Keep warm: Why innovative materials don't always reach construction sites

By the end of 2024, the wholesale price of electricity for industrial consumers in the country as a whole increased by 15% (on average, up to 1,600 rubles per 1 MWh), according to the INFOLine study "Electric Power Industry of the Russian Federation 2025". According to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, from 2025 to 2028, the cost of energy resources for industry may increase by 35-50%, and for end users by 2042, the cost of electricity, according to preliminary estimates, will double and reach 12.8 rubles per kWh. Is it possible, given this perspective, to avoid the worst-case scenario and curb the growth of utility bills? It is clearly impossible to do without resource-saving and energy efficiency technologies. Izvestia investigated why, despite their relevance, innovative materials do not receive mass distribution.

The deterioration of energy — high bills for "communal services"

Residents of several southern regions of Russia faced problems with electricity shortages and rolling blackouts last summer, when the Rostov NPP malfunctioned. The equipment could not withstand the explosive surge in load due to increased demand in conditions of abnormal heat even for the south and the deterioration of the network infrastructure.

Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev has repeatedly drawn attention to the need to modernize the Russian electric power industry. In accordance with the targets of the General Scheme of Electric Power Facilities approved in December 2024, more than 40 trillion rubles are required for generation renovation by 2042, and about 16 trillion rubles for updating the electric grid complex. Taking into account the ongoing transformations in the electric power industry, the financial burden on the consumer is increasing. Since July 1 of this year, tariffs have increased by an average of 12.6% in the country, which is significantly higher than inflation in 12 months (Rosstat: 9.4%).

There is technology, there is no mass

The desire of developers to optimize the cost per square meter due to cheap building materials affects the quality of facilities, which does not reduce operating costs and utility bills. Modern technologies that lead to real savings in operating costs have not yet become widespread.

Laboratory tests and expertise confirm that the use of energy-efficient solutions in the segment of multi-family residential buildings helps to increase the efficiency of the area (in Russia it reaches 65% with a potential of 85%) due to synthetic materials for thermal insulation, they allow to make the walls thinner. A facade with expanded polystyrene is more efficient in heat preservation than hinged facade systems with mineral wool: up to 23% in cold conditions and up to 40% under wind loads. Durable, durable (up to 50 years of service) and resistant to temperature fluctuations, expanded polystyrene exhibits low hygroscopicity, thermal conductivity, absorbs vibration and sound. Lightweight polymer materials are made from domestic raw materials, simplifying logistics. At the same time, according to the Russian Association of Polymer Energy—efficient Technologies, about 70% of the thermal insulation market in Russia is accounted for by mineral insulation (life cycle — up to 8-10 years), the remaining 30% is polymer.

With a more convenient and cheaper installation of innovative materials, their cost is higher than traditional ones. However, in order to determine the cost-effectiveness of a material, it is necessary to assess the cost of a solution not only at the design and procurement stages, but throughout the product's life cycle, experts say. It should be noted that the cost of thermal insulation materials is only about 2% of the total estimated cost of construction.

I must say, the Russian consumer is ready for changes, and there is an interest in energy-efficient construction in society: 48% of respondents to the marketplace survey "I will choose.ru" and the Russian Association of Manufacturers of Extruded Polystyrene Foam expressed their willingness to pay up to 5% to the cost of housing for a high energy efficiency class.

Fire regulations as an inflexible barrier

The mechanisms of state policy in the field of energy conservation began to take shape in Russia back in the 1990s. Despite the federal law on energy conservation and energy efficiency improvement since 2009 and a number of relevant documents of the 2020s, there is still no flexible system for regulating this area in construction and housing and communal services, although the arguments in favor of energy conservation are convincing. Experts from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation estimated that with the maximum implementation of energy efficiency measures, the total amount of savings over 13 years will reach 21 trillion rubles. What prevents them from being implemented?

Representatives of the construction industry believe that fire safety standards for modern thermal insulation made from polymer raw materials require revision. The polymers inside the multilayer structures are connected to other materials that create a barrier against fire, and it is necessary to assess the fire safety of the systems as a whole, explains Alexey Glitchev, director of SIBUR's Construction division. According to the expert, due to the current restrictions, the industry is deprived of effective solutions.

Joint investments in the future

The Ministry of Construction of Russia plans that 120 million square meters will be commissioned in 2030 (an increase of 16.5% by 2023). In the context of modern challenges, not only the volume, but also the quality of real estate is important, including the components of comfort and energy saving. Among the advantages in terms of sustainable management, 65% of the participants in the Kept survey (players in the domestic construction industry) identified a reduction in operating costs.

At the end of January 2025, manufacturers of raw materials and building materials, for their part, formed a roadmap for energy efficiency. The document provides for work on cooling protection, strengthening of thermal protection of buildings and harmonization of regulatory documentation.

Taking into account the proposals of the business community, the Russian government is also taking new steps. The targets of an integrated intersectoral management model for improving energy and resource efficiency of the economy should be reflected in a unified plan for achieving national development goals for the period up to 2030 and for the future up to 2036. On behalf of Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, this model is linked to national and federal projects, including in the construction sector.

"In order to truly achieve a breakthrough in the field of energy—efficient construction, it is necessary to combine the efforts of all stakeholders — from manufacturers of innovative products to regulators," Alexey Glitch believes. — Joint work will help to form a modern regulatory framework that promotes the widespread introduction of polymer thermal insulation solutions. This is important not only to improve people's living conditions, but also to reduce the financial burden on the country, because every unit of energy saved is a contribution to the sustainable future of our economy.