Energy performance of European residential buildings: Energy use, technical and environmental characteristics of the Greek residential sector – energy conservation and CO₂ reduction

Abstract This paper presents the energy, the technical and the environmental characteristics of residential buildings in Greece, as well as their potential for energy conservation, based on their actual energy consumption data. The technical characteristics of residential buildings related to their energy performance (insulation, type of openings, system for space heating and cooling, etc.), the actual energy use (kWh.m−2.year−1) and the environmental factors (kgCO₂.m−2.year−1) related to energy consumption, are some of the parameters of this survey. The average annual specific energy consumption of residential buildings in Greece was 112 kWh·m−2·year−1 in 2014, the 6th lower consumption among the 28 European member states (EU-28) in which the average residential building energy consumption is of about 158.8 kWh·m−2·year−1. The potential of space heating energy conservation for Greek residential buildings was estimated, based on (i) the 2011 heating energy consumption data and (ii) the percentages of space heating energy conservation, calculated by analysing 144 different types of residential buildings, having various geometric and technical characteristics, such as the A/V ratio (envelope area to volume of building), the heating degree hours (HDHs) and various occupancy profiles. The resulting average actual energy consumption is much lower than that calculated using Heating Degree Hours (HDHs) or the method of Hellenic Building Energy Performance Regulation (REPB). Almost 45% of these buildings were built before 1980, without any thermal insulation or double glazing. The compliance of these buildings to the minimum requirements of the REPB (related to thermal insulation and the efficiency of their electromechanical systems), could result to about 24.4 TWh of savings in space heating energy annually, i.e. to about 32–175 kWh·m−2·year−1, depending on the climate zone that corresponds to 8.5–46.2 kgCO₂·m−2·year−1 reduction.

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