Increased house size can cancel out the effect of improved insulation on overall heating energy requirements

Helen Viggers, Michael Keall, Kristin Wickens and Philippa Howden-Chapman

Energy Policy, 2017, vol. 107, issue C, 248-257

Abstract: Stand-alone single-family dwellings are the dominant housing type in several countries. The floor-area of the average stand-alone dwelling has been increasing faster than the floor-area of the average apartment/flat/row-house in England, Australia, Canada, the USA and New Zealand. Standalone dwellings have a greater external heat transfer area than multiple family dwellings, for the same floor-area. Larger dwellings require more energy to heat than smaller dwellings insulated to the same level. Although insulation requirements have been increasing, the heating required to maintain newer larger stand-alone dwellings to a constant temperature can be similar to that required to heat older smaller stand-alone dwellings. Building regulations should be future-proofed by considering trends in dwelling size.

Keywords: Heating; Unintended consequences; Insulation; Dwelling size; Policy implications (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:107:y:2017:i:c:p:248-257

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.04.045

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