Potentials for emission reduction and value creation in the rehabilitation of existing building stock using input-output analysis

Abstract

Given that most of the world’s building stock for the next 30 years already exists today, renovation of existing buildings and infrastructure represent an important pathway towards a more sustainable future. The aim of this paper was twofold: 1) to evaluate potentials for waste reduction, efficient resource utilization, economic advantages and GHG emission reduction in rehabilitation in comparison with building new, 2) demonstrate the usefulness of input-output analysis in evaluation of value creation and employment potential, and environmental effects of changes in the building stock. A macroeconomic, input-output model developed by SINTEF is used in a methodology to make comparative assessments on future scenarios on building and renovation strategies. Preliminary results show how the strategies analysed provide pros and cons when different macroeconomic indicators (value added, GHG emissions, energy efficiency) are considered. Future works will improve technical data and macroeconomic assumptions, as integrate policy analysis into the methodology.