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ID: 180125

Homeowner low carbon retrofits: Implications for future UK policy / Bobrova, Yekatherina

Bobrova, Yekatherina	Journal Article
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Summary/Abstract

The promotion of low-carbon home retrofit among UK homeowners is widely recognised as an important strategy to reduce operational energy use in dwellings and mitigate climate change. The related predominant UK policy approach is to address various market failures and develop the market for low-carbon retrofit and innovation. The current low uptake rate of low-carbon home retrofit suggests that a complementary policy approach is necessary to increase it and support households in their change towards low-carbon living. This paper uses an innovation framework to analyse retrofit as an innovation-decision process of several stages. Low-carbon technology is conceptualised at three nested levels: product, design option and technological system. A multiple-case study approach is used to analyse eight home retrofit cases from the SuperHomes network, that achieved significant carbon emission reductions through retrofit activities. Case analysis shows that: (i) homeowners collect information for each technology level through different communication channels, which are not interchangeable; (ii) homeowners develop a certain capacity to transform their environmental concerns into substantial retrofit activities; (iii) the positive retrofit experience of homeowners is crucial to develop such capacity and to convince others to retrofit their homes. These findings have important implications for energy policy on retrofit uptake in UK to support household transition to low-carbon living.

Key Words

System ; Innovation ; Home Retrofit ; Low-Carbon ; Decision Process ; Socio-Technical

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ID: 121293

Process evaluation of the home performance with ENERGY STAR pro / Tonn, Bruce; Hawkins, Beth; Schweitzer, Martin; Eisenberg, Joel

Tonn, Bruce	Journal Article
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2013.

Summary/Abstract

The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program (HPwES) was established to promote a comprehensive, whole-house approach to retrofits. It is currently administered by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) after being jointly administered by DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since the Program's inception in 1999. This paper presents the results of a process evaluation of the HPwES Program. Interviews were conducted with key federal Program administrators and a sample of sponsors and contractors responsible for implementing the Program in the field. The respondents describe a program whose success is largely dependent on the use of the ENERGY STAR brand and the flexibility given sponsors to tailor their programs to their specific contexts. It is recommended that the HPwES Program: evolve to better meet the needs of specific types of sponsors (e.g., utilities, public benefit funds); implement a national marketing campaign; create closer ties to other DOE programs (e.g., the Weatherization Assistance Program); and conduct research to better establish program energy savings impacts and awareness.

Key Words

ENERGY STAR ; Home Retrofit ; Program Evaluation

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