Jan. 7 (Bloomberg) -- In East Berlin's communist-era apartments, warm air used to seep through drafty walls. Heaters had to run overtime, taxing power plants and increasing greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming. No more. A 2 billion-euro ($2.7 billion) urban-renovation program paid for foam insulation, cutting energy use almost in half, said Karin Lompscher, Berlin's environment chief. The urban fund, also notable for turning human waste into biofuel, has helped the German capital trim emissions of climate-changing carbon dioxide 20 percent since 1990, according to city data.
No more. A 2 billion-euro ($2.7 billion) urban-renovation program paid for foam insulation, cutting energy use almost in half, said Karin Lompscher, Berlin's environment chief. The urban fund, also notable for turning human waste into biofuel, has helped the German capital trim emissions of climate-changing carbon dioxide 20 percent since 1990, according to city data.
Berlin cut CO2 emissions 20% since 1990, and:
Berlin's building codes were changed to encourage residents to fix up homes and live closer together in the inner city. New trams and bicycle paths were added. Those measures led to a 2.6 percent reduction from 1998 to 2004 in trips by automobiles, one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions.
Perhaps us geezers (Der Greis ist Heiss!) shouldn't be so cynical. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
It helps, but duoble glazing would be useful too.
It IS a no-brainer. Domestic heating is a major component of energy demand. Lower this specific demand, say, 20% (which is easy to do by remodelling more energy efficient homes), and it releases great benefits: lower energy bills for consumers = more to spend elsewhere, C02 reduction, less demand of energy resources = (perhaps, lower prices), and labor intensive employment for the remodelling.
That 20% reduction for homes would mean quite a chunk of savings. My guess is that many people would be very happily surprised and thus perhaps become more aware and supportive of other needed energy reforms. You can't be me, I'm taken
