Insulation is ecologically doubtful and terribly expensive (Frankfurter Allgemeine)

Germany is being packed with Styrofoam plates. This is ecologically doubtful, terribly expensive, and the houses go quickly broke. And it threatens other risks.

Germany is packed: insulation boards as thick as mattresses cover the exterior facades – all seem to undergo the same transformation for the sake of energy saving. “Between 2006 and 2013, 3.4 million homes have been funded with a total investment of 150 billion €” recounts Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks (SPD). And she seems to be proud of this feat. And it sounds like someone who does not get any subsidy and does not contribute to the fight against climate change is stupid.

Another 838 to 953 billion € will be invested by 2050 in Germany in order to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, as per estimates provided by the Prognos research institute. The KfW is promoting programme after programme across the country, all of them subsidized by tax-payers.

The insulation has turned into a sort of doctrine of faith, whose rules are constantly reinforced, regardless of the political coalition ruling in Berlin. The red-and-black government announced on May 1 that the provision of an energy-performance certificate will be mandatory and threatened hefty fines for the eventual non compliance with this principle. By January 1, 2016 the so-called “efficiency standards” for new buildings will be tightened by another 25%.  

None can say a word against energy saving: there is nothing wrong in proper heating, good windows, or an insulated roof. However does this ominous widespread insulation really help? The Swiss newspaper “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” has already been making fun out of this insulation-mania dubbing the Germans as a people made of sealers and insulators: insulate or die! Germany’s Association of Architects has also raised doubts: ugliness does not bring any positive effects. “If none wants to live or work in a certain building because it looks ugly, well, that does not help at all in the fight against climate change,” says CEO Tillmann Prinz. 

Those that are campaigning for this cause state that about 40% of the total energy consumption is being swallowed by buildings. To stop global warming, by 2050 every single house shall be energy-efficient. Since the concern about global warming does not seem to be enough to motivate people to undertake the necessary actions, our politicians are pushing that campaign by adding another argument: “Insulation is well worth its costs.” The propaganda machine has been repeating this adagio since years, supported by NGOs, such as Dena, which is always ready to provide figures, thereby presenting itself as saviour of the climate and as consumers’ advocate. The chemical industry is definitely in favour of all this: after all, they want to sell their Styrofoam. The thicker the building needs to be, the better for them.  

Energy renovation: is that only a waste of money?

The lobby of that cause conveys its message and campaign through several internet websites, where it presents itself as a neutral and independent party, notwithstanding the fact that they declare Styrofoam would be “systematically important and indispensable”. For those who profit of the insulation-mania, the energy renovation is always worth the price you pay, but does this apply also to people who do not belong to that lobby? “Definitely not,” says Konrad Fischer, an architect who works in Franconia. “There is nothing of what the insulation industry says that corresponds to reality,” he says quite angrily. This man has conveyed this message on radio and TV and has since become known as the “fighter against the insulation-mania”.

Rumours are spreading around relating to the doubtful ecological benefits and financial returns of insulation. The Chambers of Architects have also been warning their members before exaggerated promises: “The theoretical energy savings resulting from calculations do never reflect those you get in reality,” says an official in Stuttgart. In such case, the client may even sue the architect once the construction of a new building is complete. The first processes are already underway. On the other hand, the Association of Home Owners advises that such insulation is practically never worth. “We recommend insulating only in case a façade has to be completely renovated,” says Corinna Kodim, an energy consultant at “Haus & Grund”. “10 to 20-cm thick insulation boards are the optimum, but nowadays, from time to time, you get to see boards that are 30-cm thick. This is a pure nonsense.”