Business idea: Energy Audit Services for renovation projects
- Posted by John on August 31st, 2007 filed in Environment, Homes and housing, Services
The point of this particular post is not necessarily to present a brand-new idea….. but instead to point out a differentiating business-idea that will become more and more in demand as Romania races toward energy efficiency in all economic sectors.
Picking up from Steve’s blogpost on changes in demand for energy efficiency , Romania is clearly on a track toward changes in policy, politics, economics, and alignment with EU practices in general - including EU development practices. Already, the UK and Germany include aspects of green development, energy efficiency, and “passive-house” design as a standard feature of many new buildings. All of these trends, including Romania’s direction toward reduction in subsidies have one thing in common: energy efficiency.
At the same time, the housing market is a major area of development. One major area of urban housing (as well as other large buildings) specifically involves renovation. Many urban buildings (there are approximately 85,000 apartment blocks in Romania) are in need of repair or renovation for structural, waterproofing, and especially energy efficiency in order to ensure a sustainable and efficient housing stock. This article on Energy Efficiency in the Residential Sector presents a relatively exhaustive summary of the residential sector and changes and difficulties in energy efficiency overall.
However, even with the difficulties presented, the housing market in Romania is extremely tight, and is generally forecasted to be a growing market, including for existing buildings, for some time to come. As the market for rehabilitation and renovation grows with needs for improvements, so grows the need for energy audits, with a focus on renovations.
Within the industrial sector in Romania (as elsewhere), energy audits for various energy-efficiency projects are common, as shown here in this brief preliminary study. However, residential and other urban construction, specifically involving renovation, presents its own challenges and nuances.
In a tight housing market, facing many renovation projects to keep up with demand and needs, and facing increasing focus on energy efficiency, a firm that can focus on energy audits specialized for renovation projects could provide a differentiating service in a market facing significant renovation.
Written by John
September 4th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
It is a very interesting idea and I think that a company providing such audits would be successful here given the high energy waste both in the industrial and residential sector. Maybe some grants or funds will also be available for such audits and renovations and boost the industry.
By the way, the foundry in the study you mentioned has closed a few years ago.
September 5th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Thanks for your comment Claudia. Grants of funds for such audits could be made available as a part of funding for energy efficiency and green construction. Thanks very much.
September 6th, 2007 at 8:38 am
It would be helpful to post more on this subject especially when the funds will be made available. Thanks.
October 15th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
[...] Metering and Pre-Paid services Energy Audit Services and Renewable Energy projects and available funds At the risk of repeated ourselves… the environment and all business activity related to protecting it can be the opportunity of the next decade. The seriousness in which previously reluctant players have embraced the importance of energy supplies, climate change, and other environmental issues cannot be overstated. I worked back in 1993 for one of the first “socially responsible” financial brokerage where we advised people to select investments based on social and environment criteria in addition to the potential financial performance of the stock, bond or mutual fund. Companies that were either indifferent or considered mortal enemies of the Socially Responsible Investment (”SRI” was the pre-cursor to the investment aspects of “Sustainable Development”) movement have now whole-heartedly adopted the need to adopt their business models to protecting the environment. When GE, DuPont, Goldman Sachs, Citibank and their like see good business in green (and not just the color of the dollar)…it is time to take note. Even big oil companies now see their role as delivering energy to consumers, not just delivering oil - an important shift in mentalities. Two very influential groups that include top political and business leaders, the World Economic Forum and the Council on Foreign Relations, are discussing these issues with urgency placing climate change and the environment as a prominent and continuous point of discussion. Add to that… an Oscar award winning movie and a Nobel Peace Prize for the guy whose Earth in the Balance book in 1992 was viewed then as a political liability. From a business perspective, this should not be underestimated. A true green revolution has started - supported by devoted environmentalists, powerful business persons, and governments (at the nation, state and local level). I have heard more than a few people tell me this will not happen in Romania anytime soon. I have also heard, however, from many more people interested in doing something and only hesitating because they think they are the only one thinking of it. [...]