Employment effects and needs for vocational training and qualification in the field of energy-saving building refurbishment : summary and action recommendations

The buildings sector accounts for about 40% of final energy consumption in Germany, and by far the largest part of this is due to old buildings. In total, more than 80% of the final energy consumed in households is used for space heating and hot water (Federal Statistical Office 2010). Implementing the economically worthwhile measures for reducing energy consumption in the buildings sector would permit at least a 20 percent reduction in Germany‟stotal emis-sions by 2020 (McKinsey 2007). At present, however, the potential in the field of energy-saving building refurbishment is not being exploited to the full, whether in terms of technological possibilities or economic efficiency. For example, on average only about 1/3 of the economically worthwhile savings potential in the buildings sector is being exploited (Kleemann 2006). The German government has therefore identified energy-saving building refurbishment as one of the central fields of activity in its energy and climate programme, which means that relevant assistance programmescan be expected to continue in the future as well. To ensure efficient exploitation of the energy-saving refurbishment potential, it is first necessary to use information and promotion measures to create and maintain the demand. However, it is equally important to ensure availability of the qualified personnel needed for consultation, planning and implementation –which means creating suitable training courses.