The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) is pleased to present the third installment of the Energy Efficiency in Existing Housing (EEEH) Roadmap. As a follow-up on the activities that have occurred since the Volume 1 Technology Brainstorming and Volume 2 Strategies Defined reports were published, we invite you to look at the progress that has been made in helping to formulate a prioritized action plan for existing housing energy efficiency.

The PATH program, administered by HUD, is focused on improving the affordability and value of new and existing homes. Through private and public cooperation, PATH is working to improve energy efficiency, environmental impact, durability and maintenance, hazard resistance, and labor safety relative to new and existing homes. To accomplish this, PATH has identified priority strategies and activities that will enable government and industry to jointly fulfill the PATH mission. We refer to this priority-setting process as roadmapping. The Energy Efficiency in Existing Housing Roadmap is one of five roadmaps under development to date. The other roadmaps are: 1. Information Technology to Accelerate and Streamline Home Building, 2. Whole House and Building Process Redesign, 3. Advanced Panelized Construction, and 4. Technology Roadmapping for Manufactured Housing.

This report discusses eight key strategies and associated activities for bringing about new levels of energy conservation in the nation’s existing housing stock. Priorities were established by a broad cross-section of manufacturers, remodelers, trade contractors, researchers, and government program officials through the application of an innovative web-based decision making tool that was developed for this project by University for Contractors, LLC. Some of the strategies suggest ways to influence consumers to demand energy conserving products and services, while other strategies focus on developing new technologies and preparing remodeling and trade contractors to supply them into home improvement and renovation.

The three EEEH Roadmapping volumes can be read independently or as a set. This third volume expands on the concepts developed in the previous two volumes and presents them in the prioritized order determined by the web-based decision making process. Therefore, it can stand alone as the more definitive action plan for improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s existing housing stock.

We invite manufacturers, builders, trade contractors, researchers, and others to examine this roadmap and encourage your participation in improving the energy performance of housing.