Environmental impact of retrofitting second homes: A case-study of the net global warming potential of different retrofit measures in a Swedish context
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Industrial ecology (MPTSE), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Gutke, Julia
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The building and construction sector is responsible for a fifth of the greenhouse
gases released by human activities, and retrofits are promoted by the IPCC as an
effective way to reduce the energy consumption and hence environmental impact of
buildings. Retrofits initially implies an increased environmental footprint associated
to the addition of materials and activities that are then successively compensated
by the expected savings in operational energy. For permanent housing this trade-off
normally implies a decreased life cycle environmental impact, however this study
focuses on second homes. What separates second homes from permanent housing
is that they are used intermittently, typically during weekends or vacations, hence
suggesting that the compensation for a footprint caused by a retrofit takes longer.
This thesis compares the added environmental impact of three common retrofit
measures to the reduced impact from the lower operational energy following each
retrofit respectively. The analysis is performed on three different case houses in
southern Sweden, and the studied measures are changing windows, addition of roofinsulation
and installation of an air-sourced heat pump. The difference between the
impact embodied in a retrofit measure and the reduced impact from operational
savings is referred to as the net environmental impact. The findings suggest that it
is not environmentally preferable to retrofit second homes, but rather to keep a low
indoor temperature while not using the house if it can can be assured that this does
not cause any risks or damages to the house.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental impact, Energy use, Retrofit, Energy renovation, Second homes