Building retrofit in shrinking and ageing cities: a case-based investigation

ABSTRACT

Thermal renovation (retrofit) of residential buildings is one of the major issues in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This paper argues that the specific conditions in shrinking middle-size cities create an especially difficult environment for energy renovations. Using empirical data from the shrinking City of Delitzsch, Germany, it is hypothesized that buildings with poor energy efficiency are often inhabited by tenants or owners who impede retrofit activities due to their socio-economic conditions. The research analyzes the relation between buildings with a high potential for final energy reduction and a concentration of low-income, older or empty-nest households. The analysis examines this relation not only on an aggregated city level but also on the level of the city's districts to identify renovation ‘hot spots’ in the city. Specific challenges are identified for building renovations in shrinking cities due to a high concentration of possible barriers in the relevant housing stock. As a further consequence, those households with a low net-equivalent income are also at risk of energy poverty. In order to achieve a low-carbon and just society, possible actions are suggested for buildings with elevated barriers to energy renovation in shrinking cities.

KEYWORDS:

• building stock
• demographics
• renovation
• retrofit
• shrinking cities
• wicked issues

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the administration and the citizens of the City of Delitzsch for their cooperation. They also express special thanks to their colleagues Mart Verhoog, who gave support with his input, Paul Grunert, who provided the map, and Ariel Hernández, for his support. The authors express their gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable inputs as well as to Richard Lorch for his continuous support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. According to the ISO guidelines, it is calculated with an average room temperature of 19°C and a heating threshold temperature of 10°C.

2. In Germany, energy renovations generally do not need to be reported. This is why there are no data on the actual energetic condition of the buildings.

3. All citations as documented in the fieldwork diary noted from memory immediately after personal contact with respondents.

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)). This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research [grant number 03SF0364-BMBF] in the context of the research initiative Energy Efficient City (Energieeffiziente Stadt).