Although, as a country, we import energy to a large extent, we waste half the energy we use for heating and cooling in our residences. However, real savings in housing starts with insulation.
The only way to reduce the natural gas bill, which has increased with the last price increases, is to apply thermal insulation to the buildings we live in. In addition to increasing safety and comfort, a great efficiency opportunity emerges with thermal insulation, saving up to 50 percent in energy consumption and natural gas bills.
31 percent of the energy consumed in Turkey is used in buildings. 80 percent of the energy consumed in buildings is used for heating and cooling purposes. This increase in consumption, brought an increase in energy imports in our country - which imports 74% of its energy.
According to TURKSTAT data, energy imports, which reached about 27.2 billion dollars in 2016, increased by 37 percent in 2017, reaching approximately 37.2 billion dollars, and in 2018 it increased by 15.6% and reached 43 billion dollars.
Savings of 6 billion TL is Possible in 5 Years
Today, as a country, we need to perform insulation applications that will comply with regulations and standards in order to achieve safe and healthy structures.
The “Urban Transformation Action Plan” announced by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization on September 12, should be used as an important opportunity to bring the insulation legislation implemented in our country to the same level with the EU countries.
According to the ‘2018 Energy Balance’ report announced by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the energy consumption in our country was around 108.5 million TEP in 2018.
Within the framework of the new action plan, the annual energy savings of approximately 300 thousand houses per year in accordance with the existing legislation correspond to approximately 97.5 million cubic meters of natural gas for heating and 314 million kWh for cooling.
When heating and cooling are evaluated together, the amount of savings to be obtained is around 220 thousand tons equivalent oil (TEP).
The annual economic size provided by the efficiency that can be obtained when evaluated over oil prices is on the order of 425 million TL / year. Therefore, it is possible to save over 6 billion TL in a 5-year period.
5.6 Million Houses Need Insulation in Turkey
Thermal insulation applications have been mandatory since 14 June 2000. Even if we assume that all the buildings built after this date are insulated, only about 20 percent of our total building stock is covered by the legislation on thermal insulation.
As of 2017 there are 9.1 million buildings in Turkey of which 87 percent of these structures are qualified residential buildings. The number of households is over 22 million.
Considering the buildings that will be demolished, individually insulated and newly built within the scope of urban transformation, it turns out that approximately 5.6 million houses need insulation.
On the other hand, approximately 150 thousand existing houses are heat-insulated every year. With the introduction of the thermal insulation regulation, the energy consumed in the houses has decreased from 68.7 percent to 59.9 percent after 2009, with the minimum class of C insulation and above.
For our country to achieve its energy efficiency and environmental goals, actions should be taken for old buildings which were manufactured before the legislation on thermal insulation.
Therefore, it is very important to realize the urban transformation action plan and the consumer-oriented insulation campaign. Transforming all buildings in Turkey to heat-insulated buildings, we can reduce our country’s total energy bill by about 15 percent.
We can Save $ 9 Billion Annually
When we isolate all existing buildings in our country, we will be able to provide serious energy efficiency. The average of the last 10 years, Turkey’s energy imports $ 45 billion. Combined with the energy we produce our own resources, today Turkey’s total energy cost is around $ 60 billion, annually.
We have the potential to save $ 9 billion annually by only making buildings energy efficient (at least Class C buildings). It should be acknowledged that, largest share in the total imports of Turkey is energy. In foreign trade, energy imports create deficit.
Therefore, saving 9 billion dollars in buildings every year will have a significant contribution to the national economy.
Turkey is the country, whose building stock grows fastest in Europe. While the transition to almost zero energy buildings has started in the EU, when we look at our current standards, the annual energy amount that is allowed to be spent for heating an area of one square meter in our country is far above the developed countries.
When we compare the U values defined in developed countries and the U values recommended in our country, we see that we should turn to more efficient solutions as a country. For all of the buildings in Turkey, to achieve a more energy efficient environmentally friendly building should be our primary goal.
