The built environment is instrumental in achieving the climate goals set out in the Paris climate agreement of 2015, which were reiterated recently at the COP23 in Bonn. In the European Union (EU), 25.4% of aggregate energy is consumed in homes, with comparable percentages for other developed economies. As a result, governments encourage energy efficiency measures in the built environment. In the European Union, the Commission has taken a number of initiatives in this direction over the last decades, all aimed at stimulating energy efficiency in buildings. In addition, member countries have their own measures to decrease the energy demand from buildings, especially so in housing.
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