Energy efficiency in the Swedish building sector : How realistic is the Swedish 50/50 target?

• Main Author: Sundvall, Kristian
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik 2016
• Subjects: Construction Management; Byggproduktion
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-52808

Today's energy policy has to be more stringent if the necessary decrease in energy use is to befulfilled. Considerable investments are needed and it is important to realize that this will eventually pay off in the economy although it will take longer time than usual. Instead o fcalculating on a two year return for a building complex, it could result in a ten year return but then the building most likely are more energy efficient and pays off in the long run.Energy efficiency measurements are the cheapest and most important way to reach the 50/50 goal but one of the biggest issues is the unawareness for energy efficiency options in the building sector. Energy efficiency measures must be carefully planned and performed way ahead of time because the right opportunity to improve a building seldom appears. The technology exists, the information is there and some of the financial support is also there. Still there are many who don't invest; or invest with poor results because of insufficient knowledge or understanding. Financial barrier is the most common obstacle when it comes to reducing energy usage and that's because energy savings isn't a clear investment or investors don't have the adequate understanding many opportunities are lost.It is very important to have clear goals and a support system that produce efficient investments. Property owners today do not invest enough in energy reducing measurements because they under-value the future energy price. The support systems and building regulations should only support refurbishment projects that intend to do deep refurbishment measurements. The policies and building regulations have to be adjusted to a necessary level as soon as possible so these few opportunities are seized. Cooperation, not only between companies, organizations and institutions but countries as well, contributes a lot in the pursuit of lowering the energy demand. This is probably the reason why the Nordic countries of Europe are well adjusted in the present building market. Clear and ambitious goals are the key to have good communication and effects in the building sector just as the Nordic countries have had throughout the twenties century. Sweden is raising awareness; cooperation and investing in both education and refurbishments that will help Sweden reach the energy efficiency targets of the year 2050. Although three factors are crucial; involving the whole building stock, applying an effective financial support system and creating clear goals of how the 50 / 50 target will be reached. The goal for the Swedish building stock is to reduce its total purchased energy demand,including household electricity by 50 % by the year of 2050 compared to the amount of 1995. To examine if the goal is reasonable, a detailed case study, that is limited to one hotel in Oslo, built 2009, was simulated in IDA ICE 4.7 and then virtually improved. The ventilation system was upgraded, the indoor temperature tolerance was adjusted and the lighting was upgraded.The result from the computer calculations indicates very significant possibilities for energy efficiency for this building. This also confirms the general impression of a significant general potential for increased energy efficiency within the building sector. It is possible to achieve the goal for a 50 % reduction for purchased energy for the building sector, but it will need incitement that creates a better economy for energy efficiency investments and very stringent energy requirements also for existing buildings.