Built environment

Around 30% of all Dutch energy consumption takes place in buildings and dwellings. This energy is used by installations, appliances and lighting. Natural gas is the main fuel for heating, hot water and cooking. The consumption of electricity is mainly done by appliances and lighting, but also by installations for heating, hot water and ventilation.

The built environment is characterised by various segments and actors. The main segments of the built environment are the residential and the non-residential sector. Each segment actually presents a detailed picture, according to type of buildings/dwellings, households and energy use.

A lot of different buildings and dwelling types already exist and will be built, which are owned or rented by a variety of private or organisational (public or commercial) households. All the technical and behavioral characteristics of lead to an energy use that is very diverse. Besides the variety in end-users of energy, numerous other actors are involved in the built environment. Conventional and renewable energy is supplied by energy companies (large to small and international to local), while some end-users produce renewable energy themselves using solar or environmental heat for example. Other actors also play a role, like housing corporations and project developers, private homeowners associations (VVE’s) in multifamily dwellings, the construction sector (contractors, installers, engineers, energy and constructional consultants, architects), parties for the market (real estate agents, notary offices, financiers), numerous representative organisations, and finally the central government, provences and municipalities and various agencies. 

European and Dutch (energy) policies for the built environment aim to regulate and stimulate energy savings, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Policies apply to either one or more of the segments and actors mentioned and thus should consider the diversity of this sector.

In the subfield Built Environment, ECN Policy Studies is conducting research in the following areas:

• Policy Studies has a large knowledge base of various saving and renewable options and their costs and benefits. By combining this knowledge with long term projections, potentials, costs and benefits of energy saving measures and renewable techniques can be established in coherence with each other. 
• Policy Studies monitors historic energy consumption in the built environment and determines realised energy savings. The built environment is included in integral analyses of the Dutch energy system.
• Policy Studies carries out ex ante and ex post evaluations of policy in the built environment. Examples of ex ante studies are the Reference projections of 2010 in which the built environment is described. Ex post studies have been conducted for example on the effects of the energy performance standard for new dwellings (EPC Evaluatieonderzoek ) on energy use, behaviour and buildings concepts and costs.
• Policy Studies has various models and gathers information for the activities mentioned, which are used to make detailed projections up to 2040.
• SAWEC is used for projections of gas consumption in houses. The effects of specific policy measures can be established, among other things.
• EVA is used for projections of residential electricity consumption for appliances and lighting. Policy scenarios are the basis for these projections.
• SAVE-Services for projections of energy use in utility buildings.
• The HOME research provides detailed information on domestic energy use.
• As energy use in the built environment is significantly determined by consumer behaviour, social scientific research is also conducted. See for instance the IDEAL EPBD project.
• An important barrier to realise energy savings and renewable energy are the inevitable additional investment costs and available options to finance these. ECN also researches the benefits, costs and potentials of available financing options.

For more  information about some of our projects follow this link.

Next to policy research, ECN also conducts technical research of energy in the built environment. This research is not conducted by Policy Studies but by the section Energy in the Built Environment of the unit Efficiency and Infrastructure. 

For more information please contact Marijke Menkveld.