Co-benefits of residential retrofits: quantification and monetization approaches

This project explores the the non-energy benefits of implementing retrofits in residential buildings.

Status: Current

Research themes: Energy and GHG emissions Health and comfort

Research areas: Building design and retrofits for performance improvement; Wellbeing and comfort in the built environment

Project Objective

Approach

The residential sector plays an important role in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 through the implementation of retrofits in the existing building stock. While conventional practices have predominantly focused on energy-related improvements and their resulting economic and environmental benefits, there has been less attention given to the extensive non-energy benefits associated with retrofits. We employed qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the methods related to various dimensions of social, economic, and environmental co-benefits associated with residential retrofits.

Findings

The anticipated outcomes of this review include: the most widely applied retrofit interventions worldwide; the importance of implementing retrofits not only to reduce environmental impact, but also to yield various health benefits; the economic and environmental benefits using different retrofit strategies; and a critical analysis and evaluation framework for understanding the impact of co-benefits resulting from residential retrofits that can be used by researchers and policymakers.