The search for the most eco-efficient strategies for sustainable housing transformations

Dutch ideas for stressing the responsibility of homeowners for housing quality

Discussion on the potential impact of the energy certificate on existing housing: The UK as a case study

In 2003 the European Commission introduced the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in recognition of the importance of energy savings in the urban housing stock. One of the key elements described in the Directive is the introduction of energy certificates in a property transaction. This article discusses the anticipated efficiency...

Sustainable housing policies and the environmental potential of the existing housing stock in Europe

What is the environmental potential of the existing housing stock in the EU and the accession countries? How prepared are the countries to face the challenge of the existing housing stock? This article describes policies and policy instruments currently used to encourage sustainable renovation in Europe based on the national progress reports of...

Improvement of information for owner-occupiers about the quality

Health issues and the building stock

Paradigm shift or choke? The future of the Western European housing stock

The 20th century saw an enormous worldwide growth of the housing stock. In particular the building boom after WW-II, during which the housing stock in most countries was multifolded, focussed the attention of the housing sector primarily to the planning and realisation of new construction; the consciousness of the enormous maintenance and...

Owner-occupiers and the quality of their dwellings

Home-owners are in principal responsible for maintaining the physical quality of their dwellings. It is in their own interest to do this in an adequate manner, but all kinds of constraints can and do occur in practice. Lack of financial means and insufficient (technical or practical) knowledge are only two of the possible barriers. The quality...