144 P. NAEF ET AL.
for example towards ever bigger homes and larger window areas. The
materials used for the construction of houses have also changed over
time, with concrete replacing more traditional materials such as wood
and clay. Moreover, the historical development of countries and towns
also has an influence on energy use. The necessity for renovation is for
instance greater in countries where the building stock is older, such as in
Bulgaria where only 5% of homes were built after 2000. In a comparison
of different countries in Europe, Bartiaux et al. (2014) demonstrate how
energy-related renovations did not form a unified practice, but rather a
bundle of somewhat disjointed practices. In old and poorly maintained
buildings, the practices that are likely to save energy can be quite different from those in new and highly automated buildings. For example, the
United Kingdom housing stock is one of the oldest compared to most
other European countries. Many houses date from the Victorian era and
have poor insulation, implying additional energy consumption to maintain a certain level of comfort. However, as the older housing stock is
gradually being replaced with a newer one, more energy efficient homes
are being developed. In the UK, houses built prior to 1918 represented
25% of the housing stock in 1970, compared to 16% in 2014.
The size and type of the dwelling are also important factors determining energy use (Fig. 13.3). on one hand, larger dwellings consume more
energy, but on another hand, multiple rooms offer the opportunity for
regulating temperatures when rooms are not used. The average dwelling
size varies significantly across Europe, ranging from less than 60 m 2 in
Estonia to more than 120 m 2 in Cyprus. In the countries reviewed here,
Bulgaria has the smallest average size of residential dwellings (less than
70 m 2 ) and Denmark and Ireland have the largest (more than 100 m 2 ).
Hungary is an interesting case as it is characterised by a large amount of
old detached houses: around 63% of the population (6.5 million people)
live in this type of dwelling, generally implying individual heating systems
and lower rated insulation. In Hungary, households living in detached
houses often use a mix of fuels for heating (e.g. natural gas and wood)
and even household waste (despite legal restrictions).
Heating systems and sources are also material conditions influencing
household practices related to energy use, with great differences across
Europe. Indeed, various sources of energy for heating are predominantly used depending on the countries. one issue with calculating the
share of fuels in final energy consumption has to do with definitions of
energy sources, and the temporality of the assessment. For example, what
for example towards ever bigger homes and larger window areas. The
materials used for the construction of houses have also changed over
time, with concrete replacing more traditional materials such as wood
and clay. Moreover, the historical development of countries and towns
also has an influence on energy use. The necessity for renovation is for
instance greater in countries where the building stock is older, such as in
Bulgaria where only 5% of homes were built after 2000. In a comparison
of different countries in Europe, Bartiaux et al. (2014) demonstrate how
energy-related renovations did not form a unified practice, but rather a
bundle of somewhat disjointed practices. In old and poorly maintained
buildings, the practices that are likely to save energy can be quite different from those in new and highly automated buildings. For example, the
United Kingdom housing stock is one of the oldest compared to most
other European countries. Many houses date from the Victorian era and
have poor insulation, implying additional energy consumption to maintain a certain level of comfort. However, as the older housing stock is
gradually being replaced with a newer one, more energy efficient homes
are being developed. In the UK, houses built prior to 1918 represented
25% of the housing stock in 1970, compared to 16% in 2014.
The size and type of the dwelling are also important factors determining energy use (Fig. 13.3). on one hand, larger dwellings consume more
energy, but on another hand, multiple rooms offer the opportunity for
regulating temperatures when rooms are not used. The average dwelling
size varies significantly across Europe, ranging from less than 60 m 2 in
Estonia to more than 120 m 2 in Cyprus. In the countries reviewed here,
Bulgaria has the smallest average size of residential dwellings (less than
70 m 2 ) and Denmark and Ireland have the largest (more than 100 m 2 ).
Hungary is an interesting case as it is characterised by a large amount of
old detached houses: around 63% of the population (6.5 million people)
live in this type of dwelling, generally implying individual heating systems
and lower rated insulation. In Hungary, households living in detached
houses often use a mix of fuels for heating (e.g. natural gas and wood)
and even household waste (despite legal restrictions).
Heating systems and sources are also material conditions influencing
household practices related to energy use, with great differences across
Europe. Indeed, various sources of energy for heating are predominantly used depending on the countries. one issue with calculating the
share of fuels in final energy consumption has to do with definitions of
energy sources, and the temporality of the assessment. For example, what