Abstract
AbstractFollowing the invasion of Ukraine and the associated energy policy tensions with Russia, the EU began looking at how it could replace Russian energy sources. One of the proposed solutions is to decrease energy consumption. Buildings have been the principal target, owing to their high energy usage – especially of natural gas, which the EU is particularly keen on reducing. This literature review article summarises existing knowledge on the potential energy savings that can be made through energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings in Central and Eastern Europe. The countries in this region share common traits due to their Communist past and associated legacy of poor energy efficiency, both generally and in buildings in particular. At the same time, Central and Eastern Europe contains a range of geographical and climatic regions, and so, the findings of this paper are applicable to other regions. This bibliometric analysis identifies three main areas (insulation, heating source and policy) in which the academic literature has identified potential for energy efficiency improvements to buildings. On the basis of these findings, this paper looks at the policy implications for reducing energy consumption in buildings and thus helps the EU to become less dependent on energy supplies from Russia.
Funder
Comenius University in Bratislava
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference161 articles.
1. Aboltins, R., & Blumberga, D. (2019). Key factors for successful implementation of energy efficiency policy instruments: A theoretical study and the case of Latvia. Environmental and Climate Technologies, 23(2), 187–206. https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2019-0063
2. Attia, S., Eleftheriou, P., Xeni, F., Morlot, R., Ménézo, C., Kostopoulos, V., et al. (2017). Overview and future challenges of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) design in Southern Europe. Energy and Buildings, 155, 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.043
3. Bartek-Lesi, M., Dézsi, B., Diallo, A., Felsmann, B., Horváth, G., Kerekes, L., et al. (2020). National Energy and Climate Plans in the Danube Region. Budapest. https://energy.danube-region.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/sites/6/2022/03/NECP-Danube-Region-policy-recommendations_final.pdf. Accessed 21 Dec 2023
4. Bauer, A., Möller, S., Gill, B., & Schröder, F. (2021). When energy efficiency goes out the window: How highly insulated buildings contribute to energy-intensive ventilation practices in Germany. Energy Research & Social Science, 72, 101888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101888
5. Bazan-Krzywoszańska, A., Mrówczyńska, M., Skiba, M., & Łączak, A. (2016). Economic conditions for the development of energy efficient civil engineering using RES in the policy of cohesion of the European Union (2014–2020). Case study: The town of Zielona Gora. Energy and Buildings, 118, 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.02.048