A novel multicriteria methodology to assess the renovation of social buildings

Abstract

The current Energy Performance Certificates of buildings are mostly based on the expected energy consumption. Recently, some certification schemes are starting to incorporate Indoor Air Quality aspects, but it is still not usual. Another topic of interest, such as energy poverty, is not considered in current certification schemes either. This paper presents a novel multicriteria methodology to assess the renovation of social housing buildings: the ARCAS methodology. The novelty lies in its transversal approach, which considers three axes: Energy Efficiency, Energy Poverty, and Indoor Environment Quality. The indicators set for assessment are calculated based on actual on-site measurements. The methodology has been tested in six demonstrator buildings selected throughout the SUDOE territory (southwestern Europe). The results show that the ARCAS methodology allows a comprehensive assessment of the current situation of the building to be achieved and helps to propose the renovation measures in a specific direction. Advice and guidance for professionals who want to test the methodology are also given. Although the methodology has been developed for its application in social housing, according to the EU recommendations, it can be applied to any type of housing.