Faculty, students and staff of the Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research have worked for 5+ years with public and private sector partners to build a solid base of information on the carbon emissions, reduction targets and technology options of every sector of Cambridge. This evidence sets the stage for the challenges facing the Cambridge Retrofit project, the resources we must mobilise, and the timeline on which this can all be accomplished. Laying a foundation for Cambridge Retrofit

Where does Cambridge stand today? We first asked where the emissions of carbon dioxide are arising in the city at the present time.

Checking the facts against those of other groups We compared our estimates of the carbon emissions against those of the national government and Cambridge City Council to ensure they were similar.

Setting a national target We worked with DECC to determine how rapidly emissions in Cambridge must decrease to meet the national requirements of the Climate Change Act.

Setting a target for the city of Cambridge We translated the national target into the ambitions of the Cambridge Retrofit programme, aimed at making Cambridge an iconic project to show the way forward for other cities.

Understanding the scale of the challenge We used local and national data to determine the number of buildings that must be affected by the Cambridge Retrofit project (only residences are shown here).

Assessing effectiveness of retrofit options Using data from the Energy Saving Trust, Carbon Trust and our own research, we considered how effective each retrofit option might be in reducing emissions.

Establishing prices We collected data on the cost of applying each technology to a typical building in Cambridge, shown here as the costs in a typical residence.

Identifying cost-effective solutions We collected data on the cost effectiveness (cost per tonne of carbon emissions reduced) of applying each technology to a typical building in Cambridge.

Determining the timing of the project We produced a preliminary estimate of the number of buildings that must receive retrofits of one kind or another during each of the next several decades. Only residences are shown here.

Determining the scale of finance required Using number of buildings and cost per retrofit, we estimated the amount of finance required in each decade. Residences and commercial buildings are combined here.

Assessing the effect of Cambridge Retrofit on overall ambitions We then put this all together to estimate how the Cambridge Retrofit project would contribute to reducing emissions throughout Cambridge. It will get us about 40% of the way towards the ultimate goal of 80% reduction in carbon emissions.

Getting Cambridge the rest of the way The remaining reductions must come from low carbon energy projects, and a low carbon transport system for Cambridge. But those are other projects, coordinated with but not included in Cambridge Retrofit.