This study evaluates the interaction effects between heating practices, such as adjusting indoor setpoint temperatures, and the calculated energy-saving potential highlighting opportunities to rethink the scale and effectiveness of retrofit strategies. Advanced energy simulations were conducted for a typical terraced house, using three different setpoint temperatures during the heating season to assess their impact on the energy performance of three retrofit scenarios: singular measures, moderate interventions, and deep retrofits. Results show that reducing setpoint temperatures alone decreased energy demand up to 45%. Additionally, the performance of deep energy retrofits was significantly diminished under lower setpoint temperatures. This finding suggests that for households with low indoor temperature settings the benefits of deep retrofits may be outweighed by their implementation costs. These results highlight the importance of considering occupant heating habits when designing retrofit strategies to optimize energy savings and improve decision-making processes.
Zapata et al. (Thu,) studied this question.