CO₂ Emissions Reduction 2 Potential with Novel Energy Renovation Technologies in English and Spanish Climate Conditions

Abstract

As the building sector acts as an important CO2 emissions source, it is essential to renovate the existing building stock for carbon neutrality in the EU. The study reveals the effects of several novel renovation technologies on building energy consumption and CO2 emissions through building simulations. An English semi-detached house and a Spanish terraced house were chosen as the simulated demo houses. Renovation technologies were divided into passive, ventilation, and generation packages and simulated by packages and final combinations. Insulating breath membrane and bio-aerogel thermal insulation are the most appropriate single technology for lowering CO2 emissions for the English and Spanish demo houses, respectively. For generation technologies, solar assisted heat pump is a more recommended CO2 emissions conservation technology than PVT system in both climate conditions. The demo houses’ CO2 emissions can be reduced maximally by over 70% after renovating with the final combination including solar assisted heat pump. The current economic feasibility of the novel technologies is limited by various issues, for example, manufacturing costs and energy prices. Nevertheless, considering most of the issues can be solved with time, they will be economically feasible renovation measures in the future.