So far, the greatest emphasis has been placed on energy efficiency in the renovation of buildings. Despite its undeniable importance, this should not be the only goal of recovery. Slovakia already has legislation enshrined in its legislation that new buildings should meet almost zero energy needs. Emphasis on the energy efficiency of a building should not be the only parameter of quality assessment in the future. The new approach should be about a more comprehensive approach to the restoration and incorporation of elements such as mechanical ventilation with recuperation, green roofs, water management measures, renewables or classroom acoustics.
"If we want to restore our public buildings to a level worthy of the 21st century, we need to move away from the usual way in which we insulated the building and replaced the windows and considered it renovated. The conditions of the investment that will go to us should not be satisfied only by reducing the energy demand on paper and should also place demands on other aspects. Part of a quality renovation should be energy management ensuring real energy savings, the application of adaptation measures or a strong emphasis on ensuring the quality of the indoor environment," said Richard Paksi, an analyst at the BPB platform.
Experts agree that we need to change our approach on several levels. Not only the state plays a role in the correct and motivating setting of policies and goals, but also the professional public and building users. "It is up to all of us to raise awareness of why it is important to renovate buildings. If users are aware of why fresh air or quality lighting is important not only in our homes, but also in schools and other public buildings, they will ask for this quality and the market will adapt with its offer, "added Katarína Nikodemová, director of the platform. Nobody would buy a car without air conditioning today. We should also demand quality for buildings. We spend up to 90% of our time in them.
We should also improve control tools. The current certification system, which is the main tool for quality control of building renovations, shows an error rate, or, the data on the certificates do not correspond to reality. In the second half of the year, the European Union is planning a revision of the directive on the energy performance of buildings, which also sets requirements for the energy certification of buildings. The measures should go deeper than hitherto and in line with the new climate targets. Slovakia will have to adapt to these stricter requirements and unify its legislation.
"In line with European and national orientations, it is equally important to start placing more emphasis on evaluation and assessment throughout the building's life cycle. It is necessary to start using the principles of more comprehensive certification procedures, which are defined, for example, by the European framework for the evaluation of Level (s) buildings,"added Paksi.
Source:// BPB
