Context – The stricter regulations on energy-efficient developments to prevent climate change and resource depletion, the expected rising energy prices and hence the rising monthly living costs for households, the changing process in urban area development, the demand for housing in the western part of the Netherlands and the increasing possibilities of technology.
Objective – To identify effective possibilities for optimisation of the business case of a real estate developer in the realization of energy neutral residential neighbourhoods with all-electric, single-family, owner-occupied dwellings. The definition of energy neutral in this research is about net zero building-related energy demand.
Methods – Literature review, expert meetings, case study research with semi-structured interviews, linear programming, expert focus group meeting and unstructured expert interviews
Results – 1) Identification of various solutions within current practise to optimise the business case from a viewpoint of the real estate developer to realize energy neutral residential neighbourhoods. Aspects of the business case are split in: organizational aspects (e.g. parties involved, public-private collaboration, type of contracts), the financial aspects (e.g. method of financing, amount of investment and total costs of ownership) and the physical aspects (e.g. dwelling program, spatial and/or building technical interventions) 2) Creation of the decision support tool (DST) for modelling the optimal business case with output in the form of the optimal dwelling program and energy installations 3) Identify the optimal business case to get an energy neutral neighbourhood by applying the DST.
Conclusions - All outcomes of the different research methods show that it is possible to create a feasible business case for a real estate developer in the development of the highest energy ambition of present-day, zero-on-the-meter, within current available methods and means. The business case of energy neutral residential neighbourhood development can be optimised within all its aspects. First, by integrated contracts and involvement of (energy) advisors early in the project. Second, by the involvement of third financing (e.g. Energy Service Companies) and a higher selling price, which is made possible by the additional borrowing capacity for the mortgage. Third, it is recommendable to apply a conceptual approach within the dwelling design and to the installation technology on the scale level of a single-building. In the case study and most of the modelled outcomes these concepts are based on ground source heat pumps and PV-panels. Last, the modelled output showed that BENG-legislation could lead to bigger dwellings. In addition, the designed DST has added value for the multi-actor decision-making processes in residential energy neutral neighbourhood development. The DST could help as guidance to provide insight in the various possibilities by exploring the solution/ design space during multiple decision moments and the DST could also be useful in education of laymen.
Keywords - Energy neutral residential developments, BENG, zero-on-the-meter (‘nul-op-de-meter’), financing energy efficiency, Energy Service Company (ESCO), green mortgage, additional borrowing capacity, decision support tool, case study research, linear programming