Optimal heat-saving level in the existing building stock

It is a political goal for Denmark to be a low carbon economy by 2050, independent of fossil fuels, where renewable energy production is sufficient to cover total energy consumption.

Today, heating of buildings accounts for one third of the final energy consumption in Denmark. New buildings typically have significantly lower energy consumption than what is average in the existing building stock. A series of studies have pointed towards great potentials for energy savings in the existing building stock, most recently the SBi report ’Varmebesparelser i eksisterende bygninger’ from 2017.

Ea Energy Analysis has analysed how large a share of the energy savings potential in the existing building stock it is beneficial to utilise for the Danish society towards 2050. The analysis finds the socio-economically optimal heat-saving level in the existing building stock to be 31% by 2050.

The analysis is based on results from the latest SBi report, ’Varmebesparelser i eksisterende bygninger’, from 2017, as well as technical and economic data for heat production technologies, mainly from the Danish Energy Agency’s latest technology catalogues for individual heat generation plants and district heating production plants.

The project was carried out from December 2017 to June 2018.