Building Ownership, Renovation Investments, and Energy Performance—A Study of Multi-Family Dwellings in Gothenburg

Abstract

The European building stock was renewed at a rapid pace during the period 1950–1975. In many European countries, the building stock from this time needs to be renovated, and there are opportunities to introduce energy efficiency measures in the renovation process. Information availability and increasingly available analysis tools make it possible to assess the impact of policy and regulation. This article describes methods developed for analyzing investments in renovation and energy performance based on building ownership and inhabitant socio-economic information developed for Swedish authorities, to be used for the Swedish national renovations strategy in 2019. This was done by analyzing measured energy usage and renovation investments made during the last 30 years, coupled with building specific official information of buildings and resident area characteristics, for multi-family dwellings in Gothenburg (N = 6319). The statistical analyses show that more costly renovations lead to decreasing energy usage for heating, but buildings that have been renovated during the last decades have a higher energy usage when accounting for current heating system, ownership, and resident socio-economic background. It is appropriate to include an affordability aspect in larger renovation projects since economically disadvantaged groups are over-represented in buildings with poorer energy performance.

Renovation Strategies for Multi-Residential Buildings from the Record Years in Sweden—Profit-Driven or Socioeconomically Responsible?

“…There are also studies that showed that the way that housing companies approach renovation varies depending on their size, ownership category and on their housing portfolio. Mangold [13] showed that public housing companies carry out more extensive renovation than private companies. Larger companies outperform smaller companies in terms of extensive renovation [37].…”

“…There are also problems with insufficient indoor climate and the presence of hazardous substances. This part of stock also represents the largest potential for energy savings due to the large area of heated space [13].…”

Long-term effects of additional insulation of building façades in Sweden

“…c. 90 per cent of all multi-family buildings are represented in the database, and c. 15 per cent of the single-family buildings. In this study, the EPCD was used to determine the EP of individual buildings, as well as to draw a sample of buildings. Unlike most EU countries, the energy certificates in Sweden are based on measured data for energy use and issued by certified energy experts, making it a reliable data source (Mangold et al , 2018). However, certain ambiguities remain.…”

“…Unlike most EU countries, the energy certificates in Sweden are based on measured data for energy use and issued by certified energy experts, making it a reliable data source (Mangold et al , 2018). However, certain ambiguities remain.…”

Green building, split-incentives and affordable rental housing policy

“…The principal-agent theory is a valuable approach for understanding problems evident in the split-incentive, particularly those regarding the governmentendowed incentive structures for investors and tenants (Bird & Hern andez, 2012). There is broad consensus that the total cost of ownership of a building should include both the initial capital investment as well as the lifecycle operation and maintenance (O&M) costs (Islam et al, 2015;Mangold et al, 2018;Morrissey et al, 2013;Morrissey & Horne, 2011;Shirgaokar & Rumbach, 2018). It is within this context of the split-incentive issue and government-supported affordable housing policy, we explore how investments into 'Green Building' (GB), and the associated operational utility efficiency improvements, may be used effectively in AH policy, and how stakeholder outcomes may be affected.…”