Revealing the interplay between decarbonisation, circularity, and cost-effectiveness in building energy renovation

Area of Science:

• Sustainable building design
• Life cycle assessment
• Circular economy principles

Background:

• Building energy renovation is crucial for mitigating carbon emissions.
• Renovation projects often lead to increased material demand and financial expenses.
• The Dutch residential sector faces significant renovation needs for climate goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the carbon, material, and economic footprints of various renovation scenarios.
• To analyze the impact of different renovation strategies on the Dutch residential sector.
• To evaluate the potential of circularity strategies in mitigating renovation impacts.

Main Methods:

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) was employed to quantify environmental impacts.
• Scenario analysis was conducted for renovation strategies from 2015 to 2050.
• Sensitivity analysis was performed to identify key impact drivers.

Main Results:

• Façade refurbishment offers minor emission reductions (up to 0.3%) but increases material use (21-25%) and costs (2-6%).
• Heating system refurbishment shows greater potential for carbon emission reduction.
• Rebuilding could reduce emissions by up to 17% but triples material use and costs.
• Circularity strategies can offset up to 89% of material footprint and reduce emissions by up to 23%.

Conclusions:

• Significant cost increases are inevitable in building renovations, even with advanced circularity.
• Circular renovation strategies require enhanced incentives for widespread adoption.
• A concerted action approach is needed to balance sustainability and economic feasibility in renovations.