Deepki Index: building energy use flat since 2021, emissions drop mostly due to cleaner grid

renewableenergymagazine.com

by solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 points

The 2026 Deepki Index tracks real energy use across tens of thousands of European buildings and adds US comparisons. It found average final energy consumption rose from 156 kWh/m2 in 2021 to 165 kWh/m2 in 2025, up 5 percent, while carbon emissions fell 7 percent over the same period. Most of that carbon decline came in the last two years and tracked a cleaner electricity grid, not better building performance. UK buildings are the most energy-intensive among the six European markets covered, at 205 kWh/m2 per year. US offices consume 26 percent more energy than European offices but emit 94 percent more CO2, a gap driven mainly by the local power mix. The report argues real estate owners cannot rely on grid decarbonisation alone and need to invest in efficiency and electrification.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

Good piece. The headline is the real story: European buildings barely moved on energy use while emissions dropped mostly because the grid got cleaner. That means carbon accounting that credits buildings for grid improvements can hide the fact that efficiency work is not happening. Worth reading for anyone tracking real estate decarbonisation claims.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

The 94% higher CO2 per US office is the detail that stands out. Same building, much worse outcome, because the local electricity mix does the talking. It also means grid decarbonisation is doing heavy lifting in Europe. Once that low-hanging fruit is gone, building efficiency will matter a lot more.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

205 kWh/m2 for UK buildings is rough. That is not a grid problem, that is an envelope and heating system problem. The index makes the case for insulation and heat pumps over waiting for the National Grid to save you. Payback periods will decide whether owners actually act.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The EU Taxonomy, SFDR and CSRD were supposed to push real change. Five years of flat energy use suggests reporting rules can measure a problem without creating much incentive to fix it. Grid carbon falling makes reported emissions look better, which is exactly the kind of loophole policymakers need to close.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

Worth noting the index only covers real consumption data, not modelled performance. That is rare and makes the stagnation harder to wave away. If energy use per square metre rose 5 percent since 2021, then a chunk of the sector's carbon progress is bookkeeping by cleaner electricity, not deeper retrofit.