Renovation rate as a tool towards achieving SDGs 11 and 13

Abstract

The building stock being a huge energy consumer, is an important sector for SDG 11 on sustainable cities and SDG 13 on climate action. Therefore, retrofitting the existing buildings is a priority for most EU countries. Long term goals for the energy performance of buildings are premised. However, to be able to monitor the progress and feasibility to achieve the goals in 2050, knowledge of the actual renovation rate is indispensable. Since years an overall renovation rate of 1% for the EU is communicated. This number is withheld in several countries to stimulate retrofitting (Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands). However, it is not clear how this renovation rate reflects the actual renovation rate and the actual energy savings because accurate knowledge on this is lacking in most countries. This paper focusses on elaborating our knowledge of the renovation rate by analysing its definition and providing a possible, more accurate calculation method. A literature study shows that there is no commonly used definition of 'renovation rate' in the EU. Instead different approaches are being used, often depending on available data. A case study for Flanders, Belgium reconstructs the communicated renovation rate of 0.7% to 1% by means of a database of the renovation activity of approximately 6000 homeowners (2012-2018). The used survey concept shows that the actual renovation rate exceeds 1% and is able to provide extra insights on the energy renovation depth in Flanders. In a next step this could be extended to calculate the actual energy savings due to renovations. As this survey concept can easily be adopted in other EU countries, it could form the base of an aligned monitoring of the progress towards a sustainable built environment. 1. Introduction To limit warming to 1.5C, global net CO2 emissions must drop by 45% between 2010 and 2030, and reach net zero around 2050. The energy consumption in buildings accounts for roughly 40 % of EU's total final energy consumption. The share of households is 27 % of the total [1]. Higher energy efficiency and use of renewable energy in existing and new buildings are expected to play a major role in achieving the CO2 emission drop. Therefore, the building stock is an important sector for SDG 11 on sustainable cities and SDG 13 on climate action. As existing dwellings exceed the number of newly built dwellings in most developed countries, the European Commission has indicated the increase of the renovation rate and renovation depth as one of the building blocks to achieve a climate neutral economy [2]. But therefore, a good knowledge of the actual renovation rate and the actual depth of renovation is indispensable for policy makers to be able to follow up the progress towards this ambition. This paper firstly discusses the outcome of a literature study which illustrates that a common definition for renovation rate and renovation depth is lacking in Europe. Secondly, a case study for