Cost optimality of energy retrofit of buildings

Abstract

Energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources have the potential to mitigate climate changes and they will prove to be very significant in solving this problem. Comparing the costs and benefits clearly exposes the advantages of strong rapid action that can combine economic growth with environmental balance and social equity. This action should concentrate on the most intensive users of energy. The construction industry and the use of buildings have a major impact on energy consumption and have become important sources of carbon dioxide emissions. A feeling prevails among building owners that major renovations offer opportunities to take effective measures to enhance energy performance. However, their awareness of the benefits of energy retrofitting of buildings is mainly related to the measurable expected return on investment in each energy efficiency measure. In the absence of data and guidelines, decisions tend to be postponed or taken at a subjective level. This project foresees the creation of a small company dedicated to providing services to increase the sustainability in buildings. One of the services to be offered by this company is evaluating the cost optimality of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy use in buildings. The innovative research described in this project is to develop an application that will run on web platform and that will be the basis for providing this service. The application will be called System of Energy Efficiency in Buildings ($e3) and will have two instances of use: an area with open access, aimed at building owners, and a restricted area, designed to accredited professionals. The application will enable simplified and free simulations evaluating the economic viability of this type of investment in residential buildings, which offer a limited set of features, and the possibility to change few parameters used in the calculations. For more detailed evaluations and covering all types of buildings, interested parties may request consulting by accredited professionals listed in the company that will host this project. These professionals will use the restricted area to perform the calculations in $e3 and will issue reports upon payment to the company. In order to achieve the accreditation and receive prospects to perform the service to customers in their respective regions of operation, Architects and Engineers should go through the $e3 training offered by the company. It is intended that the service to be developed under this project will contribute to the promotion of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources in buildings in Brazil, in a sustainable development perspective and contributing to climate change mitigation. (AU)