IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v185y2024ics0301421523005657.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy savings potential and life cycle costs of deep energy retrofits in buildings with and without habitable style loft attic conversions: A case study of Irelands residential sector

Author

Listed:
  • Considine, Brian
  • Liu, Ying
  • McNabola, Aonghus

Abstract

This paper evaluated the potential energy and life cycle cost (LCC) savings arising from the deep energy retrofit of residential buildings. The cost optimal model was determined for material upgrades and the addition of an air-to-water heat pump, where the household level of savings at 2023 energy prices will be dependent on the typical housing characteristics and weather conditions. LCC savings post retrofit for a detached dwelling insulated at the ceiling/rafter including installation of a heat pump amount to a €20,031-€21,370 for an uninsulated dwelling pre-retrofit, rising to €38,448 for dwellings with a habitable loft conversion. Partially insulated dwellings, pre-retrofit did not all incur favourable returns in investment, and in some cases were unviable. Although, the application of a 50% grant results in a viable return on investment for home owners. A sensitivity analysis found high discount rates, fuel prices and increasing capital costs can negate positive returns on investment. Finally, at a national level energy saving of 7.72 TWh by 2030 could be realised if the Irish Climate Action Plan 2023 retrofit targets are adhered to. In addition, total LCC savings could be valued at €1.4 billion. Where only material upgrade are pursued a loss occurs of €0.56 billion.

