Energy demand for heating decreases further
The energy demand to heat German apartment buildings fell six percent last year because of energy-efficient insulation and modernisation, according to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) cited in Süddeutsche Zeitung. The study is based on an analysis of thousands of heating bills, and is already adjusted for weather effects such as a mild winter, reports Benedikt Müller. Since 2003, energy demand for heating fell by 18 percent, according to DIW. But the think tank warns the rate of modernisation has slowed, endangering Germany’s climate targets for the building sector. This is partly because large real estate companies have already modernised their buildings, and smaller landlords are slow to follow suit, according to DIW.