Downsizing and the use of timber as embodied carbon reduction strategies for new-build housing: A partial life cycle assessment

The 2050 decarbonization goals coupled with the growing housing shortage in Europe intensify the pressure on new-build dwellings to enhance their energy performance. Beyond a zero operational energy, the focus has shifted towards reducing embodied carbon (EC). Against this backdrop, this study investigates the simultaneous impact of downsizing...

Unravelling Dutch homeowners’ behaviour towards energy efficiency renovations: What drives and hinders their decision-making?

The housing stock has a considerable share of 40% in energy consumption and 36% of CO ₂ emissions in the EU. In accordance to energy efficiency and emissions targets set by EU, The Netherlands has aimed to renovate 300,000 homes each year, leading to 50% reduction in CO ₂ emissions, by 2050. Many factors including low...

Are we moving fast enough? The energy renovation rate of the Dutch non-profit housing using the national energy labelling database

The existing housing stock plays a major role in meeting the energy saving targets set in the Netherlands as well as in the EU. Existing buildings account for 38% of the final energy consumption in the European Union (EU), and they are responsible for 36% of the CO₂ emissions. Energy renovations in dwellings offer unique...

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...