Use of cadastral data to assess urban scale building energy loss. Application to a deprived quarter in Madrid

The development of precision tools to assess the potential for improving energy efficiency in the urban fabric is a priority. This study proposes a method for calculating energy loss across building envelopes based on the exploitation of cadastral data with open source IT tools. The output includes neighbourhood-scale information on the thermal performance of building envelopes and energy dispersion relative to a city's climate based on energy loss calculations. More generally, it establishes energy efficiency of the existing urban fabric from precise energy indicators developed with pooled geometric data collected building by building from the cadastre.

The method is verified by analysing the findings for a case study in an area on the outskirts of Madrid characterised by inefficient construction and listed as a deprived neighbourhood, with a population very likely to be subject to energy poverty. The methodology described can be extrapolated to other European cities with cadastres similar to Spain's and in particular to those in temperate Mediterranean climates with cold winters and warm summers.

Author(s): Martín-Consuegra, F., de Frutos, F., Oteiza, I., Hernández Aja, A.