scholarly journals The effect of weighting factors on income-related energy inequalities: The case of Sweden’s new building code

2021 ◽  
Vol 2069 (1) ◽  
pp. 012102
Author(s):  
J von Platten ◽  
M Mangold ◽  
K Mjörnell
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Carriers ◽  
Weighting Factors ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings

Abstract To ensure building construction with low heating demand, efficient use of sustainable energy carriers, and neutrality between heating technologies, Sweden recently introduced weighting factors (WFs) for different energy carriers which are now used in Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). As EPC ratings are gaining increased influence in Swedish energy policy and regulation, with recent examples of buildings’ EPC rating acting as base for imperative regulatory requirements, the introduction of WFs is likely to have significant effects on how policy and regulations are distributed in the multifamily building stock. As residents often are directly or indirectly affected by policy that either impose or trigger measures to be undertaken in their building, the aim of this paper is to analyse how WFs affect the assessed energy performance of buildings in different resident income groups. The results show that overall, reduced energy performance from WFs was more common in high-income areas than in low-income areas. However, although the total number of buildings in the lowest EPC ratings was reduced after introducing WFs, the resulting income distribution among worst-performing buildings was more skewed towards low-income households than before introducing WFs. As imperative regulatory requirements previously have targeted worst-performing buildings, these results indicate that energy-related inequalities in the housing stock have become more prominent and should be considered as to not disproportionately burden low-income residents in the energy transition of the housing stock.

Energy Saving Policies for Housing Based on Wrong Assumptions?

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
Henk Visscher ◽  
Dasa Majcen ◽  
Laure Itard
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Saving Potential ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
New Buildings

The energy saving potential of the building stock is large and considered to be the most cost efficient to contribute to the CO2 reduction ambitions. Severe governmental policies steering on reducing the energy use seem essential to stimulate and enforce the improvement of the energy performance of buildings with a focus on reducing the heating and cooling energy demand. In Europe the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a driving force for member states to develop and strengthen energy performance regulations for new buildings and energy certificates for the building stock. The goals are to build net zero energy new buildings in 2020 and to reach a neutral energy situation in the whole stock by 2050. More and more research projects deliver insight that the expected impact of stricter regulations for newly built houses is limited and the actual effects of energy savings through housing renovations stay behind the expectations. Theoretical energy use calculated on base of the design standard for new houses and assessment standards for Energy Performance Certificates of existing dwellings differ largely from the measured actual energy use. The paper uses the findings of some Post Occupancy Evaluation research projects. Is the energy saving potential of the housing stock smaller than expected and should we therefore change the policies?

scholarly journals Energy Rehabilitation of Social Housing in Vulnerable Areas. Case study: a 1950s Building in a Medium-sized Mediterranean City

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Ruá María José ◽  
Huedo Patricia ◽  
Cabeza Manuel ◽  
Saez Beatriz ◽  
Civera Vicente
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Performance Simulation ◽  
Urban Level

In the urban context, buildings play a key role as they are energy consumers. In well-established cities with a high percentage of aged building stock, the focus should lie on sensitive urban areas where the weakest population sectors and the worst physico-economic conditions are usually encountered. In this work, the energy refurbishment of social housing is proposed. A block of municipally owned buildings is selected as a case study to consider that public buildings play an exemplary role according to Directive 2012/27/EU. The group is formed by 12 buildings, which account for 120 dwellings.This study is grounded on two levels. First the urban level. The building is located in a prioritised urban Area of Rehabilitation, Renovation and Urban Regeneration (ARRU), according to the new local Land Plan. This area presents multidimensional vulnerability and considers urban, building, socio-demographic and socio-economic features. Second, the building presents very low energy performance. It was built in 1959 when a high demand of dwellings and the economic resources then available led to low-quality buildings that are far from meeting today’s standards.Some proposals are made, having in mind the specific features of the urban context. The energy refurbishment of the building is proposed, selecting the optimal solution, considering technical, environmental and economic criteria. The energy performance simulation shows a remarkable improvement of the energy performance, resulting in an improvement of the thermal comfort of the dwellers. Besides, a reduction in the energy consumption is reached, which would reduce the energy bills and, on the other hand, a reduction of the carbon emissions to the atmosphere, contributing to a better environment quality. Having in mind that the building is intended for social housing, energy poverty situations could be avoided, as dwellings are inhabited by low-income dwellers.

