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1.Climate as a Public Interest in Planning and Zoning
2.Characteristics and Forms of the Urban Climate
3.Energy-Conscious Planning and Zoning
3.1Overview
3.2The Sun as Energy Source
3.2.1Global Radiation
3.2.2Solar geometry
3.2.3Aids for the Study of Sunlight Conditions
3.2.4Daytime Lighting
3.3Air Temperature as Influence on Energy-Conscious Planning
3.3.1Characteristic Values for Describing Thermal Levels
3.3.2Local Climate Criteria
3.4Wind as Influence on Energy-Conscious Planning
3.4.1Wind Statistics
3.4.2Consequences of Wind Statistics
3.4.3Increase in Wind Velocity with Height
4.Methods of Information Acquisition for Planning (Measurements, Wind Tunnels, Numerical Modelling)
5.Climatic and Air Hygiene Maps as Aids for Planning and Zoning (Example: Climate Atlas Federation Region Stuttgart)
6.Recommendations for Planning
7.Bibliography
8.Thematic Websites
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3. Energy-Conscious Planning and Zoning
   
 3.1 Overview

In 2009, approximately 789 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide were generated in the Federal Republic of Germany, further burdening our global climate. Of the 67 million tons that were generated in the state of Baden-Württemberg, 26% originated from powerplants, 27% from households (particularly from heating), 15% from industry, and 31% from traffic. As incurred except carbon dioxide in the home heating and air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide or, carbon monoxide and particulate matter , there must be an important goal for future planning to reduce the ( fossil ) fuel consumption by saving energy and using renewable energies. Conservation options should not, however, be limited solely to better insulation for new buildings and the renovation of old buildings (EnEV 2009), but should also include the possibility of energy conserving planning and zoning.

Fully realizing the potential for energy conservation pays for itself in three ways:

  • through decrease in the costs of usage for electrical lighting and building heating,
  • through conservation of energy reserves, and
  • through less pollution of the environment.

    Decisive climate protection goals were defined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Kyoto Protocol) by the international community of states in 1992. Arising from this is the so-called two-degree target, which is based in its current form on the information from the IPCC Third Assessment Report, which was revised in 2009. The two-degree target is a political definition of the prevention of a "dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" as generally determined in the Framework Convention. The official recognition of the two-degree target came only in December 2010 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún . In order to reach this target, global greenhouse gas emissions need to start decreasing between 2015 and 2021 and drop to a level of 40 to 48.3 billion tons in 2020. A reduction of 48 to 72 % compared with the year 2000 needs to be realised by 2050 (UNEP, 2010; download as PDF)).

    On this basis, the Climate Alliance of European Cities (1,600 members, including 92 cities and municipalities from Baden-Württemberg) aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 % every five years and by 50 % per capita by 2030 (from 1990 baseline). The German government developed an Integrated Energy and Climate Protection Programme (IEKP) with the objective to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 % until 2020 (from 1990 baseline).

    The EU cooperation movement "Covenant of Mayors", with many German signatories, commits to increase energy efficiency and support renewable energies and to reach the 20 % CO2 reduction objective by 2020. Baden-Württemberg"s government defines a reduction of 30 % by 2020 in its Climate Protection Concept 2020 Plus. It even envisions an 80 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (compared with 1990).

    Baden-Württemberg"s government defines a reduction of 30 % by 2020 in its Climate Protection Concept 2020 Plus. It even envisions an 80 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (compared with 1990).

    The imperative necessity of a drastic reduction in CO2 requires decisive modifications to energy policy. It is especially important to fully realize the considerable potential for energy conservation, an important area of which is in building and housing – for example, economical energy concepts for heating, lighting, and electricity.

    The sole disadvantage of the "energy source" of energy conservation is the negative connotation of the word "conserve." Where there is talk of conservation, one often associates with it the concepts of deficiency and loss of comfort. This does not, however, in any way apply to the topic at hand. At the simplest level, one can see the possibilities for energy conservation with regards to heating energy by means of architectural measures alone.

    The provision of spatial heating and water heating contributes about 31% of the total CO2 emissions for Germany (2010). Reducing this quantity by one-fourth seems possible in spite of the necessary amount of new construction, because this goal – in contrast to other energy sectors – can be reached without new technologies; that is, by making use of available building materials and proven techniques for the avoidance of unnecessary energy consumption (Information platform of the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) about economic possibilities to save energy under http://www.zukunft-haus.info). More information and hints can be found at the Federal Ministry (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung (BMVBS) and under
    http://www.klima-sucht-schutz.de (german!).

    Although the improvement of insulation in exterior building components, the thickening of windows and doors, the improvement or replacement of heating units and their controls, and other changes in building conditions are important starting points for energy conservation, the concept of low-energy houses goes beyond the installment of energy-saving building components:

    If a building is seen as a system exchanging energy with its environment, then it is possible to include this aspect in the energy-efficient planning and realisation of buildings. An energy-efficient urban land use planning allows for an ideal combination of reducing losses and gaining room heat. The most important measures are compact buildings and best possible conditions for the use of active and especially passive solar energy. Solar energy supports the heating of the building in order to cover as much of the required heat as possible, supplemented by an efficient heat supply. The implementation of such efforts in the area of everyday architecture requires urban planning that takes into consideration issues and problems related to energy (information can also be found in the SOLAR BOOKLET - Urban planning measures, Publisher Ministry of Economics Baden -Wuerttemberg, 2007 and YUDELSON J., 2009).

    The legal planning tools for energy-saving building methods, optimized distances between buildings, building orientation, and roof pitch are given in Chapter 6, especially Sections 6.1.4, 6.2.4 and 6.3.2. The legal instrument of the urban development contract (§ 11 BauGB) allows the requirement of low-energy building methods and the realization of heat and energy concepts for entire sets of buildings.

    In the realm of meteorological influences pertaining to energy-conscious planning, one must distinguish between large-scale climatic differences (e.g. between the sea coast and the interior highlands) and microclimatic variations that are determined by topography. This small-scale aspect stands in the center of the following sections with respect to the climatic parameters of sun exposure, air temperature, and wind patterns.
    Hints to save energie in old buildings you can find in the impulse program old buildings - "Save energie in old buildings" Landesgewerbeamt Baden Württemberg (http://www.zukunftaltbau.de ).
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