Proposal for Prioritizing the Retrofitting of Residential Buildings in Energy Poverty Circumstances

Abstract

The energy poverty derived from socio-economic imbalances affects mostly households with fewer economic resources, being social housing complexes one of the most vulnerable sectors. The insufficient access to energy and the incapability to maintain dwellings at an adequate temperature can have negative impact on people’s health due to the prolonged exposure to poor hygrothermal conditions. Therefore, the prioritization of building retrofitting actions must be carried out regarding the actual state of the housing and the family economy. This paper proposes the definition of a prioritization map that gave a general knowledge of the energy vulnerability situation of the existing building stock. To this end, the dwelling’s energy performance is analysed, focusing on the correlation among its characteristics and the energy vulnerability of its inhabitants. In this way, dwellings with high energy poverty potential are identified in order to develop different energy retrofitting strategies. By applying this method to 14 case studies of social housing in Bilbao, Spain, it was obtained a prioritization map with six levels of vulnerability that can serve as a tool for public entities to design their future strategies. It has been proven that building compactness and year of construction are important factors with a great impact on the heating demand and final consumption in dwellings. Acknowledging the vulnerability context of the building stock eases the decision-making process and the definition of intervention guidelines, prioritizing those in a situation of greater vulnerability.

Workflow for Window Composition Detection to Aid Energy-Efficient Renovation in Low-Income Housing in Korea

“…Software based on an algorithm for calculating the window area was developed so that the window area information can be directly obtained from the photographs. The results obtained expand the theoretical knowledge and could affect the determination of priorities before the field surveys as well as actual projects and policies, such as fairer and more efficient distribution methods [12].…”

“…Nevertheless, the question of whether the priorities of building renovation are effectively determined for budget distribution according to the target population and purpose of use [11][12][13][14] persists. While problems caused by procedural and systemic issues exist, the most significant issue is that energy poverty in blind spots is not identified through field surveys; furthermore, the same buildings may be repeatedly identified for funding.…”

Beyond Well-Being: The Assessment of the Energy Renovation in Latvia by the Residents

“…The year of construction and building compactness were important factors influencing the demand and final energy consumed for heating. The research recommended using energy poverty vulnerability assessments for a better policy design [28].…”

“…Rather, the household's total income is revealed in the survey, which enables us to consider the 'eat or heat dilemma'. [22] The well-being was assessed based on three questions on a five-point scale [28].…”

Riesgo para la salud asociado a la vivienda y su entorno. Propuesta metodológica para su evaluación

“…El enfoque científico más estudiado es el correspondiente a la vulnerabilidad energética centrada en la pobreza energética y que aúna aspectos ambientales, energéticos y sociales (Perez-Bezos et al, 2020). El insuficiente acceso a la energía y la incapacidad de mantener las viviendas a una temperatura adecuada pueden tener un impacto negativo en la salud de las personas debido a la exposición prolongada a malas condiciones higrotérmicas (San Miguel-Bellod et al, 2018).…”