Evaluation of Willingness to Pay (WTP) for attributes for energy efficient Dwellings. Approaches for your Qualification and Energy Certification

Abstract

The human being over time has sought in the construction of their habitat to satisfy the need for protection from environmental elements. Necessity for the flexibility and physical capacity that has adaptation, which is relatively weak compared to other living beings. That is why architecture has created the bioclimatic approach, which pursues energy efficiency in spaces, with the aim of being self-sufficient and comfortable thanks to the use of natural resources.

The design of the house in the history of humanity has reflected various solutions adopted to be constructed in a controlled manner and inserted in a natural environment, which is usually variable and adverse with the cold, heat, wind, rain and the sun. However, the growth and agglomeration of the population since the twentieth century has fostered a series of problems derived from not addressing the task of adapting housing in an adequate way to the environment. The biological factor in the site and the design and construction criteria have left aside the consideration of attributes that promote thermal comfort, as determinant components in the definition of an energy efficient house.

In the institutional context, there is more than a decade in which the European Union established in housing, the universal obligation to Certify Energy Efficiency (EEC) at the time of purchase sale. Thus, the European real estate market has an institutionalized rating to give energy transparency to real estate operations and, above all, encourage the construction / renovation of efficient buildings. However, the planned progress has not been made and has remained as mere good intentions.

In the Mexican context, several programs have been created to improve energy efficiency in housing, such as the green mortgage. However, the result has not been as expected. The research was born in response to these concerns, where the aim is to know the impact of energy efficiency on the value of housing.

For this, two objectives have been established:

1) Analyse if home buyers are willing to pay (DAP) more for energy efficient homes.

2) Know if the units with which energy efficiency is expressed affect the DAP.

The method used is contingent valuation, which consists of simulating a hypothetical market by means of a survey of potential consumers. He has been asked about the maximum amount of money they are willing to pay for the good if he had a series of attributes linked to thermal efficiency when comparing it. Reason why it has been placed to the contingent valuation as a reasonable procedure to measure the loss of utility in people who will not immediately enjoy a singular good, but who would be willing to pay something for the option to enjoy it in the future.

Among the findings obtained are approximations about the effect of energy efficiency on the preferences of people, and more particularly on the willingness to pay for the most efficient homes. Confusions are identified in the way of measuring and the conceptualization of energy efficiency. Additionally, people are willing to make an additional payment for energy efficient housing, it should be noted that related to the savings obtained in the gas and electricity bill.