by Shane Henson — October 24, 2011—Pike Research, a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, recently released Energy Efficient Buildings: Europe, a report that examines market conditions and emerging opportunities related to energy efficiency for buildings in Europe.
The study includes in-depth, country-level analysis of public policy and regulatory issues, energy service companies, performance contracting, green building certification, and the economics and financing structures behind energy efficiency retrofits. Key industry players are profiled, and market forecasts, segmented by country, extend through 2016.
In part, the report discusses how European Union member countries are in the process of adopting “20-20-20” targets that call for 20% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the increase of renewables to 20% of total energy use, and 20% cuts in overall energy consumption. Representing one of the world’s most ambitious climate change-related initiatives, these goals have strong implications for the increased adoption of energy efficiency measures in commercial buildings across the continent, given that the building sector accounts for nearly 40% of total energy consumption in the region.
According to the Pike Research report, these policy goals will help increase the amount of certified green building space in Europe by nearly four-fold, to 687 million square meters, by 2016. While EU-level policy initiatives will provide important market shapers, the primary drivers for the spread of energy-efficient buildings will be reducing energy costs.
