Serial retrofitting for climate protection - Vonovia presents Energiesprong project

- Method shows benefits of sustainable serial retrofitting.

- Resource-efficient pre-assembly increases speed of transition to green energy.

- Mayor Thomas Eiskirch welcomes Vonovia's pilot project in Bochum.

Bochum, 03. March 2022 - The ready-made insulating panels - each 7.5 m long and one floor high - have now been fitted to the façades of the three houses with 24 flats in the centre of Bochum. The heating system has been converted to sustainable geothermal energy, and the solar panels are to follow soon. At the end of last year, Vonovia launched its first serial retrofit project under the Energiesprong principle in Bochum. It has now presented the progress made in this pilot project.

"Climate protection is one of the central challenges of this century, and the housing industry now needs to implement Germany's energy transition plans in its existing buildings," says Konstantina Kanellopoulos, Chief Representative at Vonovia. "It's ambitious - partly also because there aren't enough skilled workers, especially in the trade sector. Serial retrofitting offers immense potential due to the high level of prefabrication."

The Mayor of Bochum, Thomas Eiskirch, also welcomes the Vonovia project: "I'm very pleased that this innovative method is being piloted here in Bochum. To tackle climate change, we need new and efficient solutions that work in the neighbourhood and can be applied on a broad scale. These are precisely the technologies which we, as a local council, want to prioritize."

High level of off-site manufacturing and sustainable use of resources

Energiesprong stands for a carbon-neutral makeover of buildings, based on serial production. The façade elements are pre-assembled to the millimetre, using above all sustainable building materials, of which some are recycled. The frames are made of timber and filled with sustainable insulation material. They are then assembled at the actual building site, thus reducing the need for on-site staff and lessening the impact on residents. Solar panels on the roofs produce green energy. This all-round concept reduces carbon emissions to zero.

Resource-efficient pre-assembly increases speed of transition to green energy

Energy transition has the highest priority at Vonovia. However, climate protection in existing buildings must not put an undue financial burden on tenants. The Energiesprong principle offers important starting points and thus new stimuli for faster, resource-efficient retrofitting. After all, serial construction is low-cost and green energy is produced within the neighbourhood itself. As a long-term result, depending on individual user behaviour, the upgrade stays neutral in terms of rental prices plus utility charges.

Once Vonovia has completed this project, it will work with its partners in industry to explore the potential of this upgrading method for all its existing buildings. "For a full-scale rollout of this method, we do, however, need legal specifications that will reduce red tape and provide planning security concerning subsidies. Realistic long-term solutions in protecting our climate can only be achieved if we can work with robust and reliable parameters," says Konstantina Kanellopoulos.
 

About Vonovia

Vonovia SE is Europe's leading private residential real estate company. Vonovia currently owns around 568,000 residential units (Deutsche Wohnen included) in all attractive cities and regions in Germany, Sweden and Austria. It also manages around 71,500 apartments. Its portfolio is worth approximately € 95.4 billion. As a modern service provider, Vonovia focuses on customer orientation and tenant satisfaction. Offering tenants affordable, attractive and livable homes is a prerequisite for the company's successful development. Therefore, Vonovia makes long-term investments in the maintenance, modernization and senior-friendly conversion of its properties. The company is also creating more and more new apartments by realizing infill developments and adding to existing buildings.

The company, which is based in Bochum, has been listed on the stock exchange since 2013. Since September 2015 Vonovia has been a constituent in the DAX 30 (today DAX 40) and since September 2020 in the EURO STOXX 50. Vonovia SE is also a constituent of additional national and international indices, including DAX 50 ESG, Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe, STOXX Global ESG Leaders, EURO STOXX ESG Leaders 50, STOXX Europe ESG Leaders 50, FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe, and GPR 250 World. Vonovia has a workforce of more than 16,000 employees (Deutsche Wohnen included).

Additional Information:
Approval: Regulated Market/Prime Standard, Frankfurt Stock Exchange
ISIN: DE000A1ML7J1
WKN: A1ML7J
Common code: 094567408
Registered headquarters of Vonovia SE: Bochum, Germany, Bochum Local Court, HRB 16879
Business address of Vonovia SE: Universitaetsstrasse 133, 44803 Bochum, Germany

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