapidly being defined for environmentally friendly construction and refurbishment. Although energy passports in Germany were initially required for residential buildings only, since 1 July 2009 they have been mandatory for commercial properties too. The 2009 German Energy Saving Regulations (EnEV) further reduced the upper limit for a building’s permitted primary energy requirement by nearly 30%. The heat insulation needed for building envelopes was also raised by some 15%. This represents a real challenge for modern air conditioning and power systems.

Furthermore, in 2010 the EU’s new directive on energy efficiency for buildings becomes effective. This specifies that from 2020 all new builds must comply with the highest standards of energy efficiency and a significant share of their heating and cooling requirements must be met by renewable energy. In future, adverts for commercial properties must also include information on energy efficiency.

The real estate and construction industries are gearing up to meet the new standards, with building technology products undergoing rapid and pioneering development.