Citizen building scientist? The opportunity and challenge of citizen involvement in building retrofits

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of citizen involvement in residential building retrofits within the United States, with a focus on single-family houses. The importance of this study stems from the residential sector’s significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for energy retrofits to mitigate this impact. Our research approach involved a comprehensive review of 66 retrofit programs to identify existing opportunities for citizen involvement. Additionally, we implemented text mining on data extracted from the most extensive social media platform related to home retrofits to gain insights into citizen perceptions and understandings of retrofit practices. We discovered a wide array of citizen involvement approaches, including Do-It-Yourself audits, information and education, feedback, community engagement, and professional audits. From the social media analysis, 15 key topics were identified, eight of which aligned with the National Residential Efficiency Measures Database, while seven were uniquely discovered. These findings led to the introduction of the concept “Citizen Building Scientist”, representing proactive and environmentally aware citizens who display active participation in retrofits and share their knowledge for sustainable practices. Overall, this research provides an overview of the United States energy-saving retrofit programs, coupled with an exploration of citizen interactions surrounding retrofits on social media platforms. In addition, the results offer insightful information that may be used to improve the current retrofit programs and boost the acceptance and realization rates of the retrofit measures.