The standard approach to evaluating building retrofit options is to develop typical models of building performance, develop a set of retrofit solutions, and then evaluate which solutions are the best, reducing carbon for the lowest cost, for those typical buildings. This approach does not allow for consideration of the variation in building characteristics, a true search of all options available for decarbonization, or the incorporation of broader societal objectives such as reducing energy burden or job creation.
To overcome these shortcomings, we’ve developed a new approach where we pair detailed building stock modeling and urban building energy modeling with optimization to determine the best solutions to achieve building decarbonization pathways, given desired goals such as greenhouse gas emissions reductions, reduced capital and operational costs, reduced energy burden, and increased job creation.
We find that the solutions generated by this approach can (1) provide valuable information on the economic cost of the trade-offs of less tangible objectives like energy burden and job creation, (2) highlight how the best retrofit solution changes given different goals, and (3) ultimately highlights how to get the best “bang for your buck” for an budget and goals. This research is ongoing
