More than 2,800 visitors, and thus over 25% more than last year, came to the “Bauen Kaufen Wohnen” (Building, Buying, Living) trade fair, which took place for the seventh time this weekend at the Dresden Exhibition Centre. Here, they were able to find out about the latest trends in construction, renovation and interior design from around 100 exhibiting companies, and there was also two days of concentrated expertise in the lecture program. “In the context of global uncertainties and economic problems, this is a respectable result for the trade fair,” said Roland Zwerenz, managing director of the organizer ORTEC, in an initial assessment. The 2022 ‘Bauen Kaufen Wohnen’ took place in a completely different industry environment than in the previous year. Instead of low interest rates, building loans are currently more expensive than they have been in ten years, making the dream of home ownership unattainable for many. And so this year's trade fair reflected current industry events and the shift in priorities: While the topic of “home ownership for young families” had dominated the construction and real estate trade fair in previous years, this year the high demand in the area of energy saving and heating modernization dominated the trade fair. In particular, the use of renewable energies and alternative heating methods met with increased interest and lively visitor demand. Many want to become more independent of oil and gas suppliers and are turning to solar energy systems with storage systems, among other things. The suppliers' stands were very crowded, and Rolf Förster from the company ed energie.depot was also confronted with an unusually high demand due to the energy crisis. Fifteen years ago, the Radeberger took off with his invention of the “heat hamster” storage system and has been present at every construction fair in Dresden ever since. The Saxon Energy Agency SAENA provided support at the trade fair with initial advice on possible variants and combinations of heating systems using renewable energies, and offered information on economic efficiency and current funding opportunities. The solar boom will continue, because the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has been revised. The new version – the EEG 2023 – also benefits private owners, for whom the purchase of a photovoltaic system is becoming significantly more attractive. And the new building subsidies introduced in the summer are primarily aimed at promoting renovation and illustrate the shift in construction priorities: the aim is to renovate old houses and apartments in particular in order to save energy. This makes it clear that the topics of renovation, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies will also determine the upcoming major construction trade fair HAUS, which will take place in Dresden from March 2 to 5, 2023. For publication, for press enquiries: ORTEC Messe und Kongress GmbH, Ines Kurze, Tel. 0351 315330, E-Mail: presse@ortec.de, Bertolt-Brecht-Allee 24, 01309 Dresden