Tiny house, tiny footprint? The potential for tiny houses to reduce residential greenhouse gas emissions

R H Crawford,A Stephan

doi:10.1088/1755-1315/588/2/022073

Abstract

While considerable improvements to the energy efficiency of housing have been achieved over recent decades, the residential sector still represents a significant and increasing proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is exacerbated by an increasing global population and living standards, demand for larger houses, and smaller household size. Tiny houses have emerged as a potential solution to this issue. While research exists on the environmental benefits of smaller housing, there is little on that of tiny houses. This study quantifies the life cycle GHG emissions of a tiny house, and their potential to reduce residential GHG emissions. A hybrid analysis and a dynamic energy modelling tool were used to quantify embodied and operational GHG emissions, respectively, for a tiny house located in Australia. The study shows that a tiny house may result in a 70% reduction in per capita GHG emissions over its life compared to a traditional Australian house. This indicates the potential of tiny houses to be a useful option for reducing GHG emissions in the building sector.

Highlights

Buildings account for over a third of global energy use, and nearly 40 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1]
The study shows that a tiny house may result in a 70% reduction in per capita GHG emissions over its life compared to a traditional Australian house
GHG emissions for the tiny house represent at least 87-89% of its life cycle GHG emissions

Summary

Introduction

Buildings account for over a third of global energy use, and nearly 40 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [1]. With house size being shown to strongly influence energy use, smaller houses represent an opportunity to reduce global energy use and GHG emissions. The Tiny House Movement, which began in the US, has been expanding in industrialised economies. Tiny houses are defined as less than 400 square feet (37m2) and primarily a full-time dwelling that is either permanent or mobile, on wheels or a skid [6]. Tiny houses are argued to result in lower environmental effects compared to a standard house by using less resources for construction, less energy for heating, cooling and lighting, and encouraging lower consumption [7, 8]

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