Beyond Well-Being: The Assessment of the Energy Renovation in Latvia by the Residents

Abstract

The renovation of the multifamily buildings represents a key policy area and at the same time largely affects the daily life of residents. In the time of energy crisis, when energy price rises and saving energy becomes especially important, the building sector is among the most affected and a key sector to mitigate the consequences. The paper tackles the energy renovations of multi-family buildings in Latvia that use energy performance contracts. Specifically, it investigates how the process of renovation affects the resident’s health and well-being, their perception, and understanding of the renovation process. To evaluate the perception of the residents, a survey was conducted in thirteen buildings renovated by using energy performance contracting in three cities in Latvia. The survey addressed the preparation and execution of the energy renovation project, the state of the building before and after the renovation, and the impact of the renovated building on the residents. The survey revealed the lack of communication between the parties involved and co-design as the roadblocks to upscale the renovation process in Latvia. In particular, the financial communication to the residents on the project costs was insufficient. Additionally, even though the resident’s perception of safety, health, and comfort improved, the survey showed a decrease in communication between the residents of the same building after the renovation. Assessment of the survey results revealed the need to improve the communication by the ESCOs on the costs of the energy renovation projects and address the lack of community engagement after it is completed.