The energy performance of dwellings with heat pumps of Dutch non-profit housing associations

Achieving energy efficiency in the built environment requires extensive efforts in the renovation and adaptation of housing stock. A promising design solution is the heat pump. While gas boiler systems are commonly used in Dutch non-profit housing stock, the share of dwellings with a heat pump grew from 1.6% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2021. However,...

The energy performance of dwellings of Dutch non-profit housing associations: Modelling actual energy consumption

In Europe, the energy performance of dwellings is measured using theoretical building energy models based on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which estimates the energy consumption of dwellings. However, literature shows large performance gaps between the theoretically predicted energy consumption and the actual energy...

Actual energy saving effects of thermal renovations in dwellings—longitudinal data analysis including building and occupant characteristics

Energy renovations often result in lower energy savings than expected. Therefore, in this study we investigate nearly 90,000 renovated dwellings in the Netherlands with pre and post renovation data of actual and calculated energy consumption. One of the main additions of this paper, compared to previous studies on thermal renovation, is that...

Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers

It is commonly accepted that occupants have a significant influence on the variation in residential heating consumption. However, the scale of that influence lacks empirical investigation. The aim of this study was to distinguish which part of the variance in actual residential heating consumption can be attributed to the occupants, and which...

Parameters that influence the probability on lower-than-expected energy savings - A pre- And post renovation energy consumption analysis of 90,000 renovated houses in the Netherlands

Thermal renovations are considered to be an effective measure to reduce residential energy consumption. However, they often result in lower-than-expected energy savings. In this paper, we investigate some parameters that influence the probability on lower-than-expected energy savings. We do this by comparing actual pre- and post-renovation...

Building Market Brief The Netherlands

The Building Market Briefs reports profile a single country building sector condensed into 50 pages. The content addresses the opportunities, the interests of stakeholders, costs and benefits of action to mitigate emissions — the primary driver of climate change. Also, the content is amplified with recommendations from local experts. As the...

Performance gaps in energy consumption: household groups and building characteristics

The difference between actual and calculated energy is called the ‘energy-performance gap’. Possible explanations for this gap are construction mistakes, improper adjusting of equipment, excessive simplification in simulation models and occupant behaviour. Many researchers and governmental institutions think the occupant is the main cause of...

Reducing the Performance Gap by Analysing Specific Combiantions of Occupant and Building Characteristics

The energy saving policies of governments are not resulting in the energy saving they were aiming for[1]. Theoretical energy saving predictions are an important and frequently used tool for policy makers to develop energy saving policies and to set energy saving targets. Majcen et al. [2] showed a discrepancy between actual and theoretical...