[Greenbuilding] 2030 Challenge Targets - EUI Question

[Alan Abrams]

In the DC area there is a variety of this moderate density housing stock,
including two and three unit "semi-detached" buildings (with individual
ownership) as well as compact buildings with 3-5 units.  The latter would be
rental apartments.  In each case, the buildings probably date from the 30's
through the early 50's.  I know of no such buildings being constructed since
then, locally.

Typically they were of load bearing masonry with little or no insulation.
In the case of the rental unit buildings, there would have been a common
boiler, with no means of billing tenants for individual energy use.  Both
conditions suggest that this class of buildings would not perform as well as
SF stock, particularly if the SF cohort was statistically tilted toward more
contemporary stock with better insulation, and with the t-stat controlled by
the same hand that writes the utility check.


Alan Abrams, AIBD
Abrams Design Build
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alan at abramsdesignbuild.com
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For Residential Buildings, the "Single-Family Detached" building type
shows less energy use than "Single-Family Attached"--with the biggest
residential energy user (per square foot) being "Multi-Family, 2-4
units".  

Given this envelope-driven building type, shouldn't a reduction in
building envelope result in less energy use?