The impact of domestic energy efficiency retrofit schemes on householder attitudes and behaviours

Long, Thomas B.; Young, William; Webber, Phil; Gouldson, Andy; Harwatt, Helen

doi:10.1080/09640568.2014.965299

Cited by 29 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…This is because the combined impacts of performance gaps and rebound effects are lower than predicted -suggesting in turn that households in middle and upper income areas were already adequately heated and that the insulation added led to reduced energy consumption rather than improved comfort levels. This finding is reinforced by the results of a related survey of the impacts of participation in the scheme that found that thermostat settings in participating households were largely unaffected by KWZ insulation 3 (see Long et al, 2014). Our results therefore offer some evidence to underpin the social case for retrofit based on its expected contribution to tackling fuel poverty.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…However, the IEA (2013b) and the IPCC (2014) note the significance of multiple barriers that prevent the take-up of energy efficiency measures in buildings. These include lack of awareness and concern, limited access to reliable information from trusted sources, fears about risk, disruption and other 'transaction costs', concerns about upfront costs and inadequate access to suitably priced finance, a lack of confidence in suppliers and technologies and the presence of split incentives between landlords and tenants (IEA, 2013b; IPCC, 2014; Long et al, 2014;Owen et al, 2014). The widespread presence of these barriers led the IEA (2013a) to predict that without a concerted push from policy, two-thirds of the economically viable potential to improve energy efficiency will remain unexploited by 2035.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Levels of take-up were even across lower, middle and upper income areas. As related research on KWZ has demonstrated (Long et al, 2014), this level of participation and take-up was only secured through sustained marketing and repeated household visits from a trusted provider that placed great emphasis on customer care and the quality of installations. It also relied on the provision of insulation measures at no cost with steps (such as assisted loft clearances) taken to limit disruption in participating households.…”

Section: Context For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impacts of household retrofit and domestic energy efficiency schemes: A large scale, ex post evaluation

2015

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A large scale, ex post evaluation of the impacts of a household retrofit scheme. A new methodology to separate retrofit impacts from background trends. Shows impacts of retrofit have been 1.2-1.7 times higher than predicted. Impacts as predicted in lower income areas, higher in middle and upper income areas. Findings support the case for the wider and faster adoption of domestic retrofit. a b s t r a c tThere is widespread interest in the ability of retrofit schemes to shape domestic energy use in order to tackle fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions. Although much has been written on the topic, there have been few large-scale ex post evaluations of the actual impacts of such schemes. We address this by assessing domestic energy use before and after the Kirklees Warm Zone (KWZ) scheme, which by fitting insulation in 51,000 homes in the 2007-2010 period is one of the largest retrofit schemes completed in the UK to date. To do this, we develop and apply a new methodology that isolates the impacts of retrofit activity from broader background trends in energy use. The results suggest that the actual impacts of the KWZ scheme have been higher than predicted, and that the scale of any performance gaps or rebound effects have been lower than has often been assumed. They also suggest that impacts on energy use in lower income areas are consistent with predictions, but that impacts in middle and higher income areas are higher than predicted. These findings support the case for the wider and/or accelerated adoption of domestic retrofit schemes in other contexts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Context For the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impacts of household retrofit and domestic energy efficiency schemes: A large scale, ex post evaluation

2015

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“…The UK policies aiming at improving energy efficiency and reducing C emissions from the domestic sector have undergone significant changes in recent years including programmes that have been run by local authorities and at community levels [6,7]. One of the successful programmes delivered is RE:NEW programme, introduced in 2009 to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills of London's domestic sector [8].…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards energy-efficient retrofit of council housing in London: Assessing the impact of occupancy and energy-use patterns on building performance

Zahiri

Elsharkawy

2018

Energy and Buildings

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This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Highlights  Evaluating council housing building performance and occupants' energy use behaviour  Effects of occupants' energy use behaviour on building's energy efficiency  The impact of indoor environmental conditions on thermal comfort and energy use  Importance of energy and occupancy patterns in feasible energy use predictions  Tackling the fuel poverty by the energy efficient retrofit of the social housing

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“…The DECC (2015b) report that approximately 18% of the pre-1919 households live in fuel poverty and may not invest, while Dowson et al (2012) outlined how low affordability is prohibiting low carbon retrofit. Long et al (2015) state that retrofit schemes tend to offer positive results when marketed and hosted correctly. However, there were mixed opinions among HIs on the influence of financial assistance from various sources with tax reduction being the most desired motivation, followed by the government grants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation into retrofitting the pre-1919 owner-occupied UK housing stock to reduce carbon emissions

Kaveh

Mazhar

Simmonite

et al. 2018

Energy and Buildings

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In the UK, housing has been identified as a significant sector for contributing to the 80% reduction in emissions over the 1990 baseline by 2050, required by the Climate Change Act of 2008. However, pre-1919 housing stock is the least energy efficient and consequently poses challenges to meeting this target. Using a mixed methods approach, the current study demonstrates that, in actuality, there is a significant potential for reducing emissions among this sub-sector of housing, and that the major barriers to energy efficiency retrofits concern a lack of funding, the payback period for the investment, disruption to home life and finding a trustworthy and skilled installer. Moreover, this study finds that homeowners are motivated primarily by the desire to improve home comfort and aesthetics along with a reduction in energy bills rather than in reducing carbon emissions. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving the viability of retrofitting pre-1919 homes through enhanced financial resources, policy support and the promotion of social and economic benefits.

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The impact of domestic energy efficiency retrofit schemes on householder attitudes and behaviours

Cited by 29 publications

References 36 publications

The impacts of household retrofit and domestic energy efficiency schemes: A large scale, ex post evaluation

The impacts of household retrofit and domestic energy efficiency schemes: A large scale, ex post evaluation

Towards energy-efficient retrofit of council housing in London: Assessing the impact of occupancy and energy-use patterns on building performance

An investigation into retrofitting the pre-1919 owner-occupied UK housing stock to reduce carbon emissions

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