Historical energy analysis of the Norwegian dwelling stock

The building sector is a big consumer of energy and is responsible for a considerable share of the greenhouse gas emissions within most developed countries. Based on the development in underlying drivers and using system analysis methods, the historical development in energy flows in the Norwegian residential building stock, the associated costs and greenhouse gas emissions are estimated. The results show that although a 39% decrease occurred in energy consumption per square metre in the use phase, the total energy consumption increased due to increased stock size. Further, the total energy consumption was substantially dominated by the use phase. The energy-related costs increase even more than energy consumption due to increased energy prices, but the greenhouse gas emissions decrease due to changes in the energy mix. The per-capita results follow the same trends as the aggregated results, whereas there have been larger improvements in the system on a per-square-metre basis. Based on underlying drivers, the model ensures inclusion of development trends that are not easily explained by the direct factors energy efficiency, energy mix and energy prices.