The total housing stock accounts for 40 percent of CO2 emissions in Denmark. It is the hollow walls, the uninsulated ceilings, punctured windows and leaky doors that send unnecessary heat out of the house.

Last year, the government adopted a broad green housing agreement that makes it possible to use a pilot pool for sustainable projects. Through it, there is the possibility of sustainable construction, wood construction and green cement which potentially can have a large climate effect in the long term.

The social housing makes up 20% of the housing stock. Here there is a huge potential for utilizing the money that has been released from the National Building Fund to energy optimize the housing stock. Not only do we reduce CO2 consumption, we also create better and healthier homes that are even good for the economy.

Renovating homes is often criticized for being a cumbersome and costly process. However, there is a significant climate saving by renovating rather than demolishing and building new. The National Building Fund is also at the forefront when it comes to climate and sustainable solutions. This is also seen when the construction and clean-up are to be assessed. An example is their intervention after the scandal with the burial of construction waste in Rind Plantage.

During the last city council term, seven master plans were adopted in the city council, these championed by the Social Democrats. This has made it possible for Fællesbo to completely renovate their homes in the mentioned areas from the master plans. Energy optimization is of course part of this renovation of the social housing, so citizens get better and healthier homes to live in.

This reader’s letter has been translated from Danish.