Value of Energy Efficiency Improvements for Low-Income Housing in Developing Countries

This deeper look at the value of residential building energy efficiency in developing countries is based on the authors' research conducted through field studies, energy modeling, and material systems analyses; using actual modest residential structures in South Africa as subjects. Building on earlier findings that show the relationship between increased upfront capital costs for various energy efficiency measures and the reduction in life cycle costs due to decreased operating expenses, the authors now have data from improved modeling methods and field data collection that further support the value of including these basic energy efficiency measures in low-income housing units in developing countries, including those with moderate climates. This phase of the study has greatly improved the efficacy of the analyses utilized and will lead to better optimization of energy efficiency retrofits of the typical government built housing stock in South Africa and other developing countries. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.