Action 1 Aiming for energy efficiency The construction sector has spared no effort in recent years in addressing the challenges of climate change, energy poverty and self-sufficiency. The objective is clear: to be more energy efficient. > COP27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022, repeated calls to accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Among the areas for improvement is the energy efficiency of buildings. This appears to be a prerequisite for moving toward a low-carbon housing stock, but progress in this area remains unequal across the world. Globally, only 40% of countries have building codes or regulations that include energy criteria1. Europe, in particular, is now acting as a driver, with increasingly strict legislation aimed at responding to the new challenges of energy poverty and climate change. The importance of an airtight and well-insulated building envelope More stringent energy efficiency regulations have forced the construction industry to implement tangible strategies to reduce the energy used for heating, cooling, air renewal and lighting. It is ideal to reduce the consumption of energy to begin with, so the first step is to optimize the building envelope and ensure it is fully airtight and thermally insulated. This is the famous ‘fabric first’ approach. 1. The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2022 – UN Environment Programme 47 CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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