This course will provide the student with basic knowledge regarding energy use in existing buildings and how surveys may be performed to attain the information required to achieve energy efficient buildings.

The energy use in the build environment accounts for about 36 % of the total energy demand in Sweden and about 15 % of total carbon dioxide emissions.

Most of the buildings that will be used in the next 20 years are already built and their energy performance are often much lower than the requirements of the modern building codes. To achieve the environmental goals the energy performance of these existing buildings needs to be increased. Therefore it is important to identify the energy conservation possibilities and evaluate their potentials.

Increasing energy prices and political decisions increases the real estate owner’s incentive to reduce the energy use in their buildings. Many of the buildings erected in Sweden during the 60´s and 70’s in the so called “Miljonprogrammet” are in urgent need of renovation, this provides an opportunity to increase the energy performance of these buildings. Identifying measures and combinations of measures that may be implemented when buildings are to be renovated are discussed in the present course