Influence of energy retrofit on material flows: comparison between various strategies

Gobbo, Emilie [UCL] Trachte, Sophie [UCL] Massart, Catherine [UCL] et al.

Cities are fast growing and their dependence on external services and supplies increases with time. In Europe, the existing building stock is both ageing and energy-demand intensive: its energy retrofit becomes necessary, this resulting in waste generation and pressure on the availability of raw materials. New approaches such as circular economy are arising to face these challenges. However, principles of circular economy are not necessarily associated with energy concerns. To address this gap, this paper considers the current need of retrofit strategies in an urban mining perspective. A methodology based on a bottom-up approach is proposed, aiming to evaluate the impacts of energy retrofit strategies on material stocks and flows at the building scale.