• Energy Research

The energy renovation of the existing building stock is a crucial strategy to achieve environmental targets at national and EU levels, as demonstrated by current energy uses and potential energy savings in the construction sector. The retrofit of school buildings in Italy is relevant because of the poor energy performance of the stock, as well as for its high social value. The Tito Maccio Plauto school in Cesena went through a deep energy retrofit process in the framework of the “School of the Future” EU Project. This paper documents all the phases of the process: the initial energy and indoor environment assessment; the design phase supported by detailed calculation analysis; the two years monitoring phase after the conclusion of the renovation works. The energy monitoring demonstrated a factor 4 reduction of space heating, final and primary energy, as well as the electricity neutrality achieved after the retrofit. Also the indoor environmental quality was addressed in this study by means of instrumental monitoring of indoor parameters and subjective analyses, carried out by a dedicated questionnaire. These additional actions demonstrated the positive impact of the implemented measures on thermal comfort and indoor air quality, as well as other co-benefits. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

Two test homes located in Millbury and Somerville, MA are examined with the goal of providing case studies that could be applied to other similar New England homes. The retrofit process for the enclosure and mechanical systems are examined in detail and the decision-making process is discussed.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the life-cycle costs (LCC) and energy performance of different heating and ventilation systems (HVAC) in deep-energy renovation of Norwegian detached houses. Eight different HVAC combinations based on heat pumps are compared using two case buildings, with different performance levels for the building envelope. The case buildings are small wooden dwellings without a hydronic heating system, which is representative of existing Norwegian detached houses. The insulation level had only a limited effect on the relative performance of the various HVAC combinations. Many solutions with medium and higher investments have a payback time close to the technical lifetime. Uncertainty regarding investment costs is important and affects the relative performance between HVAC combinations. Electricity prices also have a decisive influence on the relative performance. Solutions with lower investment costs often lead to low total costs but higher energy use. However, solutions with medium investment cost lead to a significant reduction in energy use and only a minor increase in total costs. Improving the cost-effectiveness of these technologies (reduced investment costs, grants, increased electricity price) would unlock large energy-saving potential. The lack of hydronic distribution systems in existing Norwegian buildings is a barrier to implementing air-to-water and ground-source heat pumps. For the investigated cases, the current government subsidies in Norway do not seem large enough to make investments in deep-energy renovation profitable

The McKinsey Global Initiative identified existing building retrofits as an integral component to achieve a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the United Sates by 2050 (Fluhrer, Maurer, & Deshmukh 2010). However, this will require energy efficiency retrofits for existing buildings to be deployed more frequently and achieve higher energy savings on average. Deep Energy Retrofits using the Integrative Design Process can result in 30-60%+ energy savings in office buildings. Because Deep Energy Retrofits require higher upfront capital costs, in an economy still recovering from the economic downturn, financial decision makers may not be inclined to invest more capital solely on the basis of higher energy savings. In this paper, Deep Energy Retrofit case studies, research papers, and retrofit guides were examined to answer the question: are deep energy retrofits financially viable, and if so, under what conditions. Utility cost savings, avoided capital costs, as well as additional benefits, like increased reputation, environmental health and enhanced comfort of the building are ways in which Deep Energy Retrofits can be cost-effective; and in some cases profitable for the financial decision maker or building owner. Deep Energy Retrofits using the integrative Design Process present a low-cost and effective strategy to reduce GHG emissions and help aid the US in climate stabilization efforts.

The complexity of deep energy retrofits warrants additional training to successfully manage multiple improvements that will change whole house air, heat, and moisture flow dynamics. The home performance contracting industry has responded to these challenges by aggregating skilled labor for assessment of and implementation under one umbrella. Two emerging business models are profiled that seek to resolve many of the challenges, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats described for the conventional business models.

This study investigates how energy retrofitting measures contribute to increasing the market value of multi-family residential buildings within the European real estate market. It examines how energy efficiency improvements, driven by EU decarbonization strategies, enhance the actual and perceived value of these properties. The research employs a dual-methodology approach, integrating the Cost Approach to estimate the financial impact of retrofitting with the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to evaluate consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for energy-efficient properties. Two real case studies are considered to evaluate the methodology and how the monetary value of buildings is affected by their energy efficiency. The results revealed that buildings subjected to deep energy retrofitting are more attractive to potential buyers, who are willing to pay a premium of 13.5% over properties in pre-retrofit conditions. This underscores the tangible market value increment attributed to energy efficiency enhancements. This study bridges the gap between the quantifiable costs of energy retrofitting and the market valuation, offering a dual perspective by integrating both actual cost analysis and perceived market value. Moreover, this work highlights the correlation between energy retrofit investments and increased market value in the European real estate sector.

Through discussion of five case studies (test homes), this project evaluates strategies to elevate the performance of existing homes to a level commensurate with best-in-class implementation of high-performance new construction homes. The test homes featured in this research activity participated in Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) Pilot Program sponsored by the electric and gas utility National Grid in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Building enclosure retrofit strategies are evaluated for impact on durability and indoor air quality in addition to energy performance. Evaluation of strategies is structured around the critical control functions of water, airflow, vapor flow, and thermal control. The aim of the research project is to develop guidance that could serve as a foundation for wider adoption of high performance, 'deep' retrofit work. The project will identify risk factors endemic to advanced retrofit in the context of the general building type, configuration and vintage encountered in the National Grid DER Pilot. Results for the test homes are based on observation and performance testing of recently completed projects. Additional observation would be needed to fully gauge long-term energy performance, durability, and occupant comfort.

An existing ruin of a vernacular house located in a rural area of Portugal is being renovated, aiming for architectural identity preservation and low environmental impact, to offer suitable comfort conditions for tourism exploitation. Calculated global energy consumption reduction is 94% of the calculated current energy use of the building

Under this project, Newport Partners (as part of the BA-PIRC research team) evaluated the installation, measured performance, and cost effectiveness of efficiency upgrade measures for a tenant-in-place deep energy retrofit (DER) at the Bay Ridge multifamily development in Annapolis, Maryland. This report summarizes system commissioning, short-term test results, utility bill data analysis, and analysis of real-time data collected over a one-year period after the retrofit was complete. The Bay Ridge project is comprised of a "base scope" retrofit which was estimated to achieve a 30%+ savings (relative to pre-retrofit) on 186 apartments, and a "DER scope" which was estimated to achieve 50% savings (relative to pre-retrofit) on a 12-unit building. A wide range of efficiency measures was applied to pursue this savings target for the DER building, including improvements/replacements of mechanical equipment and distribution systems, appliances, lighting and lighting controls, the building envelope, hot water conservation measures, and resident education. The results of this research build upon the current body of knowledge of multifamily retrofits. Towards this end, the research team has collected and generated data on the selection of measures, their estimated performance, their measured performance, and risk factors and their impact on potential measures.