Building renovation at district level – Lessons learned from international case studies

Abstract

Renovation at district scale is a key strategy to reduce CO 2 emissions by optimising the implementation of renewable energy sources and taking advantage of economy of scale. This paper focuses on analysing good practice examples on energy renovations at district scale. The paper adapts a qualitative research methodology in four phases, including the multi-perspective analysis of nine exemplary renovation projects in six European countries, including identification of drivers and barriers of different stakeholders.It is found that the drivers for a district renovation are not restricted to energy savings, but typically also include improving the overall quality of life as well as the image and economic value of a district. Moreover, the need for financial models that can alleviate split-incentive problems between investors and resident organizations is identified.Barriers for carrying out a district renovation include that there is a need to comply with energy standards, that the renovation scope had to be limited to avoid a noticeable rent increase and that resettling of tenants during the renovation is often not possible.Lessons learned include that good communication amongst the different stakeholders, especially with residents, plays a key role for the success of the project. Furthermore, a strong leadership is needed to coordinate activities due to the great number of stakeholders.

Agent-Based Modelling of Urban District Energy System Decarbonisation—A Systematic Literature Review

“…Deep decarbonisation of the building sector in the EU is one of the key prerequisites for becoming climate neutral by 2050, as buildings account for around 40% of final energy consumption [1]. In this regard, "zero energy" building concepts, which largely rely on reduced energy demand and on-site renewable generation, have recently gained considerable interest in both scientific literature [2][3][4][5][6][7] and in practice [8]. However, some researchers argue that dense and compact buildings on small plots have a small potential for an on-site renewable generation [2,9] and can hardly achieve zero energy balance.…”

Demand Aggregation as a Strategy for Untapping Buildings’ Energy Renovation Potential: Diagnosis and Prioritization Methodology and Case Study from the Basque Country

“…Moreover, there is strong evidence that approaching the renovation of residential buildings on a one-by-one basis is less effective than doing it on a district scale [9,10], especially when neighbourhoods were built as part of a homogeneous plan and with similar building typologies. In particular, the benefits of addressing renovation at the district scale as a key strategy to reduce CO 2 emissions have been widely analysed [11,12]. However, the benefits go beyond the energy dimension, since similar buildings' needs, due to building typology homogeneity, such as accessibility issues, as well as similar social characteristics, are also key to benefiting from the lower costs thanks to economies of scale and to design an adequate response to similar social needs.…”

“…District-level renovations call for strong leadership and collaborative work among stakeholders; in this context, local public bodies, as well as their affiliated housing agencies, can play a key role [12,14]. Local public authorities are usually charged with the implementation of policies that have been designed at higher levels of public administration.…”

“…Many studies have focused on developing methodologies for residential building stock analysis from the energy demand and performance perspective and the need to localize and characterize the most inefficient urban clusters (e.g., [15][16][17]). However, case studies have confirmed the importance of social factors to achieving district renovations [12], highlighting the relationship between residential energy and social characteristics in policymaking [18]. Moreover, drivers for building renovation are not necessarily restricted to energy benefits and include wider quality of life aspects such as accessibility and indoor environment improvements [12].…”

“…However, case studies have confirmed the importance of social factors to achieving district renovations [12], highlighting the relationship between residential energy and social characteristics in policymaking [18]. Moreover, drivers for building renovation are not necessarily restricted to energy benefits and include wider quality of life aspects such as accessibility and indoor environment improvements [12]. The lack of adequate knowledge about the building stock and its inhabitants is one of the main barriers hampering local authorities' capacity to foster renovations.…”