SaKEM – Renovation solutions for decarbonising the building stock of Austrian KEM municipalities

Current climate and energy policy targets envisage a significant reduction in energy consumption and thus CO2 emissions in Europe’s and Austria’s building stock, which still accounts for around 40% of Europe’s CO2 emissions. A tailor-made renovation process and a catalogue of solutions and measures for rapid and high-quality renovation are important for the complete decarbonisation of the building stock. This will enable municipalities and cities to phase out fossil fuels and reduce energy consumption in buildings by 2040. This objective requires acceleration and quality improvement in comprehensive renovation with new methods in inventory analysis, planning and promotion that can be implemented locally.

An analysis of former used renovation measures and processes, and a comparison with similar high-quality renovations implemented in the Weiz-Gleisdorf region, such as the Semriach Elementary School (klimaaktiv Gold) or the Weiz District Authority building (PH renovation), aims to streamline and improve the concept and implementation. At least five more municipal buildings will be designed and planned to a high standard as examples for a decarbonization strategy for existing buildings. Costs, organizational and legal issues, EU directives such as EED III, stakeholders, and the surrounding neighbourhood will play a central role in this process. A catalogue of findings will serve as a multiplier for other Austrian KEM (Climate and Energy Model Region) activities.