Energy Efficiency of Buildings : A New Challenge for Urban Models

Despite some recent conceptual studies and a modicum of empirical evidence, urban models do not currently take into account the energy efficiency of buildings. This paper presents a framework for incorporating energy efficiency and energy use of buildings into urban models based on microeconomic theory and pricing mechanisms in real estate markets. Using the example of the IRPUD urban land use, transport and environment model, it is demonstrated how a simplified model of building energy-efficient new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings can be integrated into the model to forecast the overall greenhouse gas emissions of households