scholarly journals ENERGY‐EFFICIENT ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL LANDLORDS

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Willem Smid ◽  
Nico Nieboer
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Co2 Reduction ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
New Construction ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Minor Extent

CO2 reduction by means of energy conservation is an important topic in many governmental environmental policies. As new construction accounts for a fraction of the total building stock, the energy performance of existing dwellings is of great importance. Professional landlords can play a major role in energy conservation, but there are indications that the large energy conservation potential in their housing existing stock is only exploited to a minor extent. This paper presents a method to implement the topic energy conservation in the asset management of professional landlords, in order to establish an integration of energy conservation in their maintenance and renovation practice. This method is described in relation to the asset management of Dutch social housing landlords, but may also be useful for other professional landlords. The method takes advantage of the European EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive). Santrauka CO2 mažinimas taupant energija ‐ svarbi tema dažnoje valstybineje aplinkos apsaugos politikoje. Kadangi naujos statybos sudaro tik maža visu pastatu ištekliu dali, jau pastatytu bûstu energinis naudingumas labai svarbus. Profesionaliu nuomotoju vaidmuo taupant energija gali būti svarbus, tačiau yra ženklu, kad didžiulis ju turimu jau pastatytu būstu energijos taupymo potencialas išnaudojamas nedaug. Šiame darbe pristatomas metodas, kaip energijos taupymo tema itraukti i profesionaliu nuomotoju turto valdyma, kad energijos taupymas taptu ju priežiūros ir renovacijos praktikos dalis. Metodo aprašymas remiasi Olandijos socialinio būsto savininku turto valdymo praktika, bet jis gali būti naudingas ir kitiems profesionaliems nuomotojams. Metodas pagristas Europos EPBD (Direktyva del pastatu energetinio naudingumo).

scholarly journals The energy transition patterns of low-income households in South Africa: An evaluation of energy programme and policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Olawumi Israel-Akinbo ◽  
Jen Snowball ◽  
Gavin Fraser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Space Heating ◽  
Energy Poverty ◽  
Energy Carriers ◽  
Marginal Effects ◽  
Electricity Access

The transition to modern energy carriers like electricity is an important way to achieve to eradicate energy poverty. This study investigated energy transition patterns and trends in low-income South African households. The marginal effects of the different determinants on the probability of choosing a specific energy carrier were computed and the influence of some endogenous characteristics in transitioning to modern energy carriers was explored. It was found that energy ladder behaviour exists for cooking while energy stacking was most likely for space heating and the pattern for lighting tended towards energy stacking. Dwelling type, household size and geographical location were among the key determinants of the energy transition pattern. Policies to reduce energy poverty need a multi-pronged approach and not only a focus on electricity access.

Developing Managerial and Technological Procedures to Ebhance Energy Performance of Buildings and Constructions

10.12737/2562 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-191
Author(s):  
Юрий Кудров ◽  
Yuriy Kudrov ◽  
Алексей Кочетков ◽  
Aleksey Kochetkov ◽  
Яна Сиротенко ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Energy Audit ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Stage Process

Energy efficiency is one of the top priority tasks for Russian energy industry. For the task completion it is necessary to design new, energy-efficient state-of-the-art buildings and constructions, as well as to modernize and update the current real estate pool. The enhancement of energy performance of the buildings and constructions is a multi-stage process which involves energy audit and a compilation of an energy performance certificate listing recommendations on the building / construction energy performance enhancement.

scholarly journals Energy Benchmarking of Existing Office Stock in Spain: Trends and Drivers

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangolells ◽  
Casals ◽  
Ferré-Bigorra ◽  
Forcada ◽  
Macarulla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Certification Procedure ◽  
Using Data

