Architecture & Design

30 | Architecture & Design WHY BUILDINGS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF AN ENERGY EFFICIENT FUTURE B uildings and their operational use are a critical piece of our transition to a lower- carbon future. They are where we live, where we rest, and where we work. Based on the Long-Term Renovation Study (LTRS) issued in 2021, buildings are in fact responsible for a large share of the world's energy consumption and contribute towards emissions. It is a well-known fact that the energy sector is a contributor to climate change through the generation of emissions. In Malta, these emissions directly contributes to around 15% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are a key sector in our efforts towards a climate-neutral EU. One major source can be seen in residential buildings. Based on Eurostat, Malta's residential sector in 2019 was responsible for 14.5% of the final energy consumption, which includes energy used for the building itself and appliances (compared to an EU average of 25%). It is proven that new buildings (built from 2015 onwards), consume on average 20% less energy than those built prior to this date. Having said this, retrofitting of buildings constitute to much less overall GHG emissions over the contribution of new buildings. In a world where energy usage is so fundamental, improving building energy performance should not be considered as an option, but a fundamental obligation., A number of actions actions can be put into place to reduce the climate footprint of our homes. A number of strategies in this regard have been issued by the Government over the past years, these include the adoption of measures for sustainable energy use such as, the Long Term Renovation Strategy (LTRS), the National Environment and Climate Plan (NECP), the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings Plan for Malta (nZEB). Malta wants to remain ambitious in its energy targets and enhance energy efficiency. It remains determined to continue in its pathway towards climate neutrality and will continue to take action to reduce emissions, even from the power generation sector. Over the past weeks the Government has introduced voluntary consumption reduction measures in all public buildings. This has been adopted so that the public sector leads by example. Public initiatives are essential to spearhead change however the Government has been promoting a number of incentive and grant programmes which play an essential role into making the building stock cleaner and smarter. But what is factually being done? Space Heating and Cooling In residential buildings, most energy consumption goes to power the heating/cooling system. The primary approach to combating this is through insulation, particularly insulation of exposed walls and roofs. This is particularly important in the case of apartment blocks, where it is evident that lack of insulation is the poorest performing aspect. Over the past months, the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise has issued grants worth €500,000 to enable households to invest in better performance

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