EVALOC is using a carbon mapping tool, DECoRuM® to create carbon maps of the case study communities. How can DECoRuM help you? Download the poster.
What is DECoRuM®?
DECoRuM® is a GIS-based toolkit for carbon emission reduction planning with the capability to estimate current energy-related CO2 emissions from existing UK dwellings, aggregating them to a street, district, sub-urban, and city level. This enables DECoRuM® to evaluate the potential and financial costs for domestic CO2 emission reductions by deploying a whole range of best practice energy efficiency measures, low carbon systems and renewable energy technologies.
DECoRuM® and Communities
The DECoRuM® model is able to clearly point out and identify sources of domestic emissions, so that pollution hotspots can be targeted. It performs calculations of carbon emissions based on more readily available secondary data such as SAP ratings analyses of domestic properties.
DECoRuM® has an in-built cost-benefit analysis model. Furthermore it has a facility to employ robust filtering criteria to select suitable dwellings before predicting the effect of applying various low carbon measures.
The main target users for the DECoRuM® model include planners in local authorities, energy advisers in Energy Efficiency Advice Centres, building surveyors as well as real estate professionals.
Policy and DECoRuM®
DECoRuM® develops housing stock energy databases containing a unique record for every dwelling in the stock, with details of its energy rating. Results can be presented visually showing hotspots of energy use and CO2 emissions.
The individual CO2 reduction measures can then be deployed and the outcome shown, to determine the most cost-effective package for CO2 emission reductions.
This can help the planner to develop and review the energy efficiency strategy and targets for improvement. As measures are actually installed, details can also be fed back into DECoRuM® to enable it to update stock energy profiles accordingly.
Find out more about DECoRuM® here.
To view the community carbon maps created for the EVALOC communities visit here.
Map© Crown Copyright/database right 2012. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service.