Application of Deep Energy Retrofits to Allow Existing Housing in Toronto to Meet Passive House Certification

Abstract

This study researches the development of a multiobjective optimization environment to continue the investigation of the potential for housing in Toronto to meet Passive House certification. BEopt (Building Energy Optimizer) was used to develop various deep energy retrofits for Century detached, Century-semi, and Wartime archetype homes in Toronto, ON. The optimization environment used various design retrofits to develop configurations of variables which minimize energy use and life cycle cost. The developed solutions were input into WUFI Passive to determine which combination of variables can achieve Passive House certification for the lowest life cycle cost. The optimization results demonstrated that for a life cycle cost of $65,053–$92,950 depending on geometry and housing type, an archetype home in Toronto can reduce energy use by 69%–72% and can meet standards for Passive House. Although the developed numbers include average pricing data, assumptions, and generalizations, the findings of this research demonstrate the applicability of high-performance building standards in retrofit strategies. Through the adoption of energy efficient deep energy retrofits in existing homes, sustainability in the built environment can be achieved.