This paper presents findings from a case study set of typical masonry
residential buildings in Ireland to determine the efficacy of typical
insulation and building fabric upgrade works in reducing energy and greenhouse
gas emissions, as well as their affect on the perceived thermal comfort of the
occupants. This is achieved by monitoring 19 houses and assessing the internal
environment, energy consumption, comfort and occupant behaviour, before and
after typical residential insulation improvements. The retrofit provisions
included pumping the cavity walls with insulation and increasing the level of ceiling
(attic) insulation. The level of satisfaction expressed by the occupants in
relation to the thermal comfort conditions before and after the upgrade works varied.
As expected, the upgrade of insulation of the houses lead to increased internal
temperature, but also in most instances an expected decrease in overall energy
consumption. With deep retrofitting required on houses in Ireland if Ireland’s
target to reduce CO2 emissions of buildings by 90% by 2050 is
achieved, further research on actual energy savings from retrofitting measures
is vital.