Growing evidence suggests that many consumers retrofit their homes for non-energy benefits such as improved comfort, aesthetic enhancements, and better indoor air quality. Despite the high value of these benefits, cost-effectiveness tests used by many regulators to evaluate retrofit programs do not incorporate non-energy benefits because they are difficult to quantify. This report reviews current literature on cost-benefit tests and non-energy benefits, evaluating different valuation methods for a more realistic assessment of cost-effectiveness for whole-house retrofit programs.
