Final energy consumption associated with buildings decreased by 17 % between 2008 and 2018.However, according to the 2010 Energy Concept, the indicator should be decreasing by 20 % between 2008 and 2020.This target is to be achieved with the help of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan and the Energy Efficiency Strategy for Buildings. read more
Energy efficiency can be measured using the indicator ‘final energy productivity’.Between 1990 and 2018, final energy productivity increased by approximately 61 %.The Federal Government plans to increase final energy productivity by 2.1 % every year.Between 2008 and 2018, the annual average growth has been 1.5 %, which is significantly below the target. read more
Efficiency increase oftentimes reduces product or service costs, which can in turn ramp up consumption (due to reduced prices), thus partly canceling out the original savings. This is known as the rebound effect. read more
The environmental and health impacts associated with products – from the pre-manufacturing stages through to production itself, distribution, use and disposal – are becoming more and more important on the path to sustainable development. read more
The impact of climate change will be felt more strongly in the future – and in Germany too. This is the conclusion reached in what is called the vulnerability analysis, a comprehensive study on Germany's vulnerability to climate change.
