ABSTRACT
The previous chapters have presented a range of technologies and modelling techniques to improve the efficiency of urban energy systems. Whether the intervention occurs at the master planning stage, in technology design and operation or in systems integration, the analysis has suggested that significant efficiency gains are possible. However, these chapters also discussed the current situation in many cities, noting high levels of energy consumption and carbon emissions that are linked to slow changing infrastructures. While some new eco-cities will be built in the coming decades, most of the world’s population will live in existing cities, meaning that retrofit and other techniques for a more gradual energy transition will be needed if urban energy efficiency is to be improved.
