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Abstract In this paper, the Yangtze River Delta city group for the study, first, using data envelopment analysis estimates the energy efficiency of the city, and found that the Yangtze River Delta city group showing lower energy efficiency overall. Within the urban agglomeration 26 prefecture-level cities, Zhoushan is the only one achieving relatively effective energy efficiency. The spatial heterogeneity of energy efficiency in the urban agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta is then measured using the Moran's I index (including local), confirming the existence of low-energy efficiency clusters centered around Hefei and clusters of high-energy agglomeration centers centered around Hangzhou. Then the spatial error model is used to test the various factors that affect the energy efficiency of the urban agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta based on the circumvention of spatial heterogeneity. The conclusion shows that there is a positive correlation between industrial structure, investment, scale, foreign trade and energy efficiency. Government influence and system is negatively related to energy efficiency. Finally, based on the conclusion, this paper puts forward the policy suggestion of promoting the energy efficiency of the urban agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The paper presents the operation mode of a ventilation chimney placed in a historical building through the use of Design Builder, a modeling and dynamical simulation software. The aim is to verify the improvement of the comfort level and energy efficiency of the simulated environments through the usage of the duct as a passive ventilation system. The method adopted to intervene in a complex system, such as that represented by historic buildings, is to enhance the preexisting architectural values through their conversion into devices able to improve the performance of the building in terms of CO 2 and energy consumption reduction. The case study is Palazzo Bruni-Riga, a valuable building located in the historic center of L’Aquila. The building has a double ventilation duct, probably also used as a light-pipe, in correspondence of two windowless rooms of similar dimensions. The dynamical simulations presented concern the analysis of the passive ventilation duct and its effects on the thermo-hygrometric well-being of the modeled rooms. The goal of this paper and this research in general, is that the wise use of such devices installed in times when there were no air conditioning systems, allows you to better use the ventilation chimneys, and have the maximum thermal indoor comfort, with the minimum effort and use of mechanical systems. Through the simulations it was possible to verify that through the use of the ventilation chimney, it is possible to have the indoor comfort conditions, by checking the Fanger indices for the data obtained from the simulations carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While technology advancements are increasingly improving the energy efficiency of buildings, occupant behavior remains a critical factor in ensuring the effectiveness of such enhancements. To this end, numerous eco-feedback systems have been developed to reduce building energy use through adjusting occupants’ behaviors. The information represented in an eco-feedback system affects the users’ engagement, motivation, and interpretation. In this paper, we introduce a new information representation method in which a building information model (BIM) is integrated with energy use information to enhance visual representation of energy use. The BIM-integrated energy visualization approach developed in this paper allows users to visualize energy consumption values of each building room through a color-coding scheme in an as-built BIM. Colors correspond to the levels of energy consumption in individual rooms compared to other rooms in a building, which enables a visually intuitive normative comparison for building eco-feedback systems. This representation may lead to increased user engagement in and improved interpretation of eco-feedback systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we test the hypothesis of convergence in China’s regional energy efficiency in agriculture over a time period that ranges from 1995 to 2014. The potential convergence is analysed by two different methodologies in this paper. Firstly, the output value of the agriculture energy consumption per unit is tested and the sigma-convergence is presented by means of standard deviation (SD). Secondly, the widely-used Barro-type regressions indicate that the unconditional beta-convergence exists during the entire period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a real-time certification system using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to apply near-realtime data for measuring indoor comfort. We make use of the parameters of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is a building standard and certification system used across the world. These certifications basically use static values, for example, energy efficiency of electricity, water, and gas usage, while IoT technologies are provided with near-real-time values. The proposed certification system has the potential to provide information on a home's current status, for instance, age deterioration. This paper describes means of collecting real-time data using IoT technologies and provides results regarding how the system provides useful information to residents for maintaining indoor comfort. To test the system's applicability, we utilized data collected by two household types for one month. The results indicate the difference between static and dynamic data using the certification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Managing thermal comfort, in both hot and cold climates, critically influences energy use in homes [1-4]. For low income households, who commonly live in thermally poor housing stock, maintaining thermal comfort can