The world is on alert for the climate crisis! İzocam draws attention to the importance of insulation both in order to save money by reducing the increasing energy costs and to reach the target of "energy efficient cities" of the future on 8 November World Urbanism Day.
World Urbanism Day is celebrated every year on November 8 with events organized on the urbanization agenda of both Turkey and the world. Leading the insulation industry in Turkey for 56 years, Izocam draws attention to the importance of insulation on this important day in order to save money by reducing rising energy costs and to create “energy efficient cities” that the future requires.
Increasing day by day, greenhouse gas emissions trigger global warming and pave the way for the climate crisis. In order for us to achieve our goal of creating a more livable world in the future, we need to reduce energy use soon and start using our existing resources much more efficiently. The concept of "energy efficient cities", which emerged with this awareness, reveals the necessity of determining energy policies with a strategic approach on a global basis for living spaces free from ecological problems.
Stating that the countries of the world have signed international agreements for zero greenhouse gas emissions, which is one of the most important steps of this goal, Izocam Managing Director Murat Savcı said “The European Union (EU), which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and to make the European continent the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050, draws attention to the fact that it has determined its roadmap with the ‘Fit For 55 Package’ published on 14 July. Accordingly, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 55 percent by 2030, emissions in the building sector must be reduced by 60 percent.
Most emissions from buildings come from general space heating and cooling. At this point, the importance of insulation in buildings comes into play. Insulation is our most important shield in the fight against the global warming and climate crisis that awaits our world.”
With the Paris Agreement, which was prepared on the basis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, it is aimed to keep the global temperature increase as low as 2 degrees Celsius, if possible, at the level of 1.5 degrees, compared to the pre-industrial period. In the agreement, unlike the Kyoto Protocol, the parties are required to set emission reduction and limitation targets by presenting their national contribution declarations (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution/INDC). Turkey, which has recently joined the list of countries that have signed the Paris Agreement, is also planning to renew its emission reduction targets in the "energy, waste, transportation, buildings, agriculture" sectors by updating the national contribution declarations in the 2030 target.
Along with the INDC declaration in Turkey, the necessity of constructing newly constructed residential and service buildings in an energy efficient manner in accordance with the Energy Performance Regulation in Buildings brought the obligation to reduce energy consumption over the years by creating an Energy Identity Certificate (EKB) in buildings. Noting that the Energy Identity Certificate requirement, which came into force last year, is an important factor in determining the value of buildings in terms of thermal insulation, Murat Savci said, “We now know that EKB must be submitted during the purchase, sale or even rental of buildings. In new buildings, the EKB class is expected to be in the C class at minimum, new buildings that are not built according to thermal insulation standards and with an Energy Performance Certificate lower than C can no longer get a license. EKB is a subject that should not only be considered for new buildings, but also for old buildings. If thermal insulation is taken into account during the renovation of old buildings, both the EKB class can be increased and the housing value will increase, and a savings of more than 60 percent will be achieved on natural gas bills for the households living there.”
Noting that the most important factor that determines the comfort of life in a house is to reach the right thermal values with the right insulation, Savci said, “The right insulation refers to the application of insulation in the appropriate material and thickness, as specified by the regulations, taking into account the fire risk, flammability load and sound insulation values of the buildings while performing the thermal insulation. While the right insulation increases the value of buildings and residences, it also raises the living standards of cities and contributes to the country's economy.”
Savci underlined that as a country that imports more than half of the energy we consume, “energy efficient cities” will also make a great contribution to the country's economy. “Taking Turkey into the consideration, we see that our energy imports amounted to 41.2 billion dollars in 2019, constituting 20.3% of the total imports of 202.7 billion dollars. In the first 9 months of 2020, our energy imports amounted to 21.5 billion dollars and 13.7% of our total imports of 156.2 billion dollars. With these levels, we can say that energy imports constitute the most important part of our foreign trade deficit. When we look at the data of the Turkish Statistical Institute, Turkey's energy import bill was at 8 billion 695 million dollars in the first quarter of 2021. In the last 10 years, the cost of total energy imports to the country's economy is over 450 billion dollars… Energy efficiency and good insulation practices are essential in order to reduce the current account deficit to lower levels and reduce our dependence on foreign energy.”
Stating that they have adopted energy efficiency as the most important agenda item, Izocam Managing Director Murat Savci also underlined the relationship between insulation-energy efficiency-multi-comfort houses. Savci said “The highest energy efficiency is achieved with multi-comfort buildings. Multi-comfort buildings, derived from the concept of a house with near zero energy, aiming at bio-climatic design and considering sustainable, ecological, economic and social factors, offer maximum thermal comfort with high energy savings. Multi-comfort buildings, which can accommodate extremely flexible design solutions both indoors and outdoors, providing perfect acoustic and visual comfort, quality indoor air, fire protection and safety, aim to provide at least 90 percent energy savings compared to an uninsulated building.”