EDITS webinar

Speaker: Alessio Mastrucci, IIASA;  Benigna Boza-Kiss, IIASA 

Moderator: Leila Niamir, IIASA

Title: ‘Building sector modeling: how to explore low energy demand futures’

Abstract:

Buildings provide critical services for human activities and well-being by providing shelter and other important functions to their users. Buildings are also responsible for major energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during their life cycle. It is critical to understand how the building sector could best ensure these services with the least impact on climate and sustainability targets.

Building sector models have become essential tools for decision support on strategies to reduce energy demand and GHG emissions. Yet current models have significant limitations in their ability to assess the transformations required for LED. In this webinar we will review the current variety of building sector models ranging from the subnational to the global scale to identify best practices and critical gaps in representing transformations toward LED futures. We focus on three key dimensions of intervention (socio-behavioral, infrastructural, and technological), three megatrends (digitalization, sharing economy, and circular economy), and decent living standards. We will discuss what model developments are needed to better assess LED transformations in buildings and support decision-making toward sustainability targets.