Browsing by Author "Ezinkwo, Godwin"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Deep Energy Retrofits in Housing for Low Income Household in BC and Manitoba: An Opportunity for Climate Mitigation and Social Equity
    (2022-08) Ezinkwo, Godwin
    The low-income and vulnerable populations in Canada often live in social housing buildings with poor energy and environmental indoor performance. Many social housing buildings in Canada need major repairs and would also benefit from deep energy retrofits (DER) that could make them climate resilient, and safe for occupancy. The objective of this research was to investigate the GHG emissions reduction, as well as the energy and cost saving potential of different retrofit approaches in BC and Manitoba. I collected electricity and natural gas consumption data for 30 buildings in BC which were subsequently narrowed down to 6 building sites based on their location and type of retrofit. I also collected data for 2 buildings in Manitoba. One building received an interior insulating spray foam application, and the other, exterior spray foam. My study shows that different retrofit approaches executed in BC yielded 18% to 39% energy savings and 27% to 99% GHG emissions reduction as a result of the electrification of one or both end-use systems for space and water heating, as well as building envelope upgrade. Significant energy savings and GHG emissions reduction were also realized in the two Manitoba buildings where building envelope enhancements were executed including the installation of high efficiency heat recovery ventilation systems.