Retrofitting for a sustainable future: transforming existing homes into sustainable assets

Abstract

The climate crisis poses an imminent threat to the planet standing as one of the most pressing challenges of our time. With the built environment contributing 40% of the overall carbon emissions in the world, retrofitting existing homes emerges as an essential strategy for addressing the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. In the retrofit of these homes, prioritizing the sustainable addition of secondary dwelling units gives a twofold solution: it reduces the carbon footprint through sustainable retrofits to the existing home while also producing low-cost, low- carbon rental options that increase the density of the neighbourhoods, ultimately creating a more inclusive and sustainable environment. This leads to the question, how can the integration of sustainable retrofits, to existing single-family homes in Sudbury, improve the current housing stock while creating affordable rental options to densify these neighbourhoods?