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Fabric first: is it still the right approach?

Eyre, N; Fawcett, T; Topouzi, M; Killip, G; Oreszczyn, T; Jenkinson, K; Rosenow, J; (2023) Fabric first: is it still the right approach? Buildings and Cities , 4 (1) pp. 965-972. 10.5334/bc.388. Green open access

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Abstract

‘Fabric first’ describes an approach to improving the thermal performance of residential buildings by prioritising the improvement of fabric. It has historically been widely advocated. However, the urgency of complete decarbonisation challenges this approach in existing buildings. Heat decarbonisation is necessary to deliver zero-carbon goals. In many cases, no additional fabric improvement is needed to decarbonise heating; a heat pump, or other zero-carbon heat supply, will be enough. Retrofitting fabric first may not be feasible across the whole housing stock on timescales necessary for rapid decarbonisation and could therefore slow housing decarbonisation. However, fabric improvement will continue to have an important role. Energy use in buildings with a ‘heat pump only’ retrofit will be higher than if insulation were also improved. Fabric should continue to be prioritised in new buildings and where low-cost insulation measures are available. Fabric improvement can have other benefits: lower running costs, improved comfort, reduced damp risk, better heat pump performance, reduced overheating risk and lower requirements for electricity capacity increases. The suitability of a heat-pump-only approach to building decarbonisation should therefore be decided building by building. For national building stocks, complete decarbonisation of heating systems is required, but stock average fabric improvement may be 30–50%.

Type: Article
Title: Fabric first: is it still the right approach?
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.5334/bc.388
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/bc.388
Language: English
Additional information: © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: building insulation, building stock, buildings, climate policy, fabric first, heat decarbonisation, mitigation, public policy, space heating
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184750
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