Energy Efficiency Strategies in the Social Housing Sector: Dynamic Considerations and Policies

The residential building sector is one of the largest energy-consuming sectors. Because of this, several innovations and programs are being implemented to promote energy efficiency. This study evaluated carbon mitigation measures in the life cycle of social households considering three main sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic, and social. Through a system dynamics (SD) approach, policies strategies were evaluated to analyze the environmental and economic impact of implementing eco-materials, passive reduction measures (PRMs), and active reduction measures (ARMs) in different stages (design, construction, and operation) of social housing units. The analysis was based on data obtained from the Colombian social housing sector. Results showed the importance of employing mitigation measures in the operational stage (PRMs and ARMs) as well as the intervention of the existing housing stock to achieve carbon abatement targets. Conclusions highlight the relevance of formulating policies that integrate measures in all stages of the lifecycle of buildings. The proposed model can be used as a support tool to formulate sustainable policies that pursue energy-efficient buildings.