The German federal government has submitted a draft of the first National Building Renovation Plan (NBRP) in accordance with the EU requirement from the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). This draft represents an initial step towards the strategic planning of the heating transition but, according to the German Alliance for Serial Renovation (DASS), shows deficiencies in several key areas. The federal government's draft lacks fundamental data that would be necessary for sound planning. This includes, among other things, current renovation volumes and concrete assurances for long-term stable funding within the framework of the Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG).
Furthermore, a comprehensive strategy for accelerating building renovation is missing, particularly for buildings with low energy efficiency. Serial renovation is identified here as one of the few methods that enables the necessary scaling to achieve climate targets. Alexander Fuchs, spokesperson for DASS, notes that the NBRP draft must go beyond a mere inventory of the funding landscape. A significant proportion of the German building stock falls into the worst efficiency classes. The draft identifies this problem but does not propose concrete solutions. Serial renovation offers a scalable option here, but it requires a long-term stable BEG funding framework with a corresponding bonus, which is not addressed in the current draft.
Deficiencies in Target Specifications and Worst Performing Buildings
The NBRP draft states that approximately 710,000 renovations are carried out annually in the residential building stock in Germany. However, only 30,000 of these are classified as comprehensive energy modernisations, so-called 'Deep Renovations'. Specific target quotas for the years 2030, 2040, and 2045 have not yet been defined in the present draft, while the NBRP roadmap is to be finalised by the end of 2026. From DASS's perspective, the plan remains inadequate without a targeted Deep Renovation quota and without the mention of scalable implementation methods.
The draft also identifies approximately 9.5 to 11.5 million residential buildings as 'Worst Performing Buildings', which corresponds to about 43 per cent of the total stock. These buildings have the lowest overall energy efficiency and could therefore primarily benefit from serial facade and roof renovations. In this area, the draft notes a strategic gap. Challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers, high costs, diverging incentives between tenants and landlords, and insufficient renovation depth are precisely described, but the recommended approaches, such as neighbourhood concepts or awareness campaigns, remain largely unspecific.
Serial Renovation as a Solution
According to DASS, serial renovation offers a structural solution to the identified obstacles. It reduces the demand for skilled workers through industrial prefabrication and enables cost reductions through economies of scale. In addition, it minimises the burden on tenants thanks to short construction times. Alexander Fuchs emphasises that serial renovation is not a niche solution but an answer to the question of how millions of buildings can be renovated quickly, economically, socially responsibly, and effectively. He highlights that without a stable funding framework, necessary investments will fail to materialise, preventing an effective ramp-up of deep renovations.
