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The purpose of this paper is to promote energy saving measures concurrent with major planned renovation/refurbishment in residential buildings.

The methodology comprises of case studies, in which the influence of various factors is identified on the overall decision making related to building renovation/refurbishment.

The employed operational decision support process enables energy saving opportunities for residential buildings in conjunction with planned major renovations/refurbishments.

The research scope is confined to residential buildings in Sweden and cooperatives with tenants as the owners and governors.

A novel approach to synergistic energy saving and renovation in residential buildings is exhibited.

The paper presents an altered viewpoint of energy renovation means for residential buildings in the built environment.

The paper presents a novel approach for building owners to renovate a building in terms of improved performance, energy efficiency and indoor comfort in combination with planned renovations/refurbishments.

Underground cabling has become a true alternative in construction of electricity distribution networks, even in rural areas. The increasing amount of underground installations requires strategic work that helps to define the most profitable cabling targets. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a methodology to consider the underground cabling process.

The paper proposes a cabling concept that covers the issues on how cabling should be carried out. The analysis is based on techno‐economic and reliability analyses. The methodology consists of several steps that together constitute the concept.

The underground cabling concept comprises several steps that can be simplified into questions: where, what, when and how the network cabling process is carried out. The analysis of these questions and the related features of the network show that different approaches to the renovation can cause significant differences in profitability between the renovation strategies.

The underground cabling concept provides a method to analyse the cabling process, and it contains several alternatives for applying the concept. Thus, the applicability of a certain method depends on the network and the objectives of the distribution system operator.

Renovation planning of the network has become common in distribution companies. Traditionally, ageing of the network has been the driver for the renovation. However, in the future, the scope of renovation planning should also include other renovation drivers, such as reliability.

The methodology proposed in the paper can be applied in the renovation and development process of distribution networks. The results are universal in the electricity distribution.

More significant reductions in residential primary energy consumption and in space heating in particular, can contribute to achieving climate change and energy efficiency objectives. Project information from demonstration projects is now becoming available for highly energy-efficient renovation concepts.

The goal of this research is to understand how owner-occupants can be persuaded to apply far-reaching energy-saving renovations of single-family houses. To this end, the research examines drivers and barriers of owners to adopt highly energy-efficient renovation concepts. Theory on decision processes in innovation diffusion is used, in order to examine the adoption of integrated concepts to achieve high energy performance. Belgian case studies (different building typologies) were examined. Adoption drivers and barriers perceived by owner-occupants are analysed. This leads to improved understanding of characteristics that can persuade future adopters. Possible measures are discussed to overcome barriers in the introduction phase of innovation diffusion, and are illustrated more in detail with a case study. The research shows that especially expectations of improved comfort provide an opportunity for the market entry of integrated concepts. Owners, architects and contractors could benefit from increased attractiveness, competitiveness, affordability and availability of highly energy-efficient renovations. Holistic approaches (stronger coordination and clustered renovation concepts), higher skill competence (education) and improved communication (actor networks, significant economic incentives) are recommended.

Building owners are encouraged to reduce the energy consumption both in order to contribute to national energy saving goals and to reduce the costs of heating and operation of buildings. However, it is important to pursue the most optimal strategy to achieve cost-effective energy use while maintaining other values. Building managers often do not have the time or expertise to make a proper evaluation of the available options, hence there is a need for practical methodologies for evaluation of renovation alternatives. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Renobuild, a systematic approach for evaluating renovation alternatives based on sustainability criteria are under development. It aims to compare renovation alternatives from an environmental, economic and social perspective. To verify the methodology it has been used to evaluate different renovation alternatives for a multi-family apartment building in Sweden.

The study showed that building managers are provided with a clear comparison between different renovation alternatives from a sustainability perspective. Using Renobuild or similar methodologies may highlight renovation measures which marginally increases the investments, but can lead to significant environmental and social benefits.

So far the methodology has only been tested on a limited number of buildings in Sweden. More buildings will need to be tested for further verification.

Not many tools or methodologies exist which address several aspects of sustainability. Renobuild is a practical methodology that can help building owners to increase focus on sustainability.

Non-technical dimensions such as spatial quality are just as relevant for energy efficiency as technical and economic dimensions in the renovation of dwellings. However, the significance of non-technical dimensions is often neglected in the energy renovation of dwellings. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the renovation of dwellings for energy efficiency influences spatial quality in the MS-1 building in the neighbourhood of Arlequin, Grenoble, France. The Arlequin case study is part of the ZenN project, nearly zero energy neighbourhoods, funded by the European 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No. 314363).

The impact of the renovation on spatial quality is analysed by crossing technical measures, applied in the energy renovation of dwellings with the definition of spatial quality proposed by Acre and Wyckmans (2014). The spatial quality definition results from a literature review on quality of design and urban life, wherein works of Weber (1995) and Gehl (2010, 2011) are related to the residential use in the scales of the building and block. The impact of renovation on spatial quality is further evaluated by using the spatial quality assessment developed by Acre and Wyckmans (2015). The impact on spatial quality is observed by considering all the renovation measures, instead of only considering the measures primarily related to energy performance. This emphasises the need for a cross-disciplinary approach between technical and non-technical dimensions in the energy renovation of dwellings.

