All the comments and queries made by the residents
were important in providing the iNSPiRe researchers with insight
into the real condition of the market
place – what people will actually buy for their homes, what they will spend, how much upheaval will they put up with.
Indeed, EMVS believes this feedback
will be vital for the next stages of the iNSPiRe Kits as the business case is established and partners look for routes to the market. The blocks at Ciudad de Los Angeles are being
retrofitted because of the compulsory regulations that exist to maintain them in a safe condition in terms of their structure and water tightness. Technical reports for buildings of more than 50 years are mandatory and if repairs are needed after inspection, the owners are obliged to carry them out. To get funding to do this, however, owners are also required to upgrade the building’s energy performance. Because of this regulation, 20 per cent of the area has been retrofitted in 10 years. This is, in fact, a disappointingly low percentage, given the availability of 75 per cent funding.
Radiant ceiling panel pic from Tripan
“There should now be a concerted effort to explain what benefits exist for owners in terms of internal comfort and energy and costs savings following a retrofit exercise”
Among the lessons learnt in the process of working
closely with residents during this iNSPiRe renovation process has been the discovery that, at least in Spain, there is still a lack of awareness concerning energy retrofitting and its benefits, which needs to be overcome. There should now be a concerted effort to explain
what benefits exist for owners in terms of internal comfort and energy and costs savings following a retrofit exercise. This needs to be broadly disseminated to raise awareness of what is possible and to ensure that more energy retrofitting takes place. Energy savings of between 50 and 80 per cent are easily achievable in areas like Ciudad de Los Angeles, as iNSPiRe has clearly proved. The overall value of the property following this retrofitting can also rise by 15 per cent, providing further incentive to renovate. Public authorities should now make a concerted effort to raise awareness of
these benefits and
continue to provide the technical and social support directly to residents so that energy retrofitting can be rolled out across Europe and we can all share in the potential benefits offered by EU projects like iNSPiRe.
★ 22
The EMVS is part of the Fraunhofer RetroKit project, in which partners
from 18 countries are investigating new systems of sustainable rehabilitation.
Insight Publishers | Projects
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