Award for greenhouse gas calculator for healthcare institutions
At Heidelberg University's IMAPCT DAY 2025, research projects that promise great benefits for the economy and society were honoured. In the KliOL project, ifeu, in collaboration with the Heidelberg Institute for Global Health (HIGH), developed a greenhouse gas calculator for healthcare institutions, which is available free of charge in collaboration with the Competence Centre for Climate Resilient Medicine and Healthcare Facilities (KliMeG) and is already being used by many clinics.
Less - different - communal: strategies for a fulfilling, resource-conserving life
Whether socially, materially or ecologically, the earth's resources are limited. Accordingly, in recent years there has been a growing awareness in Germany and other European countries of the need to use our planet's social, material and ecological resources sparingly.1 The desire to consume ‘less’ and ‘differently’ is increasing, but how we move from wanting to act and firmly integrate planet-friendly behaviour into our everyday lives is usually difficult. This is precisely where the two-part joint project ‘SuPraStadt - Quality of life, participation and resource conservation through the social diffusion of sufficiency practices in urban neighbourhoods’ comes in. At the end of the overall project (SuPraStadt I + II), the results have now been published in up-to-date, tried-and-tested instructions for reading, listening and trying out.
Study on the evaluation of measures in municipal climate action is available
In the project “Instruments for municipal climate action work (IkKa)”, ifeu has developed a methodology for evaluating climate action measures that supports municipal climate action managers in selecting and prioritizing measures. The results have now been implemented in the online-based software “Maßnahmen-Planer” and are thus available to this target group. All background information on the methodology can be found on the project website.
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NUTS2-Report published
Anyone who places biofuels on the market and wants them to count towards the statutory quota obligations must state the greenhouse gas balance for each individual delivery. Part of the balance relates to cultivation, e.g. for rapeseed or maize, if biofuels are produced from them. This balancing is quite complex, which is why the EU member states can provide the obligated parties with region-specific standard values. On behalf of the German government, ifeu calculated these values - the so-called NUTS2 values - back in 2010. The data has since had to be updated. This was carried out by ifeu on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency. The figures are now available to economic operators and have also been officially published by the EU Commission in the form of an implementing regulation.
Background report provides data and facts for the national biomass strategy
How much wood will be available for building, heating or manufacturing wood products in the future? How much agricultural land will be used to grow food and animal feed? How much livestock will be acceptable in the future in the context of climate targets? What role do waste and residual materials play as suppliers of energy and raw materials? These and other questions are answered in a recent background report compiled by the six research institutes Öko-Institut, the German Biomass Research Centre, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, ifeu - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and the Thünen Institutes for Market Analysis and Forestry. The report summarises key data, results and considerations on the potential of biomass and its uses in a compact format.
Evaluation reports 2023 of the federal subsidy for efficient buildings (BEG)
With the ‘Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings’ (BEG), the federal government is promoting both the energy-efficient refurbishment efforts of building owners and the switch to heating with renewable energies. Since 2022, ifeu has had the annually recurring task of evaluating the BEG as an independent research institute. This is done together with its consortium partners Prognos AG, FIW and ITG and on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). Within this framework, it will be examined whether the objectives pursued are actually being realised in practice and with what effect. The Ministry has now published the evaluation reports for the 2023 funding year.
ifeu-Podcast: „To built or not to built – how grey emissions are fuelling the climate“
Around 10 % of German climate emissions are caused by building materials. In the new podcast episode of ‘ifeu Update’, civil engineer Florian Maiwald talks to science journalist Nora Lessing about how these greenhouse gases can be curbed: How ECE are created and what Germany can do to reduce them. His conclusion: ‘We need a potpourri of many different solutions for the construction sector and a structured, gradual introduction of limit values.’ In order to curb ECE, for example, building demolition and new construction would have to be moderately curbed and existing buildings better utilised.
Shaping research policy for the future: Ecornet presents position paper
The future German government should base its research policy on a forward-looking and reliable research strategy that addresses current societal challenges and takes future developments into account. These and other recommendations were published today in a position paper by the Ecological Research Network, a network of leading sustainability and futurology institutes.
ifeu at the 13th German Energy Consultants' Day in Frankfurt/M.
On 20 March 2025, the German Energy Consultants' Day will take place for the 13th time in Frankfurt am Main. On this occasion, experts as well as committed practitioners, decision-makers and thought leaders in energy consulting will meet again this year to exchange ideas, network and provide orientation for the practical implementation of the heating transition. Ifeu Managing Director Prof Dr Martin Pehnt will speak about zero-emission buildings.