“Decarbonization efforts cannot focus only on new buildings, because a large portion of the buildings where people will live and work in the coming decades already exist," Aysel Yagubova, Executive Director of the Economic Cooperation Organization Clean Energy Center, said during the event titled “Decarbonization of Housing and Buildings in the Context of the Urban–Industry–Climate Nexus” organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization within the framework of WUF13, APA reports.
She stated that attention should not be limited only to new constructions: “The existing housing stock — especially old buildings — will continue to consume energy for many years if energy efficiency measures are not implemented.
Buildings are not separate assets. They are part of broader urban, industrial and energy ecosystems. Especially when we look at countries that are rapidly urbanizing, have growing populations and large existing housing stocks, several measures stand out both for their high impact and for being scalable and affordable.
First, building orientation, natural ventilation, shading, insulation, optimal use of daylight and climate-adaptive design principles can significantly reduce energy demand before energy systems are implemented.
Second is the improvement of building envelopes. Insulation, energy-efficient windows, roofing systems and heat-loss reduction measures are among the highest-impact solutions, especially for existing buildings. In many countries in our region, there is an old housing stock where immediate and measurable results can be achieved through retrofitting.
Third, the integration of clean energy systems must be ensured. That is, rooftop solar panels, decentralized energy systems, district heating and cooling systems, smart management and digital energy management can transform buildings from passive energy consumers into active energy participants.”
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