Rockwool Group CEO: It’s time to act!
There is no more time to waste, and there is no reason to postpone energy efficiency initiatives. These were the key messages from Rockwool Group CEO Eelco van Heel who held a presentation made at a COP15 side event.
Eelco van Heel, CEO of the Rockwool Group At an event within the Climate Summit conference venue on 9 December, Eelco van Heel, CEO of the Rockwool Group, spoke from a business perspective about energy efficiency. He made clear that it is time to act and that there are good reasons to do so right now.
“What are we waiting for? The technology is there today, and we will be able to measure the results from our efforts immediately,” Eelco van Heel said and continued:
“We must create energy efficient buildings because of climate change. This is evident. But it is also about reducing our dependency on fossil fuels, and it is about creating jobs. We have calculated that if all refurbishments going on in the EU were based on energy efficiency measures, 460 million tons of CO2 could be saved every year, and 500,000 jobs could be created.”
Need for speed
Mr. Eelco van Heel also addressed the issue of why progress on energy efficiency in buildings at times seems to go at a slow pace.
“For those of us who are involved in energy efficiency in buildings, supporting the right measures is an easy decision to make. But when you ask most people, you find that this issue has low priority and that there is a lack of knowledge,” he explained.
He called for increased focus on energy efficiency in buildings; in particular it must be part of political aspirations to abate the climate change issue, and of practical measures such as the skillset of the workforce. However, there is also reason to be optimistic, according to Mr. van Heel. New houses can be built as lowenergy buildings with little extra cost yet with remarkable savings on the subsequent energy bills. The big challenge is the renovation market, which holds huge potential for energy savings.
Keeping the North warm and the South cold
“The Rockwool Group has its headquarters in Scandinavia so we are used to insulating our buildings against the cold. However, we have to realise that most of us on planet earth live in warm conditions and that the use of air-conditioning is growing. Therefore we have to get away from thinking that insulation is only about keeping the cold out, and keeping it nice and warm inside. The other way round - keeping it cool inside and keeping the heat out - is just as important,” Mr. Eelco Van Heel said.
He also stressed that energy efficiency in buildings is the single most important factor in the effort to mitigate climate change. Some 40per cent of the energy in the EU is used in buildings, and a large part of CO2 emissions come from heating, cooling and ventilation.
“We must also realise that 70 per cent of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2030. The result of this urbanisation will be an increase in CO2 emissions by 2030 of some 50 per cent. It is a very serious situation and we need to do something about it now.”
Chinese