Top Climate Plan
A quarter of Germany's total energy consumption is accounted for by private households. Older buildings in particular have extensive potential for energy savings. The Internationale Bauausstellung IBA (International Building Exhibition) Hamburg has therefore highlighted this issue, making it the focus of its “Top Climate Plan: Achieving Environmentally Friendly Buildings with the IBA” campaign, launched in 2009.
The IBA’s “Renewable Wilhelmsburg” Climate Protection Concept aims at a gradual transition to a fully renewable energy supply on the Elbe islands. Renovating the existing housing stock offers the greatest potential for energy savings. In order to achieve the target, the IBA Hamburg and several project partners have supported the campaign, which involves planning, issuing of energy passes, implementing quality assurance, and three-yearly monitoring to check that energy saving renovation work remains effective.
The IBA project was targeted specifically at private homeowners, who were offered financial support and expert advice as encouragement to renovate their buildings, to make them more energy-efficient.
The “Top Climate Plan” campaign was launched in January 2009. In the first phase, a total of 65 applicants were granted the special “IBA Excellence” Hamburg Energy Pass. This provides information about the energy saving potential of the inspected building. Most of the homeowners also received a thermal imaging scan of their roof and façade.
The plan is also good news money-wise. In the second phase, the participants were eligible to receive financial support for their renovation work, up to € 10,000 per property. In order to qualify, owners needed to meet at least four of the seven “IBA Excellence in Renovation Standards” criteria.
“IBA Excellence in Renovation Standards” Criteria
- Insulation of the roof
- Insulation of the external walls
- Insulation of the cellar ceiling
- Window replacement close to meeting the Passive House standard
- Use of controlled ventilation with heat recovery
- Heating and hot water supply primarily using renewable forms of energy
- Construction of a photovoltaic unit for generating power
