Abstract:

The Dutch government has to issue: A. Stringent requirements concerning heat and insulation in new buildings; B. A system of subsidies for improving heat insulation in existing dwellings and other buildings. Previously, when energy was both abundant and cheap, insulation was hardly a consideration. The paper consist of interview with architects, building contractors, building experts in local and national government, big dealers in building materials and very large building investors (such as project developers, banks, insurance companies). The most important finding was that very few of these experts expected future developments in building methods and building materials related to thermic isolation.