Trends in energy performance certificate data: A comparative study of building stock characteristics

Energy performance certificates contain a lot of valuable information for a vast number of buildings across the globe. The increasing number, quality and accessibility of EPC-data enables promising and manifold opportunities for the utilization in urban building energy modelling approaches. This paper presents an update of a representative building approach using archetypes based on new EPC-data. For this, the building stock is divided according to categories, namely the building condition (renovated, not-renovated), construction period and building type (single-family house, multi-family house). The data analysis indicates a shift towards the renovation of buildings, with an almost exponential increase of EPCs in general, and of EPCs for renovated buildings in particular. Regarding the energy carrier, a clear trend away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy can be observed, with electricity (heat pumps) being accountable for the highest share in single-family houses and district heating in multi-family houses. A comparison of U-values for different building elements in relation to the upload year suggests that buildings may have undergone (partly) renovations without issuing a renovation EPC. In this regard, further investigations are necessary to rule out statistical uncertainties. The results of this analysis can serve as an input for urban building energy modelling approaches.