Bei den Berliner Energietagen 2025 standen praxistaugliche und kosteneffiziente Technologien für den Gebäudebestand im Mittelpunkt. Experten aus der Wohnungswirtschaft zeigten auf, wie sich mit geringem Investitionsaufwand im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes messbare Energieeinsparungen erzielen lassen.
If an investor is unable to realise a return because he does not receive repayment from the beneficiary of his investment for the newly created benefit, this is known as the investor-user dilemma. The legal requirements to modernise the energy efficiency of residential buildings in order to achieve the German government's climate targets by 2050 are a recurring problem. This is why the term landlord-tenant dilemma is also used in this context.
The housing industry is faced with the dual challenge of achieving climate neutrality and ensuring affordable housing. In this area of conflict, rental electricity is increasingly emerging as a promising solution that appears to be able to combine both objectives.
Whether due to legal requirements or rising energy costs, the pressure to reduce energy consumption is increasing. On this basis, transparent and efficient organisation of energy use is essential for the housing industry and the property sector. A key tool for this is energy monitoring, which is able to systematically record and analyse consumption data and identify appropriate measures for improvement.
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) is a comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate the technological intelligence of buildings. It is specifically intended to assess a building's capacity to integrate smart technologies. Since its introduction in Germany in 2020, based on the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the SRI has been designed to optimise the potential of smart technologies in the building sector. A higher SRI rating indicates greater efficiency in automated self-management and energy consumption adaptation. This is intended to encourage both owners and users to capitalise on the benefits of smart building technologies.
Prof. Dr. Kunibert Lennerts is head of the Institute for Technology and Management in Construction at KIT. In this interview he talks about the importance of a long-term sustainability strategy, the importance of short-term measures and the topic of holism in the housing and real estate industry.
From 16 to 18 April, leading experts met on the digital stage at the Energy Days 2024 to discuss solutions for the energy turnaround in Germany.
In the panel 'Digital solution perspectives for the heating transition in existing buildings', Dr Rostami (KALO), Dr Metz (othermo) and Mr Wehrmaker (imovis) presented concrete solutions for climate protection that is sustainable for everyone. Dr Vogler (GdW) contributed the perspective of housing companies.
The German housing industry umbrella organisation GdW is launching a showcase entitled 'Shaping together: the smart heating showcase for the housing industry' for rented apartment blocks. The framework is designed to assist small and medium-sized housing companies in becoming familiar with the use and effects of smart thermostats, which have been developed specifically for use in the housing industry, in their own housing stock. The noventic retrofit solution achieves average energy savings of 15.5% at building level and the legally required hydraulic balancing is implemented in a legally compliant manner.
Poorly insulated' and #GivingWarmth are two slogans with which Hanseatic Help is drawing attention to the needs of Hamburg's needy. Exactly our theme. Because while the weather outside is miserable, we continue to work in the warmth to ensure that Germany finally heats in a climate-friendly way. But many people can neither make themselves a hot cup of tea nor turn up the thermostat to their heart's content.
That's why this year we're supporting the campaign of the charity Hanseatic Help together with employees, management and our canteen in Hamburg.
Christian Wehrmaker's day-to-day work focuses on the holistic networking of solutions, the integration of renewable energies and energy optimisation in existing buildings.
The discussion to introduce CO2 pricing for the building sector in Germany ran for several years at specialist level before politicians took up the idea and put it into practice. The German government's "Climate Protection Program 2030 for the Implementation of the Climate Protection Plan" stipulates that Germany should emit 55 percent fewer greenhouse gases by 2030. To achieve this, CO2 emissions are to be reduced across all sectors. Various laws are paving the way for this, such as the CO2 Cost Sharing Act, which is the focus of the following section.
When it comes to energy, the housing and property industry can be dizzy at times. With the amendment to the German Building Energy Act (Energieeinsparverordnung - EnEV), its short implementation periods and almost unattainable subsidies, the industry is at breaking point. Nevertheless, the rapid rise in energy costs cannot be ignored, nor can the property industry's necessary contribution to the energy turnaround. The fact is that of the almost 19 million residential buildings in Germany, the lion's share of around 12.4 million were built in 1979 or earlier - and are therefore at least 44 years old (source: Statistikportal).
