Summary of Atsushi Murakami's article in the January 2016 issue of Architectural Technology

Summary of Atsushi Murakami's article in the January 2016 issue of Architectural Technology
The article by Atsushi Murakami in the January issue of Architectural Knowledge, which I introduced the other day, was short but well-organized, easy to understand, and interesting, so I compiled it as a memorandum. I recommend that you read it and then read the original text as well. (It was not yet available on Amazon when I introduced it the other day, but you can now purchase it on Amazon!)
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%BB%BA%E7%AF%89%E6%8A%80%E8%A1%932016%E5%B9%B41%E6%9C%88%E5%8F%B7-%E6%96%AD%E7%86%B1%E3%81%A8%E7%9C%81%E3%82%A8%E3%83%8D%E3%82%92%E5%88%86%E3%81%91%E3%81%A6%E6%95%B4%E7%90%86%E6%95%B4%E9%A0%93-%E5%8D%97-%E9%9B%84%E4%B8%89/dp/B016YNYQ4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451264991&sr=8-1&keywords=%E5%BB%BA%E7%AF%89%E6%8A%80%E8%A1%93%E3%80%802016%E5%B9%B41%E6%9C%88%E5%8F%B7
Summary below...
In the eight years from 2006 to 2013, energy-saving renovation work was carried out for 8 million households, with an average cost of 1 million yen, with public subsidies of about 43 yen per household. This equates to about 636 households per year.
The proportion of public subsidies was only 7% of the construction cost, but the economic effect was 15 times the subsidy cost. Moreover, in Germany, 19% of the construction cost is levied as value-added tax, so the government gets back about 120 million yen in taxes. This is almost three times the amount of public subsidy (43 yen) that was invested.
This is like alchemy; it is a policy that is beneficial even if you don't have the financial resources.
(Improve domestic employment, tax revenue, economic recovery, CO2 reduction, and energy security)
The average insulation renovation ratios from 2005 to 2008 are as follows, in descending order of renovation ratio:
Replacement of heating and hot water heating equipment: 2.8%/year
Window replacement 1.34%/year
Attic and roof insulation renovation: 1.32%/year
Exterior wall insulation renovation: 0.82%/year
Renovation of underfloor and basement ceiling insulation: 0.42%/year
The next thing to note is how they prioritize which buildings should be given priority for insulation renovation. The German government is not stupid enough to carry out expensive energy-saving renovations on buildings that are not cost-effective or difficult to install. Currently, they are actively carrying out energy-saving renovations on reinforced concrete public housing and public buildings built in the 60s and 70s, a period of high economic growth. These buildings generally tend to be square in shape, and the ratio of surface area to internal volume is small, making them more advantageous for insulation work than detached houses.
Energy-saving renovations were started because the construction method is simple, cost-effective, and because the property is publicly rented, there are no issues for the management association. Energy-saving renovations will likely continue to focus on these buildings until around 2025, followed by stone and reinforced concrete buildings such as condominiums with condominium ownership. Then, around 2035, when energy-saving renovation methods have evolved and building materials have become cheaper, renovations will likely focus on so-called detached wooden houses, which are not very cost-effective. Such difficult renovations can be addressed once energy prices have risen further in the future.
...That's all.
I think that Germans are the best in the world when it comes to being true to fundamental principles, overall optimization, prioritization, working backwards from the goal, etc. Japan is often said to be "similar," but I have to say that in these respects we are almost polar opposites.
We should be open to learning the good things we learn...I believe this is an unchanging truth for individuals, companies, and countries.