11/19/2025

Discussion paper ‘Future Standard for Old Buildings’ published – How we can accelerate building renovation and make it fairer

Robert Kneschke - stock.adobe.com

Building renovation faces a dilemma: on the one hand, renovation must be carried out more quickly and cost-effectively, but on the other hand, climate protection and social justice must not be neglected. In their new discussion paper “Zukunftsstandard Altbau” (Future Standard for Old Buildings), Martin Pehnt from ifeu and Thomas Auer from the Technical University of Munich show ways in which the Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG) can be reformed – towards more pragmatism, efficiency and social balance.

The focus is on the following proposals:

• Simplification of the funding structure: Abolition of efficiency house funding and consolidation of the programme pillars for heating and building envelope funding. The ‘future standard for old buildings’ is to serve as the new benchmark – based on the EU's Zero Emission Building (ZEB) standard.
• Strengthening individual measures, harmonising basic subsidies: Until now, heating replacement and complete renovations have been heavily subsidised, while measures relating to the building envelope have often been neglected. The paper calls for harmonisation of subsidy rates and flexible solutions that are also effective in difficult structural conditions (e.g. listed buildings).
• Correcting social imbalances: Current subsidies often favour high-income owners. The authors propose giving greater consideration to social criteria – for example, through interest-free loans for low-income households.

The authors are providing scientific support for numerous renovation projects – from social housing in Freiburg to Wilhelminian-style buildings in Vienna. Their analysis shows that there is no single ‘right’ way, but rather different strategies that must be tailored to the building, budget and living situation. From step-by-step renovations (‘quick wins first’) to complete renovation in one go, the paper uses specific projects from five cities to show how different strategies can lead to the desired goal.

‘Our goal is to design subsidies in such a way that they create incentives – for owners, tenants and society as a whole,’ says Martin Pehnt. ‘Because only when renovation becomes easier and more affordable will we make progress in the energy transition.’

Press release on the publication of the discussion paper (in German)

The paper is available for download: Zukunftsstandard Altbau (in German)