Energy Identity Certificate Costs are very Modest
The Energy Identity Document, which entered our lives with the Energy Efficiency Law published on February 22, 2007, has made it mandatory for all houses in our country to obtain an Energy Identity Document until January 1, 2020.
For new buildings to get a settlement, they must have at least a Class C Energy Identity Certificate. Access to class C conditions is only possible by insulating buildings in accordance with the legislation. A Class C Energy Identity Certificate in new buildings indicates that the building meets the minimum regulatory requirements.
Classes B and A gradually point to buildings that benefit from efficient, renewable energy above regulatory requirements.
Now when buying, selling or renting a house, you should not only look at its location, view, number of rooms, but also the identity document. The Energy Identity Document, which shows how much energy the buildings spend, also determines its class.
In the Energy Identity Document, the building’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are classified between A and G. This classification is made by considering the minimum conditions defined by the legislation of the year the building was built.
In the buildings with high energy class registered with the document; it is understood that thermal insulation, glass-windows and heating- cooling-ventilation systems are more efficient than other structures. The cost of obtaining an Energy Identity Certificate is even lower than DASK insurance (Natural Disaster Insurance Institution).
The cost of getting this document starts at an average of 40 TL according to the properties of the building. In addition, the number of institutions that will issue this document is sufficient in our country.
Thermal Insulation Mobilization Should be Started with ‘Insulation Campaign’
As İZODER, we expect the insulation loan campaign, which we have been working on for a long time, to be implemented in order to support the purchasing power of the consumer.
The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Fatih Dönmez, made the following statement about the campaign, in which İZODER also contributed during the preparation phase; “Our sector is ready, our NGOs are ready, and our bankers are very warm to finance this business.
There are some regulations to be made by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. After completing them, we will offer the long-term and very low in stallment loan to our citizens. The VAT refund, which will be put into practice as part of the campaign, is expected to continue until 2023.
With this campaign, it is foreseen that 300 thousand houses will be insulated every year in accordance with the current legislation, and the annual natural gas savings will be 375 million cubic meters. The annual cost of this saved natural gas to our country is around 610 million TL.”
Within the framework of the campaign, it is planned to make a VAT refund of approximately 400 million TL per year for 300 thousand households.
Therefore, with the campaign, the government is expected to earn a total of over 1.2 billion TL, of which 200 million TL / year. In addition, the employment to be provided by the insulation applications to be carried out within the campaign is aimed to reach approximately 20 thousand people.
There is a total earnings of over 3.6 billion TL that can be earned during the campaign. In this context, we believe that the campaign, which includes a VAT refund, should be implemented as soon as possible and a mobilization of thermal insulation should be initiated in our country.
The Cost of Thermal Insulation is not Much
The cost of thermal insulation in a newly built building is 2 to 5 percent of the total cost. Our investment in thermal insulation pays approximately 50 percent of heating bills and pays for itself in a maximum of 5 years.
The cost of applying insulation to a citizen with a house of 100 square meters varies between 7.000 – 8.500 TL according to the features of the building, the number of facades of the apartment and which thermal insulation board will be applied. Thanks to the thermal insulation that can be applied at a reasonable cost, we have a healthy, safe and comfortable living space every season.
We can contribute billions of dollars to our country’s economy every year if we use all the buildings with the right insulation practices by making good use of the urban transformation opportunity. making insulated buildings in Turkey, we can reduce the total energy bill of our country about 15%.
Similarly, it is necessary to state that the details that are correctly designed and applied when building buildings in waterproofing are very economical. It is possible to carry out works that will keep the structure away from the corrosion and effects that will protect the building for years with the figures of 4-5% on the rough cost of the building.
Levent Pelesen
Chairman of the Board
İZODER (Association of Thermal Insulation, Waterproofing, Sound Insulation and
Fireproofing Material Producers, Suppliers and Applicators)
