The cost implications of refurbishment and demolish and built pathways for a dwelling energy upgrade

This paper attempts to compare the two pathways to reducing carbon in existing domestic stock with a focus on the cost implication through a case study of a 1980’s dwelling. The results show costs can vary significantly from project to project depending on the condition of the house, fabric, project scale, type of house, location etc. Moreover, the costs of rebuilding may be analogous to those of refurbishment and the performance greatly improved in some cases. However, a detailed assessment of the costs for either pathway for specific projects is recommended. On average a low energy new build is approximately 20% more expensive than a low energy retrofit. It can also be concluded that although large scale refurbishments are necessary for achieving the 2050 target, demolition and rebuilding of select buildings (depending on the condition and socio-economic context) can be carried out without the costs being prohibitive