The results display both negative and positive impacts of the energy renovation on spatial quality in the dwellings and emphasise the potential of non-technical dimensions in promoting renovation. The impact on spatial quality is primarily negative when only measures adopted in order to improve energy efficiency are considered in the evaluation.

This paper consists of a novel crossing of technical and non-technical dimensions in energy renovation of dwellings. The work aligns with the current European trend of nurturing energy-deep renovation to reach Europe’s 2050 energy-efficiency targets (Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) 2011).

This paper is based on a study of six similar buildings built in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1971, which were in urgent need of renovation. A life cycle profit analysis shows how four competing concepts were evaluated to find a financially viable renovation concept; additionally, the environmental impacts of these renovation concepts using a life cycle assessment are presented.

Four renovation concepts are compared to find the most appropriate concept, namely, minimalist, code-compliant, low-energy and low-energy plus vertical extension concepts. The methods used for comparison are life cycle profit analysis and life cycle impact assessment; the methods used for data gathering included site visits, interviews, document study, co-benefits study and energy simulation.

The findings show that vertical extension supported the energy-efficient renovation of the buildings and that the combination of low-energy and the vertical extension had the highest return on investment and the lowest environmental impact. The selected concept for renovating the remaining five buildings combined was the low-energy plus vertical extension. Additional benefits from vertical extension include more apartments in central locations for the housing company, a wider variety of apartment layouts and a wider range of tenants. Drawbacks include increased use of infrastructure, green space and common appliances, as well as gentrification.

This study shows how a vertical extension can financially enable an energy-efficient renovation and further lower its environmental impact. Benefits and drawbacks of densification are also highlighted to better understand the implementation of vertically extending a building.

In the context of difficulties in access to housing, the Spanish Act 4/2013 introduced a new article 17.5 into the Act on Urban Leases 1994 (LAU). This paper regulates the so-called renovations in lieu of rent (rehabilitación por renta), that is to say, a tenancy contract in which the tenant does not pay the rent in money but by performing renovation works in the same rented dwelling. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the legal regime of renovations in lieu of rent and how this scheme works.

Renovations in lieu of rent, by its own nature, allow a tenant with building skills to access affordable housing. However, due to the new regulation of this tenancy contract, which is only included in Paragraph 5 of art. 17 LAU, some problems may arise from a legal perspective.

This paper approaches the compatibility of this scheme with the LAU, detects its problems and proposes legal improvements.

This paper explores the application of renovations in lieu of rent and determines whether this new scheme, according to the current regulation, may represent a true residential alternative for vulnerable people or if legislative reform is needed to promote its use.

The aim of the present study was to characterize the main project delivery methods that are used for the renovation of social housing, and to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of their application for energy renovations in order to assist social housing organisations in making an informed decision on the choice of a project delivery method that suits their organizational context.

The study is based on a literature review, five case studies of renovation processes by five social housing organizations in four EU countries, a questionnaire completed by 36 social housing organizations from eight EU countries, and a series of 14 interviews with energy renovation experts from ten EU countries.

Four main project delivery methods were identified: iterative minor renovations, design‐bid‐build, design‐build and design‐build‐maintain. Design‐build‐maintain has the maximum potential to deliver energy savings because it facilitates collaboration between the various actors and promotes their commitment to achieving project goals.

The presented data is not meant to be representative for a country or the sector as a whole, but aims to indicate the main characteristics of the current energy renovations carried out by European social housing organizations.

Social housing organizations are provided with useful information about the advantages and disadvantages of different project delivery methods for energy renovation projects, assisting them to choose the option that suits their organizational context.

This study fills a knowledge gap about the project delivery methods currently used in social housing energy renovations and their potential for energy renovations.

This paper considers the renovation of hotels in the context of facilities management. It evaluates a study carried out in Egypt into the attitudes of hotel general managers about the importance attached to hotel renovation and refurbishment. The findings show that whilst hotel managers express a belief in the importance of hotel renovation, there is little evidence of strategic thought in the renovation process. Instead, the focus appears to be on the “softer” customer satisfaction aspects of hotel management. There is scope for a more strategic view of FM among hotel managers and owners.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how decisions are taken in the early stages of a renovation project, up to the design brief, leading up to the decisions on how to proceed with the renovation in the design phase. Although many technical solutions are visualised in the design phase, it is in the early evaluations of needs and demands, leading up to the design brief, that set the requirements for viable solutions in the design and production phases.

The study was carried out as a longitudinal case study of the planning phases of a school renovation. The studied buildings were researched by document analysis and by attending meetings over a four-year period between the building owners and the municipality.

Aspects such as technical status, energy use and indoor environment in the buildings were not discussed to any great extent. A few inventories were carried out in the buildings to establish their technical and accessibility status. The aspects mainly discussed in the studied renovation project have been: accessibility, functionality with respect to teaching and learning requirements in addition to architectural and cultural values.

This study illustrates the comprehensive analysis needed when renovating a building and on difficulties of addressing and evaluating all the viable aspects of concern. It also shows that this planning for a renovation is not a straight line but rather a process where conditions are continuously changing.