TY - JOUR
T1 - Greenhouse gas mitigation benefits and cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments for low-income, American, urban housing stocks
AU - Bradshaw, Jonathan L.
AU - Bou-Zeid, Elie R.
AU - Harris, Robert H.
N1 - Funding Information:
Support for this research was provided by the Princeton Environmental Institute’s Siebel Energy Grand Challenges program and Isles, Inc. J.L. Bradshaw is supported by a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Graduate Fellowship and a National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship . E. Bou-Zeid is supported by NSF Sustainability Research Network Cooperative Agreement 1444758. Financial support providers were not involved in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.
Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2016/9/15
Y1 - 2016/9/15
N2 - This paper investigates how greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation benefits and cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments vary geographically due to differences in climate, energy production mix, and housing stock. Using a treatment cost database and methods that estimate the residential energy savings from weatherization, we estimated energy cost savings, GHG savings, and measurements of cost-effectiveness. Combinations of three weatherization treatments were modeled: replacing a standard thermostat with a programmable thermostat, installing attic insulation, and envelop air sealing. These treatments were modeled for the low-income housing stock of six contrasting American urban areas: Orlando, Florida; Los Angeles-Long Beach, California; Seattle, Washington; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Results show that (1) regional variations have high impact on the cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments, (2) housing stocks with substantial electric space conditioning tend to offer greater energy cost and GHG savings, (3) the effect of a GHG price is small compared to energy cost savings when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments, and (4) installing programmable thermostats is the most cost-effective treatment. This study highlights the importance of thoughtful consideration of weatherization program goals when selecting cities or regions to prioritize because different goals suggest different weatherization strategies.
AB - This paper investigates how greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation benefits and cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments vary geographically due to differences in climate, energy production mix, and housing stock. Using a treatment cost database and methods that estimate the residential energy savings from weatherization, we estimated energy cost savings, GHG savings, and measurements of cost-effectiveness. Combinations of three weatherization treatments were modeled: replacing a standard thermostat with a programmable thermostat, installing attic insulation, and envelop air sealing. These treatments were modeled for the low-income housing stock of six contrasting American urban areas: Orlando, Florida; Los Angeles-Long Beach, California; Seattle, Washington; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Results show that (1) regional variations have high impact on the cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments, (2) housing stocks with substantial electric space conditioning tend to offer greater energy cost and GHG savings, (3) the effect of a GHG price is small compared to energy cost savings when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of weatherization treatments, and (4) installing programmable thermostats is the most cost-effective treatment. This study highlights the importance of thoughtful consideration of weatherization program goals when selecting cities or regions to prioritize because different goals suggest different weatherization strategies.
KW - Building energy modeling
KW - Cost-benefit analysis
KW - Energy efficiency
KW - Greenhouse gas emissions
KW - Low-income housing
KW - Residential building retrofit
KW - Weatherization
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U2 - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.07.020
DO - 10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.07.020
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84989900718
SN - 0378-7788
VL - 128
SP - 911
EP - 920
JO - Energy and Buildings
JF - Energy and Buildings
ER -