A simplified tool for early-stage planning of positive energy districts

Abstract

The challenges of climate change and energy poverty necessitate innovative solutions for sustainable urban development. This study introduces TREEPED (Tool for Resource and Environmental Evaluation for Positive Energy Districts), a simplified framework designed to support the early-stage planning of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) within existing urban areas. TREEPED integrates energy performance analysis with environmental impact assessment, utilizing an archetype-based approach evaluating urban energy performances of newly built areas or renovations of existing ones from an integrated energy-environmental perspective. TREEPED was tested in the social housing neighborhood of San Pedro in Pamplona (Spain), where buildings share homogeneous characteristics. By developing and calibrating representative archetypes, multiple retrofit strategies were assessed to lower energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, including insulation enhancements, window replacements, transitioning from gas boilers to heat pumps and integrating photovoltaic systems with battery storage. In the renovated scenario, heating demand fell by 17 %, cooling demand decreased by 84 % and electricity consumption rose by 43 %. Although rooftop photovoltaics alone were insufficient to meet PED objectives, integrating a nearby photovoltaic system enabled the district to surpass PED requirements by 0.67 GWh and achieve a positive annual energy balance. Life cycle assessment demonstrated a 60 % reduction in Global Warming Potential and a 69 % decrease in Cumulative Energy Demand. A comparative analysis with the City Energy Analyst tool confirmed TREEPED's consistency. The deviations observed were as follows: −8 % for heating demand, −12 % for cooling demand and 1 % for electricity consumption. These findings highlight the importance of integrative strategies for advancing sustainable urban transformation.