An energy-financial decision-making tool for planning building retrofit based on basic input data

The “Clean Energy for all European” package have recently updated the European target related to energy efficiency and emissions reduction, which are becoming more and more ambitious. In this framework, the building sector is expected to contribute in a relevant way, representing, with mobility, one of the main energy-and-carbon-intensive urban sectors. The strategic role of cities with respect to the energy-environmental issues besides to the relevant role their institutions should have in improving new policies are well recognized. Act locally engaging territorial authorities and smaller realities, as well as providing to them proper assessment and decision-making tools, is a necessary step towards an energy-environmental performance rise of our economy and, in particular, of the building sector. Focusing on the latter, this paper reports the activity conducted in the framework of the Energy Center Initiative with Compagnia di San Paolo and LINKS Foundation, with the aim to develop a simplified decision-making tool for retrofit interventions prioritization and definition. The tool wants to be an instrument to support the decision-makers in outlining a local energy policy addressed to the built heritage they manage. It serves this purpose by giving a representation of the current performance of the building stock that the user intends to analyse. These performances are measured by calculating some key performance indicators related to consumptions, emissions and energy costs, based on basic input data provided by the users. The graphical representation of the results offered by the tool (quadrant-chart) allows the decision-maker to identify the buildings on which a priority action should be taken, and, thanks to an auto-diagnosis process, their criticalities. Potential retrofit options can be selected and assessed through the calculation of a financial indicator (payback period).