Design of an Energy Policy for the Decarbonisation of Residential and Service Buildings in Northern Portugal

Sara Capelo, Tiago Soares (), Isabel Azevedo, Wellington Fonseca and Manuel A. Matos
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Sara Capelo: Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Tiago Soares: Center for Power and Energy Systems, Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Isabel Azevedo: Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI), 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Wellington Fonseca: Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Manuel A. Matos: Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: The decarbonisation of the building sector is crucial for Portugal’s goal of achieving economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050. To mobilize communities towards energy efficiency measures, it is important to understand the primary drivers and barriers that must be overcome through policymaking. This paper aims to review existing Energy Policies and Actions (EPA) in Portugal and assess their effectiveness in improving Energy Efficiency (EE) and reducing CO 2 emissions in the building sector. The Local Energy Planning Assistant (LEPA) tool was used to model, test, validate and compare the implementation of current and alternative EPAs in the North of Portugal, including the national EE plan. The results indicate that electrification of heating and cooling, EE measures, and the proliferation of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are crucial for achieving climate neutrality. The study found that the modelling of alternative EPAs can be improved to reduce investment costs and increase Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Among the alternatives assessed, the proposed one (Alternative 4) presents the best returns on investment in terms of cost savings and emissions reduction. It allows for 52% investment cost savings in the residential sector and 13% in the service sector when compared to the current national roadmap to carbon neutrality (Alternative 2). The estimated emission reduction in 2050 for Alternative 4 is 0.64% for the residential sector and 3.2% for the service sector when compared to Alternative 2.

Keywords: building energy consumption; energy efficiency; energy policies and actions; greenhouse gas emissions; local energy planning; net zero carbon building (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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