Assessing the energy use of the pre-war residential building stock of Brussels Capital Region at a neighbourhood scale

Due to heritage, economic and density parameters, demolishing and/or constructing new buildings becomes difficult and rare. Thus, in the current conjuncture of energy performance and efficiency of buildings and cities, it becomes crucial to address the important share of energy use associated with the ageing residential building stock of European cities. This paper will focus on the pre-WWII residential building stock which represents the highest potential of energy savings through renovation not only due to their current energy performance but also due to their share in the residential building stock. In the case of Brussels, pre-war residential buildings accounts for more than 65% of the residential stock. However, prior to any renovation strategies, it is critical to estimate the amount of energy use associated with this portion of the residential stock. This paper will therefore propose a top-down approach to estimate the total energy use of Brussels pre-war residential stock.