Sustainability of the building stock is more than just decarbonisation

No matter how technological and modern a building may be, it is still used by people. For this reason, one of the factors that also influences the efficiency level of a building, whether commercial or residential, is human behaviour.

Nuno Rolo emphasised the importance of being aware of the paradigm shift that is currently underway. Energy consumers have not had to worry about the origin and availability of energy. It is a utility that is always there when needed. This is because energy generation is very distant (geographically and technologically) from the consumer. Currently, with the decentralisation of electricity generation, brought about by the growing installation of photovoltaic production plants at points of consumption, the paradigm is changing. “The consumer is a producer-consumer (prosumer). They now have an additional concern. They now index their energy consumption habits to the moment when the photovoltaic system produces it. This translates into a closer alignment between energy supply and demand, which has a positive influence on energy literacy and efficiency in the use of energy resources,” says Nuno Rolo.

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