Suggested Citation

  • Considine, Brian & Liu, Ying & McNabola, Aonghus, 2024. "Energy savings potential and life cycle costs of deep energy retrofits in buildings with and without habitable style loft attic conversions: A case study of Irelands residential sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:185:y:2024:i:c:s0301421523005657
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113980
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421523005657
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113980?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Coyne, Bryan & Denny, Eleanor, 2021. "Retrofit effectiveness: Evidence from a nationwide residential energy efficiency programme," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    2. Barrett, Michelle & Farrell, Niall & Roantree, Barra, 2022. "Energy poverty and deprivation in Ireland," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number RS144, August.
    3. Dineen, D. & Rogan, F. & Ó Gallachóir, B.P., 2015. "Improved modelling of thermal energy savings potential in the existing residential stock using a newly available data source," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 759-767.
    4. Pillai, Arya & Tovar Reaños, Miguel & Curtis, John, 2021. "An examination of energy efficiency retrofit scheme applications by low-income households in Ireland," Papers WP700, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    5. Cozza, Stefano & Chambers, Jonathan & Patel, Martin K., 2020. "Measuring the thermal energy performance gap of labelled residential buildings in Switzerland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    6. Kelly, J. Andrew & Fu, Miao & Clinch, J. Peter, 2016. "Residential home heating: The potential for air source heat pump technologies as an alternative to solid and liquid fuels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 431-442.
    7. Swan, Lukas G. & Ugursal, V. Ismet, 2009. "Modeling of end-use energy consumption in the residential sector: A review of modeling techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1819-1835, October.
    8. Hull, David & Ó Gallachóir, Brian P. & Walker, Neil, 2009. "Development of a modelling framework in response to new European energy-efficiency regulatory obligations: The Irish experience," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5363-5375, December.
    9. Peter Christensen & Paul Francisco & Erica Myers & Mateus Souza, 2023. "Decomposing the Wedge between Projected and Realized Returns in Energy Efficiency Programs," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(4), pages 798-817, July.
    10. Meles, Tensay Hadush & Ryan, Lisa, 2022. "Adoption of renewable home heating systems: An agent-based model of heat pumps in Ireland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    11. Moa Swing Gustafsson & Jonn Are Myhren & Erik Dotzauer & Marcus Gustafsson, 2019. "Life Cycle Cost of Building Energy Renovation Measures, Considering Future Energy Production Scenarios," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-15, July.
    12. Yating Chuang & Magali A. Delmas & Stephanie Pincetl, 2022. "Are Residential Energy Efficiency Upgrades Effective? An Empirical Analysis in Southern California," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(4), pages 641-679.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Brown, Alastair & Hampton, Harrison & Foley, Aoife & Furszyfer Del Rio, Dylan & Lowans, Christopher & Caulfield, Brian, 2023. "Understanding domestic consumer attitude and behaviour towards energy: A study on the Island of Ireland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    2. Pasichnyi, Oleksii & Wallin, Jörgen & Kordas, Olga, 2019. "Data-driven building archetypes for urban building energy modelling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 360-377.
    3. Dineen, D. & Rogan, F. & Ó Gallachóir, B.P., 2015. "Improved modelling of thermal energy savings potential in the existing residential stock using a newly available data source," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 759-767.
    4. Dineen, D. & Ó Gallachóir, B.P., 2017. "Exploring the range of energy savings likely from energy efficiency retrofit measures in Ireland's residential sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 126-134.
    5. Balaras, Constantinos A. & Dascalaki, Elena G. & Droutsa, Kalliopi G. & Kontoyiannidis, Simon, 2016. "Empirical assessment of calculated and actual heating energy use in Hellenic residential buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 115-132.
    6. Daly, Hannah E. & Ó Gallachóir, Brian P., 2012. "Future energy and emissions policy scenarios in Ireland for private car transport," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 172-183.
    7. Ozarisoy, B. & Altan, H., 2022. "Significance of occupancy patterns and habitual household adaptive behaviour on home-energy performance of post-war social-housing estate in the South-eastern Mediterranean climate: Energy policy desi," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PB).
    8. Damianakis, Nikolaos & Mouli, Gautham Ram Chandra & Bauer, Pavol & Yu, Yunhe, 2023. "Assessing the grid impact of Electric Vehicles, Heat Pumps & PV generation in Dutch LV distribution grids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    9. Piotr Gradziuk & Aleksandra Siudek & Anna M. Klepacka & Wojciech J. Florkowski & Anna Trocewicz & Iryna Skorokhod, 2022. "Heat Pump Installation in Public Buildings: Savings and Environmental Benefits in Underserved Rural Areas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-16, October.
    10. Omar Shafqat & Elena Malakhtka & Nina Chrobot & Per Lundqvist, 2021. "End Use Energy Services Framework Co-Creation with Multiple Stakeholders—A Living Lab-Based Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-24, July.
    11. Anna Kipping & Erik Trømborg, 2017. "Modeling Aggregate Hourly Energy Consumption in a Regional Building Stock," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, December.
    12. Solène Goy & François Maréchal & Donal Finn, 2020. "Data for Urban Scale Building Energy Modelling: Assessing Impacts and Overcoming Availability Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-23, August.
    13. Estiri, Hossein, 2014. "Building and household X-factors and energy consumption at the residential sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 178-184.
    14. Langevin, J. & Reyna, J.L. & Ebrahimigharehbaghi, S. & Sandberg, N. & Fennell, P. & Nägeli, C. & Laverge, J. & Delghust, M. & Mata, É. & Van Hove, M. & Webster, J. & Federico, F. & Jakob, M. & Camaras, 2020. "Developing a common approach for classifying building stock energy models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    15. Ijaz Ul Haq & Amin Ullah & Samee Ullah Khan & Noman Khan & Mi Young Lee & Seungmin Rho & Sung Wook Baik, 2021. "Sequential Learning-Based Energy Consumption Prediction Model for Residential and Commercial Sectors," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-17, March.
    16. Peep Pihelo & Kalle Kuusk & Targo Kalamees, 2020. "Development and Performance Assessment of Prefabricated Insulation Elements for Deep Energy Renovation of Apartment Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-20, April.
    17. Dujuan Yang & Harry Timmermans & Aloys Borgers, 2016. "The prevalence of context-dependent adjustment of activity-travel patterns in energy conservation strategies: results from a mixture-amount stated adaptation experiment," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 79-100, January.
    18. Gholami, M. & Barbaresi, A. & Torreggiani, D. & Tassinari, P., 2020. "Upscaling of spatial energy planning, phases, methods, and techniques: A systematic review through meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    19. Szajkó, Gabriella & Rácz, Viktor József & Kis, András, 2024. "The role of price incentives in enhancing carbon sequestration in the forestry sector of Hungary," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    20. Filippín, Celina & Ricard, Florencia & Flores Larsen, Silvana & Santamouris, Mattheos, 2017. "Retrospective analysis of the energy consumption of single-family dwellings in central Argentina. Retrofitting and adaptation to the climate change," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1226-1241.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:185:y:2024:i:c:s0301421523005657. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.