A sort ofDespite climate protection, the Germans consume more and more energy in their four walls.As Federal Statistical Office It was announced on Friday that the upward trend continued until the outbreak of the new crown pandemic. Therefore, in 2019, local private households consumed 772 TWh, an increase of 1.1% over the previous year. Compared with 2012, the increase is as high as 10%. These values are adjusted for temperature effects, such as different weather conditions in each winter month.
So far, the largest amount of energy is used for room heating, that is, heating. This accounts for more than two-thirds of consumption per household on average. Followed by hot water, household appliances, and cooking and lighting. The figures for 2020 have not yet been announced. However, due to the increase in work from home, they may again significantly increase private energy consumption.
There are many reasons for the increase. The first is the increasing trend of per capita living space.According to the number of people Federal Environment Agency In 2019, the average apartment area in Germany was 91.9 square meters, an increase of about 1% over 2012. In addition, in recent years, more people have immigrated to the Federal Republic than have left the country. In addition, there are social changes and an increase in single-person households. According to data from the Federal Environment Agency, the average living area per German in 2019 was 47 square meters, an increase of nearly 2% over 2012.
More funds?
All of this is also reflected in the energy balance. The Federal Bureau of Statistics describes the synergy of several people coexisting in a family as follows: In 2019, a family of one person consumes an average of 12,125 kWh, while a two-person family “only” consumes 18,817 kWh and three people 25492 kWh. The more people sharing an apartment, the less electricity and heat per person.
However, Fabian Hein from the Agora Energiewende Institute said the changes in behavior are also obvious in numbers. The long-term trend of households consuming more hot water continues. Behind this, people may raise awareness of hygiene, that is, more, longer, and warmer showers.
Political efforts to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are thus offset. “The increasing energy demand for heating once again illustrates the urgency of accelerating building energy transformation and shifting to high-efficiency, climate-neutral heating systems (such as electric heat pumps),” Hein said. Only a fully insulated house and a climate-neutral heating system can reduce the energy demand for heating in the long term.
Agora researchers believe that the government must increase funding for this and adapt building standards to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2045. “Energy-efficient retrofits are not as many as actually needed,” said Lamia Messari-Becker, professor of building technology and building physics at Siegen University.
Katja Schumacher, energy economist at Freiburg Öko-Institut, mentioned the low refurbishment rate. It has been stagnant in about 1% of apartments for many years, and it takes about 2% to achieve long-term climate protection goals. She emphasized that the specific final energy demand per square meter is declining. However, this positive impact is at least offset by the increase in living space per capita, as more and more living areas are being heated.
Schumacher said that another aspect is the increase in the internal temperature of the living space after the renovation of existing and new buildings. For example, if the family kept the room temperature at a lower level in order to save costs, and can provide more heating comfort after renovation, then this effect will happen-economists talked about the rebound effect. This also resulted in lower energy savings than expected.
