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A Critical Appraisal of Germany's Thermal Retrofit PolicyThe Technical Potential and Limitations of Thermal Retrofits in Germany

A Critical Appraisal of Germany's Thermal Retrofit Policy: The Technical Potential and... [Thermal retrofitting of existing homes is widely seen as an economic and technically feasible way to reduce domestic heating energy consumption, which accounts for 14.6% of Germany’s total energy consumption. But energy savings from retrofits are dependent on the laws of physics and the geometric and physical characteristics of the actual housing stock. This chapter outlines these issues, first describing the main features and components of thermal renovation in the German context. It then explores the two metrics used to assess thermal performance in homes, showing how one of these departs precariously from the laws of physics, producing unrealistic estimates of how dwellings perform prior to and after a retrofit. The structural, physical characteristics of German homes are then examined alongside the measures available for thermal upgrades, highlighting the challenges typically encountered in trying to bring these homes to a high standard of thermal performance.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A Critical Appraisal of Germany's Thermal Retrofit PolicyThe Technical Potential and Limitations of Thermal Retrofits in Germany

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References (9)

Publisher
Springer London
Copyright
© Springer-Verlag London 2013
ISBN
978-1-4471-5366-5
Pages
47 –65
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4471-5367-2_4
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Thermal retrofitting of existing homes is widely seen as an economic and technically feasible way to reduce domestic heating energy consumption, which accounts for 14.6% of Germany’s total energy consumption. But energy savings from retrofits are dependent on the laws of physics and the geometric and physical characteristics of the actual housing stock. This chapter outlines these issues, first describing the main features and components of thermal renovation in the German context. It then explores the two metrics used to assess thermal performance in homes, showing how one of these departs precariously from the laws of physics, producing unrealistic estimates of how dwellings perform prior to and after a retrofit. The structural, physical characteristics of German homes are then examined alongside the measures available for thermal upgrades, highlighting the challenges typically encountered in trying to bring these homes to a high standard of thermal performance.]

Published: Jul 26, 2013

Keywords: Thermal retrofit; Housing stock; Energy saving; CO 2 reduction; German policy

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