Blockhouse renovation: some insights from pilot survey of households in Kaunas city

Abstract

Growing demand for energy is one of the main problems causing environmental burden. As households are one of the largest energy end-users, increasing energy efficiency in the household sector can contribute significantly to the overall energy efficiency and environmental impact reduction. Renovation of old multifamily blockhouses and improvement of their thermal behaviour is one of the options to increase energy efficiency in household sector. The study aims to estimate the pros and cons of renovation as well as to identify main determinants for willingness of the households in Kaunas to invest in renovation. In overall terms 28% of final energy is consumed in Lithuanian households. Though considerable potential for energy saving is foreseen in household sector, only 720 multifamily blockhouses took part in the Renovation Program over 2005 – 2008. According to investment distribution, approximately 15% of the renovation projects were realized in Kaunas district. On the basis of larger quota sample survey 100 households from multifamily blockhouses were interviewed. Households from renovated blockhouses mainly have focused on the insulation of outer walls of the house (100%) and the roof (76.3%). Majority of the households committed to invest in blockhouse renovation because of comfortable indoor temperature (89%) and money saving (81%). Relatively older respondents (χ2=11.12, p<0.05) and those from older blockhouses (χ2=11.25, p<0.05) more often lived in renovated houses. As the main advantages these respondents indicated increased indoor temperature (93.2 %) and reduced payments for the heating (84.7%). Respondents living in not renovated blockhouses were willing to renovate it (80%), hence high prices for renovation services and materials was the main impediment for renovation.