A new regulation may decrease energy consumption of buildings by 50 percent, creating a savings of $7 billion, according to the Turkish Society of Hvac and Sanitary Engineers, or TTMD. The “Building Energy Performance” regulation took effect on Dec. 5.

“Buildings without insulation and wrongly applied heating systems cause significant loss of energy,” said Cafer Ünlü, the TTMD chairman, at a press meeting yesterday. “ As of 2008, Turkey imported 80 percent of its energy need. A total of 36 percent of energy in Turkey is used for heating, cooling and lighting.” Noting that buildings are spending more than $14 billion on energy annually, Ünlü said, “If this regulation is aplied properly, this figure may decrease by 50 percent.”

“Turkey’s energy consumption is four-fold more than that of Japan in terms of energy density,” he said. “In Japan the density figure is only 0.09 percent, while in Greece it is 0.2 percent and Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation average is 0.19 percent. Turkey has one of the highest figures in energy density with 0.38 percent.”

Noting that energy regulation will create new jobs, Ünlü said the insulation sector will see a revival in demand. “According to the regulation, there will not be any building without insulation and also central heating will be mandatory,” he said.