be costly relative to household income, leading to trade-offs between comfort, energy use and affordability. Comfort as a concept has been explored from many vantages, including as a physiological need [5,6]; a parameter for healthy housing [7]; as an energy efficiency building standard [4,8] and a cultural construct [9,10]. Yet, there is little research available that provides detailed insight into the relationship between thermal comfort and energy efficiency in existing housing stock or about the impact of support programs on these key indicators. This paper reviews measures of household thermal comfort as they relate to energy efficiency assessments in a project, Get Bill Smart (GBS), that worked with low income households in Tasmania, Australia. Thermal comfort and energy use data was collected over 15 months from 51 households, a sub-set of the 510 households participating overall. Longitudinal interviews and housing observations were also conducted. New thermal comfort and energy efficiency indicators were developed from this data. This paper demonstrates the application of these indicators by providing examples of findings in GBS. Suggestions are made for the refinement of measures discussed for use in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a multi-method (interviews, cost-benefit analysis, technical monitoring) longitudinal evaluation of ten social housing dwellings in Horsham (Victoria, Australia), including four low-energy and six control houses. Occupants of the low-energy houses purchased 45-62% less electricity, had lower utility bills resulting in financial savings of $1,050/year, had improved thermal comfort, health and social outcomes. However, there were several challenges for the providing government department and tenants, including supporting tenants to use certain sustainability features of the house as designed. The paper concludes by providing discussion to help guide similar projects in the future to more sustainable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A building design is typically created by a collaboration of professionals. Whilst the advent of BIM tools makes the assessment of the performance of an iterative design possible, these tools are not commonly used, due to traditional practice prevailing, technical limitations including differing data formats, and industry resistance to innovation. Timely consistent feedback throughout the design process, as major design decisions are made, could enable the enhancement of energy efficiency. However, current design guidelines are typically not in digital rule form, preventing the automated checking and validation of developing design models. Furthermore, architectural design tools have poor connections to thermal and environmental analysis software, which is exacerbated by a lack of knowledge of the data requirements of other disciplines both upstream and downstream. This paper explores the potential for embedding parameters within architectural model files to enable the enhancement of energy efficiency at the design stage and through the design process. It explores the architectural to energy analysis data exchanges, and demonstrates the way in which energy efficiency parameters can be embedded within model files to inform decision making at the conceptual design stage. The paper found that by using tools readily available, it is possible to add value during the design process through the use of BIM, with improved design outcomes as the result. The need to develop new workflows between the disciplines as a result of this different approach was highlighted. This enhanced practice is more responsive and can support better communication within project teams through providing timely information and feedback, providing analysis before optimisation for energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores energy use and behaviour of older urban Australians by identifying the key factors that shape their energy demand. As Australia is facing an aging population, understanding what structural and behavioural factors can help improve residential energy efficiency is key for developing effective policy initiatives to support the successful management of household energy costs, wellbeing and carbon emissions within this population. This paper reports on survey and electricity meter data collected for an energy efficiency program involving 1,647 older householders (aged 60 and above) living within the Brisbane City Council Local Government Area. The program was funded by the Australian Government Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP) and ran from November 2013 to February 2015. Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city and has a subtropical climate, with warm or hot weather for most of the year. The findings show that electricity consumption within the study’s sample population was influenced by both structural and demographic factors. These factors include range of energy sources used, number of bedrooms and number of people living in the household, as well as type of appliances used in the home. In terms of appliance use, high-energy consuming appliances such as water heating and space cooling systems, clothes-dryers and refrigerators were important predictors of energy consumption. Over two-thirds of the study participants were relying on cooling systems for thermal comfort, and such systems were typically not being used in an energy efficient way. The use of high-energy demand heating and cooling systems can account for around 40% of energy consumption in Australian households, and has a large impact on electricity peak demand. With the penetration of air-conditioning in seniors’ home expected to increase over time, it is important to better understand the range of low and high-energy demand practices that are currently employed by older Australians to achieve thermal comfort at home. Designing strategies that minimise the need for high-energy demand cooling practices will be key for managing household energy costs and wellbeing within this target audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The collection of detailed data for undertaking research into the area of residential energy efficiency has become common and yet many pitfalls and issues can arise during the collection process that can either result in loss of data, incorrect data or no data at all. The LIEEP program saw many projects collecting data in the field or from third parties that was crucial in the evaluation of the effectiveness of their project. However, many suffered from data issues that then lead to difficulties at the analysis stage of their project. This paper explores various issues around data collection, particularly focusing on data that is used for assessing the energy efficiency performance of residential dwellings. It will draw upon the experiences from one LIEEP project that collected a large amount of data including electricity and gas consumption data, temperature data, energy utility data and survey data. Determining what to collect, how to collect, maintenance and monitoring of equipment and the final storage and analysis of data will be discussed. Finally, the paper will look at how the data collected can be used. This includes linking the various data sets, visualising the data and providing analysis of the data back to clients and volunteer households themselves. Collection of data is critical to many research projects, but issues with data are almost inevitable. Trying to minimise these issues through careful planning and collection of data should also be a critical part of the research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Italy, energy improvements of historical buildings are one of the key aspects to reach the EU 2020 goals on energy efficiency. Many papers are available in literature to recover and retrofit historical buildings, considering different types of interventions aimed to increase energy efficiency in existing building. Considering the most common retrofit interventions in historical building, this paper focuses on the estimation of the energy improvements and related financial costs of four considered scenarios on the building envelope of the “pharmaceutical chemistry” historical building located in the Sapienza University Campus of Rome. Additionally, a cogeneration system and the installation of a PV system have been included among the considered scenarios, in order to analyze their energy performance jointly with feasible retrofitting interventions. Research methods included a dynamic simulation of building thermal loads in the current state and in the scenario after each considered intervention carried out using TRNSYS software. Furthermore, yearly savings, investment cost and payback periods have been evaluated for each considered scenario, taking into account both the purchase prices of the saved energy and the amounts needed to realize related retrofitting interventions. In conclusion, among the feasible interventions in historical buildings, the obtained results provide useful data about what strategy offers the best energy performance improvement if compared with its financial costs. Results could provide recommendations for other historical buildings that need retrofitting interventions for improving their energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of deep green renovations speak for themselves. At the moment the number of deep green renovations has grown significantly and the results have shown a variety of benefits from deep renovations both from a health and wellbeing perspective as well as economical perspective. Yet when looking at the existing building landscape, the vast majority of buildings in Baltic countries as well as in Europe are not renovated deeply or renovated at all and have reached or are about to reach the end of their expected lifetime. The multi-apartment stock accounts for the largest share of the existing building stock both in terms of the number of inhabitants as well as square footage. For example, only in Riga, largest share of multi-apartment buildings – 40% (18.44 million square meters) were built 36 to 55 years ago. Taking into account that most multi-apartment buildings were built to last for 30 years or even less, complex renovations are crucial in order to continue the exploitation of the stock. The large scale renovations uptake, both using the EU's structural funds and private sector financing also opens a room for innovation and improvements both in the existing building stock and building sector in general. In order to attract investments, a logical building sector system is required. Deep green renovations help shaping the system and improving the existing practices. The four key elements for implementation of deep green renovation practices on a national and regional levels are policy and regulation, finance and economics, skills and capacity building and overall awareness. This paper discusses the potential in each of these elements and looks at best existing practices. One of the key challenges of identifying the most successful practices is the impact data collection, meaning that for many of these initiatives only the expected impact is estimated, but no measures to evaluate actual results have been taken. Additionally, paper discusses the necessary connections between these elements in order to reach the quickest possible result and most rapid improvements in the existing building stock. The hypothesis states that the finance for deep green renovations will flow once the society asks for quality in renovations, enough skilled specialists are in place to carry out different works in the deep renovation process and legislation is progress driven and innovation enabling. However, the conclusions state that awareness of society is an umbrella process that needs a continuous improvement through various forums and continuous advocacy to ensure development on other processes related to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and evaluates initiatives taken in Morocco to reduce wood consumption, improve energy