In recent years, emissions in the building sector have hardly declined. The sector still accounts for approximately 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany, when all associated emissions are included. To achieve climate neutrality by 2045, the transition in the heating sector must therefore accelerate. At the same time, the social sustainability of the heating transition must be considered if people are to become active drivers of this transformation. 

A policy brief by the initiative Energy Systems of the Future provides an overview for decision-makers on how this can be achieved. Among other things, it addresses the following questions:

• To what extent can focusing on buildings with poor energy performance – so-called Worst Performing Buildings – accelerate the heating transition?
• How can social sustainability be implemented in the heating transition?
• Who is vulnerable in the heating transition, and which compensatory measures exist for vulnerable groups?
• How can the quality and availability of data in the building sector be improved?
• What framework conditions should be created to ensure a successful heating transition?

The ESYS brief shows that Worst Performing Buildings represent a key lever for rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. 

At the same time, social and societal factors must be taken into account, since the heating transition has direct impacts on people’s daily lives and on the development of energy costs. This applies both to owner-occupiers and, in particular, to tenants.

To formulate and evaluate effective measures for the heating transition, the data situation in the building sector must be improved. This requires the collection of additional data. Energy performance certificates, for example, could serve as a suitable data source. In addition, data accessibility must be improved, for instance through the creation of an energy performance certificate database.

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