**5. Conclusion**

The chapter attempts to rationalize and strategize the retrofitting of existing buildings as a valuable means for transitioning toward a nearly zero energy future. The perspective presented in this chapter revolves around three fundamental components:


An actual case study of an existing educational building has been conducted to present the tangible benefits of applying passive and active measures within these three components to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions. The results of this study have been presented in parallel to the theoretical discourse on methods to achieve a nearly zero energy building goal as a proof of concept for the advocated practices. Besides the case study conducted by the authors to reassure the readers about the benefits of retrofitting, Harvey (2013) further outlines various building typologies that have achieved energy reductions by adopting retrofitting practices detached and single-family homes (50–75%); apartments (80–90% reduction in heating); building envelope retrofitting (1/2 to 1/3rd reduction in cooling, and 2/3rd reduction in cooling); HVAC optimization-based energy saving in commercial buildings (25–50%); lightning-based retrofitting in commercial buildings (30–60%) [9].

Retrofitting is a viable option to consider despite high upfront costs since the annual cost savings on the energy present an economically attractive scenario. However, critical mediation stages during the lifespan of a building must be identified since these can serve as potential stages to upgrade energy provisions. Such stage-wise upgradation can be streamlined to minimize disruptions to owners and organizations while keeping abreast of the latest technologies and techniques for energy conservation. Policy interventions that are participatory development-driven—between government, local councils, and owners/organizations, can further aid in contextually sensitive retrofitting processes. Bottom-up policy initiatives that subsidize and acknowledge geo-location, climatic and socioeconomic conditions, major renovation cycles, capital improvement cycles, and resiliency upgrades should undoubtedly become the norm in the near future. The strategies suggested in this chapter can further aid in systematically fusing passive and active approaches toward nearly zero energy buildings. Such strategies will also benefit substantially by interfacing them with qualitative research conducted on-ground that predominantly deals with the assessment of human behavior and the drive to adopt retrofitting strategies. Community concerns, economic limitations, fear of disruption of everyday life, etc.,

could become critical insights from such qualitative explorations. These can further aid in tailoring policies while being sensitive toward the concerns of the everyday citizen. Retrofitting processes can benefit building typologies, such as aging building stock (houses and apartments alike), large-scale institutional buildings, offices with older energy-intensive energy systems, and heritage buildings. Additionally, buildings located in zones that face severe weather conditions (extreme heat or cold) or are undergoing post-disaster reconstruction can also benefit through undertaking the nearly zero energy transition.

The need to address climate change to shape a sustainable present and a thriving future is of utmost importance now more than ever. Retrofitting existing building stock in conjunction with sensitizing citizens and corporations alike and the participatory development of building policies and programs could undoubtedly hold the key to reducing emissions. Let us never forget that we have only one Earth, and it is our collective responsibility to protect this beautiful planet and our future, which are intrinsically linked.
