Understanding Building Energy Renovation Activities

Challenge

To monitor the impact of building efficiency policy measures, the European Union (EU) and its member states needed support collecting statistical data about renovation rates and the   uptake of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB).

Solution

Guidehouse, together with IPSOS, provided a representative data set for energy renovations and non-energy renovations, divided by residential and non-residential buildings for the EU. The team conducted an extensive set of business-to-business (~2,600) and business-to-customer (~30,000) surveys to collect new market data in each of the 28 member states. Guidehouse combined this information with purchased market sales data for several components like heating systems and windows. Drivers and barriers of households, architects, installers, and contractors for energy renovation were also assessed. 

Impact

The European Commission (EC) received a comprehensive data set on the uptake of NZEBs and an overview of renovation activities from 2012-2016 for member states and the whole EU. This included renovation rates, renovation costs, and primary energy and greenhouse gas savings divided by residential and non-residential buildings, plus in-depth information on the prevalent drivers and barriers. The EC used these results to set up a new renovation wave strategy, which is a part of the European Green Deal.