Insulation Is an Investment in Both Our Environment and Our Future

Insulation: Investment in Our Environment and Our Future World Environment Day, celebrated on 5 June since 1974 worldwide, aims to draw public and government attention to environmental issues. İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, noting that awareness efforts have fallen short in addressing the Global Climate Crisis, whose effects grow more severe each year, said in a message released on the occasion of World Environment Day: "There are steps every person must take to protect our world, humanity's homeland. Having insulation installed in our buildings for sustainable futures is one of them… Insulation that provides energy efficiency in buildings is of great importance as an investment in both our environment and our future." İZODER Heat Water Sound and Fire Insulation Association Board Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, drawing attention to warning bells sounding on the global climate crisis, stated: "We are experiencing many negative developments such as visible shifts in seasons, prolonged drought periods, sudden floods, and forest fires. To stop the danger posed by the Climate Crisis, one of today's most serious problems, we must first be aware of the danger, then take necessary steps regardless of whether they are small or large." You can reduce your energy bills by 50 percent and the country's energy bill by approximately 15 percent Noting that Turkey imports 71 percent of its energy and 99 percent of its natural gas, Emrullah Eruslu said: "Last year, approximately 100 billion dollars were spent on energy imports. An important portion of this energy—31 percent—is consumed in buildings. Due to buildings without thermal insulation, high bills are paid for heating in winter and cooling in summer, and the environment is polluted. However, thermally insulated buildings reduce energy expenses by 50 percent, providing significant savings to budgets. By having insulation installed in both new buildings to be constructed and existing buildings, it is possible to reduce our country's total energy bill by approximately 15 percent. At this point, with the Insulation Credit offered by public banks at 0.99 percent interest with terms of up to 60 months, should 300,000 households be insulated annually, greenhouse gas reduction is calculated to be around 13.5 million tons of carbon dioxide after 5 years. This equals the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed over 5 years by a forest area of 50,000 decares composed of 124,000 trees." [caption id="attachment_150429" align="aligncenter"] İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu[/caption] Expressing the importance for Turkey of the Paris Climate Agreement signed in 2016 with the goal of preventing climate change being ratified in parliament, İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu continued as follows: "Our country increased its greenhouse gas reduction target from 21 percent to 41 percent under the Paris Climate Agreement's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). At this point, improving U values (thermal transmittance values) is of great importance in order to provide greater energy efficiency in buildings. As İZODER, we conducted intensive work on improving U values and continue our efforts. We launched and successfully completed our 'U-Turn Campaign'. Following our campaign, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, on 19 February 2022, amended the Building Energy Performance Regulation, adding definitions related to the Nearly Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) concept to our regulations. From 1 January 2023, all buildings with total construction area on the parcel exceeding 5,000 square meters are required to be built in accordance with the nZEB concept. From 1 January 2025, the nZEB building requirement is being lowered to 2,000 square meters. The regulation brought about an increase in the minimum energy performance from "C" to "B" and an approximately 2-3 cm increase in insulation material thicknesses used in thermal insulation. In this way, the use of coated insulation glass units and windows with improved thermal insulation values will also increase. Here, the rapid implementation of nZEB buildings and proper inspection of them are of great importance."

Our energy waste is 3 to 5 times greater than developed countries

İZODER Chairman Emrullah Eruslu, saying that the use of energy limits defined in Turkey in 2008 causes significant waste in energy, concluded with the following remarks: "In the European Union, since 2019 all new public buildings and from the beginning of 2020 all new buildings are being constructed as nearly zero-energy buildings. In many developed countries, buildings are designed and constructed with insulation such that annual energy consumption per square meter for heating and cooling is 30-50 kWh. In our country, building energy consumption is still at the level of 120-150 kWh (per square meter/year). With the nZEB, which has become mandatory through the regulation revision, we will bring energy consumption to the 100-120 kWh level in a limited number of buildings with total construction area exceeding 5,000 square meters. Buildings outside the scope will continue to consume energy at the level of 120-150 kWh. In summary, our current energy waste is 3 to 5 times greater compared to developed countries. Without waiting for tomorrow, we must construct all our buildings today according to the nZEB concept. We need to bring our energy limits and U values to the level of developed countries as soon as possible, as defined in the Energy Efficiency Strategy Document. By launching a nationwide campaign for energy-efficient, environmentally conscious and comfortable construction, we can invest in the future."