Modelling carbon emissions of UK dwellings – The Tarbase Domestic Model

As part of the Tarbase project, the Tarbase Domestic Model was developed to assess the energy performance of dwellings and options for carbon-saving refurbishments. While subject to the usual limits of steady-state building models, the Tarbase model allows the estimation to be tailored to a specific dwelling, with climate and internal activity accounted for. A wider discussion of steady-state models is given, and the application of the Tarbase model to a real case-study of 100 homes is described. The use of such models can be a valuable, and convenient, way of quantifying the approximate performance of a range of individual dwellings, leading the user to solutions for carbon-saving improvements. However, allowing the model to capture the variation in building specification is of great importance, as is the philosophy of seeing the building as being a product of location, construction and activity/operation.

► A steady-state model for predicting carbon emissions in domestic buildings is presented, the Tarbase Domestic Model.
► A facility to account for energy-saving refurbishments in dwellings is included for guidance towards large-scale retrofits.
► A discussion of the limitations of steady-state modelling is provided, clarifying how and when such models should be used.
► The model is applied to a real case study of 100 dwellings to demonstrate possible applications.