Retrofit Explorer | Volta Research

The Retrofit Explorer is a freely available tool produced as part of Volta Research’s CMHC-funded project. The tool allows the user to explore the application of different retrofit upgrades alone or with other upgrades to a typical house. The user can then see the resulting change in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and the total cost of ownership, including the annual cost of the loan for the retrofits and utility costs.

The Retrofit Explorer applies the selected retrofit upgrades to a typical two-storey, single-family home in Toronto, built in the 1970s with the following characteristics:

1700 sq ft above ground area
70000 BTU per hour, 78% efficient natural gas furnace with continuous pilot
40-gallon, 55% efficient natural gas water heater with a continuous pilot
No air conditioning
Double-glazed windows

Instructions:

Drag the mouse along any of the vertical category axes to select single or groups of items.

Click once along any axis that has a selection to deselect it.

Each line on the chart is updated based on the category selections and represents a retrofit pathway. Each line is also represented in the table underneath the chart.

By selecting groups of retrofit upgrades and/or energy, emissions, and cost targets, the user can explore how the pathways that lead meet their needs.