Buildings in Europe are the single largest consumer of energy, accounting for around 40% of all energy used and approximately 36% of CO2 emissions. Improving energy efficiency in buildings is of crucial importance because it has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
New buildings and extensive renovation of existing stock
According to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, all new buildings must be nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB) as of 31 December 2020. All new public buildings had to be nearly zero-energy from 2018 onwards. Net zero-energy buildings are buildings with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site or by renewable energy sources elsewhere.
However, new buildings account for only about 1% of total building stock each year. So, this is only a small part of the solution. To have a major impact, it will be necessary to comprehensively renovate existing buildings. Deep renovation can save up to 80% of energy used for heating, and Europe aims to take the lead in renovating its existing building stock to improve energy efficiency.
XPS: the energy-efficient solution
XPS insulation is key to improving energy efficiency. XPS insulation materials are used in a wide variety of building applications every year: saving energy and resources and reducing CO2 emissions, thereby positively contributing to sustainable development.