main part of clients or tenants outside the deep green segment. Even though it is generally viewed as a
positive asset of a dwelling, the low energy aspect does not seem to have been the main priority for any
significant part of the population in Stenloese Syd. From other research in moving habits and dwelling
preferences, we see that moving mainly has to do with changes in the life of the individual or family, which
makes the current dwelling inadequate. The choice of a new dwelling is also dependent on several factors,
such as economy, location and transportation, before people consider the environmental profile.
However, not the main driver, it is worth mentioning that a big majority of the respondents in this survey
seems to like the idea of municipal environmental requirements. Generally, low energy dwellings and
environmentally sound projects are viewed as positive.
Legislative measures seems to be an effective way to ensure a more environmentally sound building
industry as the client/industry relation seems to create deadlocks where neither part is willing to take the
initiative to innovate voluntarily when it does not seem economically rentable. As new possibilities have
opened themselves up, because it is now possible to include environmental demands in local planning, it is
much easier for municipalities to set low energy requirements through legislation though It still requires
quite a lot of work to manage the developmental processes as neither clients nor industry have much
experience with low energy requirements.
Information about the consequences of building and living in low energy dwellings might be a central issue.
Constructed budgets of 5 to 10 years might help visualize the benefits of energy efficient housing. In
addition, specific guidance in the choices of technology might be a good idea, as long as the building
industry does not have sufficient experience to give competent advice. In the case of single family houses it
might be a good idea to involve the clients in the new residential area in the early stages of the process, as
collective solutions might mean even less energy consumption than in individual low energy dwellings. This
kind of project might also mean that the impact on society through "ambassadors" might increase, as the
clients (or tenants for that sake) have more ownership of the project. This is of course conditional on the
process and the dwellings running smoothly
On one hand, it is problematic that the newcomers to Stenloese Syd did not choose the area because of the
environmental profile, as is makes it difficult to sell new building projects with energy efficiency as an
argument. On the other hand, it seems that the newcomers to Stenloese Syd are perfectly ordinary people
and the project thus proves that it is possible to work with low energy building projects on market terms.
Thus, the main factors promoting low energy dwellings are:
- That people are generally positive towards low energy projects
- That people living in low energy dwellings would generally choose low energy again; that the actual low
energy dwellings do not compromise when it comes to comfort
- That inhabitants in low energy dwellings might work as ambassadors for low energy.
Also, the fact that it is now possible to legislate about low energy dwellings through local planning might
become a central factor in future low energy projects. The main factors hampering low energy dwellings
are that people generally do not prioritize low energy when choosing a new dwelling, but rather factors
such as price and location. In addition, the Danish building industry has been hampering the process, as it
has been unwilling to innovate in the area of low energy dwellings.