Construction, use and refurbishment of buildings account for about half the total energy worldwide consumption. In Europe, heating and cooling rooms represent most of the energy used in housing. Therefore construction and renovation have a large potential for energy-use reduction. The technology is generally available. What is often lacking: realistic strategies, funding and applied broad knowledge. Furthermore, mountain regions face additional difficulties such as extreme climate, low accessibility, small size, low population and company density.
A challenge taken by the project MountEE – sustainable building in mountain regions.
In Sweden, the Pyrenees and the Alps, MountEE partners want to improve their public and social building and renovation strategies, moving towards energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energies and greater sustainability in general.
One opportunity of the project is to benefit experience from Vorarlberg with the counselling “service package sustainable building” for municipalities. Partners of the other regions will develop their own “service package” for helping municipalities building and renovate in a sustainable way. They will take into account what kind of service is missing in their areas and develop new ones.
This blog will transfer this knowledge and experience to any visitor interested with this issue. Once a week, one of the various experts from the 6 European regions will write his experience with sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. Experts will also communicate what’s happening in the regions in the framework of MountEE project:
- Analysis of gaps and barriers, collections of good practices
- Regional strategies for sustainable buildings with all relevant players
- Improvement of financial instruments
- New service package
- Pilot buildings testing the service package
- Training activities and exchange of experience
More information about the project: www.mountee.eu
