Preparing for lower-temperature heating

Abstract

Transitioning existing dwellings to lower temperature heating (LTH) is crucial for achieving the Dutch goal of making 1.5 million homes gas-free (i.e., independent of natural gas-based heating) by 2030. This transition often necessitates energy renovations, which present significant decision-making challenges in selecting appropriate solutions. Consequently, this study introduces a systematic framework based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to support selecting suitable renovation options for preparing Dutch dwellings for LTH supplied by sustainable heating systems. The framework is methodically developed by generalising typical steps from existing literature and identifying essential decision-making aspects for framework development. It was then theoretically tailored to the specific context of LTH-ready renovations. The framework involves six steps: data collection and benchmarking, evaluating LTH readiness, establishing decision-making preferences and generating renovation solutions, filtering LTH feasible options, quantifying their performance, and ranking them using the TOPSIS method. Furthermore, the theoretical framework was applied to a case study of a multi-family social house (MFH) in the Netherlands to demonstrate its practical usability and to incorporate real-world context in decision-making. While the framework's applicability has been validated for this specific case, further application across different contexts is necessary to generalise its usability. The proposed framework comprehensively evaluates renovation solutions needed to transition to LTH based on environmental, economic, and social criteria, thereby addressing energy poverty and occupant comfort concerns. This supports stakeholders in making informed decisions and accelerating energy renovations for a decarbonised built environment.