A review of Swedish residential building stock research

Journal article, 2015

Energy usage in the Swedish building stock has changed significantly the last 20 years. The target of reducing the Green Houses Gas (GHG) emissions by 40% till 2020 seems reachable through improved energy efficiency and a switch to less GHG emitting heat sources. The goal of GHG neutrality by 2050 will however require further initiatives. This paper is primarily a review of the contemporary Swedish building stock state and research. Different research bodies, such as government research institutes, universities, and companies, have different financing and foci. They present their analyses the built environment differently. This paper creates a structure amongst these actors by dividing them in groups and by identifying topics where there are different positions held by researchers and practitioners in the fields related to building stock. Data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) is used to display how energy usage varies depending on building age. This gives an indication on how the building stock is developing and what possibilities there are to reach environmental targets.