Hamilton, I G; Shipworth, D; Summerfield, A J; Steadman, P; Oreszczyn, T and Lowe, R (2014) Uptake of energy efficiency interventions in English dwellings. Building Research & Information, 42(3), pp. 255-275. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
Little detailed evidence has previously been available regarding the uptake rate or prevalence of energy efficiency interventions among specific household groups. This study uses the Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) to investigate both the combination of measures that have been installed, and in which dwellings, according to key neighbourhood socio-demographic variables, including income and tenure. Analysis of 2000-07 data indicates that approximately 40% (9.3 million) dwellings in England had approximately 23.7 million efficiency measures installed, with an average of 2.5 measures per dwelling. Building fabric-related measures were the most frequent (e.g. cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and glazing) with an average of 2.1 million installed each year. Dwellings with the highest number of fabric interventions (the top 20%) were more likely to be found in areas with low income, with more owner-occupied dwellings, experiencing lower winter temperatures, having a lower proportion of flats, and having a slightly higher proportion of older adults and children. Energy efficiency installations have tended to occur among specific types of households or parts of the building stock. These findings have implications for the design of future government programmes for targeting energy efficiency measures to specific household groups or dwelling types.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building stock; demographics; dwellings; energy efficiency; energy epidemiology; housing; policy impacts; retrofit; uptake |
| Index terms: | housing, tenure, insulation, demographics, evidence, policy impact, household, income, energy efficiency measure, programme, demographic variable, database, children, glazing, owner, building stock, energy epidemiology, winter, England, energy efficiency, efficiency |
| Subjects: | architectural elements, performance management, Geography, demography, data management, project controls, sociology, asset management, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, construction type, policy studies, climate science, building materials, sustainability and energy, real estate economics, energy systems, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Governance, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Quality Management, Urban Studies, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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