eprintid: 1492985 rev_number: 38 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/01/49/29/85 datestamp: 2016-06-15 14:31:20 lastmod: 2021-10-07 22:10:49 status_changed: 2016-06-15 14:31:20 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Loucari, C creators_name: Taylor, J creators_name: Raslan, R creators_name: Oikonomou, E creators_name: Mavrogianni, A title: Retrofit solutions for solid wall dwellings in England: the impact of uncertainty upon the energy performance gap ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B04 divisions: C04 divisions: F34 keywords: performance gap, uncertainty, U-value, solid wall insulation, EDSL-TAS note: Copyright © The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers 2016. abstract: This study seeks to evaluate the impact of uncertainty in the pre-retrofit thermal performance of solid walls of English dwellings on post-retrofit energy use. Five dwelling archetypes, broadly representative of English solid wall properties, were modelled pre- and post-retrofit, under different wall insulation scenarios, using dynamic thermal simulation. Findings indicate that whilst solid wall insulation could result in a significant reduction of space heating demand, uncertainties in the pre-retrofit solid wall U-value could lead to a gap between the anticipated and actual energy performance. Specifically, results show that if the current U-value assumption of 2.1 W/m2K is indeed an overestimation of the in-situ U-value of solid walls, then the anticipated carbon savings could be significantly reduced by up to 65%. Practical application: The performance gap observed in this study revealed that the actual carbon savings arising from the retrofit of solid wall properties could be significantly lower than predicted. This will not only affect UK Government carbon reduction targets but it can also result in a lack of confidence amongst stakeholders who may consequently doubt the effectiveness of energy retrofit measures, thus reducing their uptake. Uncertainties regarding solid wall U-values may necessitate the re-examination of the carbon targets set for the retrofit of solid wall dwellings and the exploration of alternative ways to further reduce their carbon emissions, e.g. by specifying higher insulation thicknesses. date: 2016-09-01 date_type: published publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US) official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0143624416647758 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1130054 doi: 10.1177/0143624416647758 lyricists_name: Mavrogianni, Anna lyricists_name: Oikonomou, Eleni lyricists_name: Raslan, Rokia lyricists_name: Taylor, Jonathon lyricists_id: AMAVR49 lyricists_id: EOIKO81 lyricists_id: RMSRA81 lyricists_id: JGTAY63 actors_name: Mavrogianni, Anna actors_id: AMAVR49 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Building Services Engineering Research and Technology volume: 37 number: 5 pagerange: 614-634 event_location: UK issn: 1477-0849 citation: Loucari, C; Taylor, J; Raslan, R; Oikonomou, E; Mavrogianni, A; (2016) Retrofit solutions for solid wall dwellings in England: the impact of uncertainty upon the energy performance gap. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology , 37 (5) pp. 614-634. 10.1177/0143624416647758 <https://doi.org/10.1177/0143624416647758>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1492985/7/Loucari%20et%20al.%202016%20-%20Retrofit%20solutions%20for%20solid%20wall%20dwellings%20in%20England.pdf