Issues Related to Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Buildings. from Thermal Retrofit to Deep Energy Renovation at nZEB Level

In the conditions of the ever-increasing demands of the users and the continuously rising price of fossil fuels, today, the operational energy demand of buildings has become hardly bearable. In the context of global sustainability requirements, it is proposed to build constructions whose energy consumption is as low as possible or almost equal to zero, both new and existing buildings. This fact is of particular importance because buildings consume 40% of total energy and are responsible for 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. In the European Union, 80% of the energy used by households represents heating, cooling and domestic hot water. Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 requires deep renovation of existing buildings to enhance energy efficiency, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and increase renewable resource use.

The paper presents the current state of Romania’s buildings, as well as the arguments for accelerating thermal rehabilitation works, from the perspective of obtaining an energy efficient and decarbonized building stock by the year 2050. Examples of good practices, initiatives, and representative pilot projects are presented, as well as an analysis of the new criteria existing buildings must meet in case of undertaking deep and major renovations to meet the nZEB principles.