Energy retrofits of buildings usually ignore the amount of embodied energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions needed to reduce the operating energy and related emissions. Focusing on the Greater Melbourne Area (GMA), the fastest growing capital city in Australia, this paper analyses the embodied impacts of different dwelling stock retrofit programs using a combination of a top-down and a bottom-up approach.

This paper proposes a ‘tipping point’ approach. Key conditions that lead to tipping point are discussed with examples from various fields and as related to urban sustainability transitions.