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Understanding homeowners' renovation decisions is essential for policy and business activity to improve the efficiency of owner-occupied housing stock. This paper develops, validates and applies a novel modelling framework for explaining renovation decisions, with an emphasis on energy-efficiency measures. The framework is tested using quantitative data from a nationally-representative survey of owner-occupied households in the UK (n = 1028). The modelling advances formal representations of renovation decisions by including background conditions of domestic life to which renovating is an adaptive response. Path analysis confirms that three conditions of domestic life are particularly influential on renovation decisions: balancing competing commitments for how space at home is used; signalling identity through homemaking activities; and managing physical vulnerabilities of household members. These conditions of domestic life also capture the influence of property characteristics (age, type) and household characteristics (size, composition, length of tenure) on renovation decisions but with greater descriptive realism. Multivariate probit models are used to provide rigorous, transparent and analytically tractable representations of the full renovation decision process. Model fits to the representative national sample of UK homeowners are good. The modelling shows that renovation intentions emerge initially from certain conditions of domestic life at which point energy efficiency is not a distinctive type of renovation. The modelling also shows clearly that influences on renovation decisions change through the decision process. This has important implications for policy and service providers. Efficiency measures should be bundled into broader types of home improvements, and incentives should target the underlying reasons why homeowners decide to renovate in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry has been used to measure lead (Pb) in painted surfaces and indoor dusts from 14 rented properties in the city of Plymouth, UK. Lead was detected in 78 out of 164 surfaces measured (and in 69 out of 150 interior surfaces) with an overall median concentration of 7100 mg kg -1 (range from 157 to 139,000 mg kg -1 ), and was detected in all but two properties that included one building constructed within the last 25 years. Selected measurements on an area basis (n = 48) returned Pb concentrations ranging from below 0.01 to 16.1 mg cm -2 that were significantly correlated with concentrations on a mass basis but with scatter that was attributed to the degree to which leaded paint had been overpainted. As potential measures of Pb exposure, mean concentrations in samples of lint (n = 8) were <15 mg kg -1 while mean concentrations in hoovered dusts (n = 14) were more variable; specifically, mean Pb dust concentrations ranged from ∼20 to 140 mg kg -1 in 13 samples but was ∼4500 mg kg -1 in a property that had recently undergone extensive renovation. Although mean concentrations of Pb in lint or dust were not related to median Pb concentrations in paint, a strong correlation between barium (Ba) and Pb in dusts suggests that paint is the main source of dust Pb. This study indicates that, in most cases, leaded paints historically applied to interior surfaces have been over-coated and pose little risk, provided that surface coatings are in good condition. However, inappropriate practices during renovation can result in significant contamination of dusts. Our findings are likely to be more broadly applicable to the urban rented sector in the UK and landlords and tenants should, therefore, be made aware of government guidance on the safe decoration or remodelling of older properties where leaded paint is pervasive., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In order to improve the efficiency of the housing stock successfully, the offered technical solutions also need to meet occupants' needs and match their aspirations. Owner-occupiers present particular challenges: conflicting demands on their use of time and financial resources and their role as decision-makers for their own domestic renovation. A persona-driven study (based on user-centred design) was undertaken to explore the varying behaviours, attitudes and motivations towards home improvement for owner-occupiers who live in ‘hard to treat’ solid-walled dwellings. Five evidence-based personas are constructed that reflect archetypes, based on the outcomes of a qualitative study involving 33 owner-occupier householders in the East Midlands region of the UK. The adoption of a persona-based approach in response to the socio-technical challenges of energy renovation is important for understanding the specific drivers and appropriate range of policy responses for each persona. The persona development process is described and the success of the approach is evaluated in relation to the needs of policy developers, energy providers and product developers. Tailoring strategies to suit different personas will considerably enhance the diffusion of policy goals for low-energy retrofit and also allow business and technology developers to target an appropriate user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon housing retrofit is often understood as a one-off, whole-house activity. However, an alternative model of low carbon retrofit is presented whereby improvements happen step by step over several years. This staged approach is described and contrasted with the one-off approach, and empirical evidence on both models is presented. Three key questions are considered: whether an over-time low carbon retrofit could be attractive for owner-occupiers; whether it could deliver sufficient carbon and energy savings; and what policy support would be needed. The benefits of over-time low carbon retrofit are explored through householder survey and qualitative data, as well as the time scales that apply to housing, renovation and homeowners. Technical issues around energy savings are explored, and the risks of ‘lock out’ investigated. Policy support measures specifically for over-time low carbon retrofit are suggested, with reference to existing policy approaches in the United Kingdom and European Union. Over-time low carbon retrofit could be attractive to (some) householders – at least 60% carbon savings could be achieved – and policy could be designed to recognize and support this form of low carbon retrofit. This approach provides an additional route to the uptake of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy measures. La rénovation des logements à faibles émissions de carbone est souvent comprise comme une activité s'opérant en une seule fois sur l'ensemble d'une maison. Il est cependant présenté un modèle alternatif de rénovation bas carbone selon lequel les améliorations interviennent étape par étape sur plusieurs années. Cette approche par étapes est décrite et mise en opposition avec l'approche en une seule fois, et des données probantes empiriques sur ces deux modèles sont présentées. Trois questions clés sont envisagées: une rénovation bas carbone étalée dans le temps peut-elle apparaître intéressante pour les propriétaires occupants? Cette approche permet-elle d'assurer suffisamment d'économies d'énergie et de carbone? Et quel soutien devrait être apporté par les politiques publiques? Les avantages d'une rénovation bas carbone étalée dans le temps sont examinés au moyen d'une enquête réalisée auprès des occupants et de données qualitatives, ainsi que des échelles de temps qui s'appliquent aux logements, à la remise à neuf et aux propriétaires. Les questions techniques relatives aux économies d'énergie sont étudiées, et les risques de «verrouillage technologique» sont examinés. Des mesures politiques de soutien spécifiquement destinées à une rénovation bas carbone étalée dans le temps sont suggérées, en faisant référence aux approches politiques existant au Royaume-Uni et dans l'Union européenne. Au fil du temps, une rénovation bas carbone pourrait être intéressante pour (certains) occupants – il pourrait être réalisé au moins 60 % d'économies de carbone – et les mesures politiques pourraient viser à reconnaître et soutenir cette forme de rénovation bas carbone. Cette approche fournit une voie supplémentaire pour l'adoption de mesures en faveur de l'efficacité énergétique et des énergies renouvelables. Mots clés: énergie, logement, bas carbone, politique publique, réhabilitation, remise à neuf, rénovation, temps [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the early period of "gentrification" of the inner residential districts of London, when the process was particularly rich in cultural meaning and symbolism. It focuses on the distinctive culture of the gentrifiers, including styles of house refurbishment, interior design, gastronomy, entertaining, networking, and amateur property speculation, and suggests that this culture allowed the middle-class incomers to make sense of their new life choices and social identities. The gentrifiers promoted an idea of the "urban village" that enabled them to be both part of the inner city and separate from it, close to its amenities but cut off from its social problems. As the process developed momentum from the late 1960s onward, they used their influence as cultural producers and opinion formers to comment on the process of gentrification in a way that combined self-promotion, satire, guilt, and exculpation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]