Buildings play a central role in the clean energy transition, which is why it is vital to understand how energy is consumed in this sector. Energy performance certificate databases are considered a key source of information on the characteristics of built building stock. Despite a growing portfolio of studies based on information from such databases, little is known about energy consumption in offices. This paper explores the modelled energy performance of existing offices in Spain, using data from 13,701 energy performance certificates collected by the Catalan Institute of Energy (ICAEN) in 2013–2018. Offices were found to consume between 202.66 and 212.10 kWhp/m2·year and were mostly ranked in classes C and D (~64%). Offices with E, F or G labels represent ~28% of the sample while A and B energy ratings are very scarce (~8%). Key drivers of energy consumption variation were found to be the office type, construction period, climate zone, renewable energy use, energy certification procedure and motivation for obtaining an energy performance certificate. Ownership was not found to affect average calculated energy consumption. The results will help policy makers to plan future energy conservation strategies.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Determining Factors for the Renovation of the Walloon Residential Building Stock

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2221
Author(s):  
Guirec Ruellan ◽  
Mario Cools ◽  
Shady Attia
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Average Energy ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Technical Data ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Mixed Model Approach ◽  
Residential Building Stock

The issue of energy retrofitting of existing building stock occupies an increasingly prominent place in energy transition strategies in Europe. Adopting models representing the building stock and accounting for occupancy influence on final housing energy use must be developed to advise new policies. In this respect, this study aims to characterize the Walloon residential building stock and to analyze the existing correlations between the stock’s technical data and its occupants’ socioeconomic data. This study uses existing databases on buildings and inhabitants in Wallonia. Several statistical analyses make it possible to highlight the preponderant criteria and existing correlations between these different criteria. This study affirms the importance of accounting for certain socioeconomic categories, such as low-income groups, in a global strategic reflection on energy renovation. Multiple linear regression shows us that each percent increase in the category of households that declare between 10,000–20.000 EUR of income per year corresponds to an increase of 7.22 kWh/m2·y in the average energy efficiency of the built stock. The results highlight the importance of focusing on renovation strategies for particular types of buildings, such as semi-detached houses, which combine unfavorable technical and socioeconomic factors. Thus, the results confirm the interest of a mixed model approach to adapt to effective renovation policy strategies.

scholarly journals Progress and Stagnation of Renovation, Energy Efficiency, and Gentrification of Pre-War Walk-Up Apartment Buildings in Amsterdam Since 1995

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2590
Author(s):  
Leo Oorschot ◽  
Wessel De Jonge
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Housing Associations ◽  
Ring Road ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Apartment Buildings

Increasing the energy efficiency of the housing stock has been one of the largest challenges of the built environment in the Netherlands in recent decades. Parallel with the energy transition there is an ongoing revaluation of the architectural quality of pre-war residential buildings. In the past, urban renewal was traditionally based on demolition and replacement with new buildings. This has changed to the improvement of old buildings through renovation. Housing corporations developed an approach for the deep renovation of their housing stock in the period 1995–2015. The motivation to renovate buildings varied, but the joint pattern that emerged was quality improvement of housing in cities, focusing particularly on energy efficiency, according to project data files from the NRP institute (Platform voor Transformatie en Renovatie). However, since 2015 the data from the federation of Amsterdam-based housing associations AFWC (Amsterdamse Federatie Woningcorporaties) has shown the transformation of pre-war walk-up apartment buildings has stagnated. The sales of units are slowing down, except in pre-war neighbourhoods. Housing associations have sold their affordable housing stock of pre-war property in Amsterdam inside the city’s ring road. The sales revenue was used to build new affordable housing far beyond the ring road. This study highlights the profound influence of increasing requirements established by the European Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) and the revised Housing Act of 1 July 2015, for the renovation of the pre-war housing stock. The transformation process to climate-neutral neighbourhoods inside the ring road is slowing down because of new property owners, making a collective heat network difficult to realize; furthermore, segregation of residents is appearing in Amsterdam.

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