efficiency and reduce deforestation due to the operation of hammams (Turkish baths). First, the paper examines the vernacular energy systems used in heritage hammams and their lessons of sustainability. Second, it presents the problems associated with the new hammam furnaces and how they replicate vernacular systems. Third, the various initiatives for more energy efficient systems are presented. These include hybrid solar/biomass hammam systems. The paper evaluates the opportunities for addressing local and global concerns over deforestation and CO 2 emissions and discusses various difficulties and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential buildings represent the major energy consumers in Italy, it is therefore worthwhile to analyze existing buildings highlighting the best technologies, strategies and interventions for improving their energy efficiency. In this context, this research gives particular attention to energy requirements related to winter heating, assessing the current energy demand of a building prototype having structural and plant standards assumed. Starting from the obtained energy efficiency data of the same building prototype in ten Italian pilot cities with different climate conditions and different wall structures, the aim of the paper is to assess the economic costs and the benefits in terms of optimization of the building energy performance indicator in the heating season (EPH in kWh/m² year) for the most common renovation interventions, in order to get a cost/benefits analysis for each intervention in each city. Therefore the paper provides data to establish a hierarchy of priorities regarding possible interventions on building envelope or plants. The proposed energy requalification interventions have been defined considering the use of standard packages of the vertical and horizontal structures of the envelope as well as the application of new plant technologies. In particular, the parameters used for the characteristics of the interventions have been selected following the specified UNI-TS 11300 1-2008 and schedules provided by the Italian Thermo-Technical Committee (CTI).The obtained results could be useful to highlight the most convenient solutions for improving energy efficiency for each analyzed Italian city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses problems of energy supply of buildings using renewable sources given the local climatic conditions. The meteorological conditions in Latvia and Riga for last year were analyzed. In paper shows examples of energy efficient buildings allowing that to provide comfort temperature and indoor air quality. The structure and composition of local building materials, providing good thermal insulation are described. The heating systems for test buildings using renewable energy sources were investigated. The assessment of the energy efficiency of the “air-air” and “air-water” heat pumps is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airtightness plays a significant role in buildings energy efficiency. This paper describes validation of the new model for predicting airtightness values of residential units. This model utilizes a neural network in prediction of airtightness and is obtained based on in situ measurements at 58 units in the local Osijek area (Croatia) carried out during 2013. The model presents new approach to airtightness estimations by using 4 corrective factors associated with building envelope elements and their airtightness properties. The model was validated in local field conditions, but independent validation of the model in this paper was made on 5 residential buildings in the Republic of Serbia in order to determine its applicability on new data set outside local area of Osijek. The proposed model requires reduced amount of data for predicting airtightness values of residential units and therefore is faster and more economical than the actual field measurements. The proposed model could also be used for predicting airtightness values at the initial design phase already, as well as for planning systematic energy refurbishment of residential buildings in order to achieve adequate energy efficiency and appropriate thermal comfort in accordance with EU recommendations in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows a way to combine transient energy calculations and cost calculations in one tool. IDA ICE is utilized for all energy simulations and the NPV calculations are added within a Java framework. A user friendly interface allows various setups in geometry, orientation, location, construction, costs, etc. and starts all necessary calculations. The paper shows in detail the used algorithms implementing the NPV-method as well as the new simulation tool. Examples are given for evaluation and discussion of the first results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses possibilities for CO 2 emission reduction into the centralized district heating system by using the index decomposition analysis: Kaya identity equation. The classical Kaya equation is complemented with an energy efficiency indicator of a district heating system. The paper focuses on the impact of the Kaya equation components on the CO 2 emission reduction. The elaborated methodology is tested in order to analyze possibilities for CO 2 emission reduction at district heating systems in Latvia. 3 scenarios were formed for the forecast of the CO 2 emission reduction. In case the current model for the state development is continued (scenario1) CO 2 emissions will be reduced for 13%; however, in the scenario of orderly and balanced DH systems they will reduce for 29% by 2020 as compared to 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing new technologies in buildings in Sweden have historically been connected with great portions of scepticism, hence influencing the speed of acceptance of new technologies. The speed is slow even though technologies are tested, evaluated, proven to make an impact, and economic efficient. In order to understand acceptance of energy efficient technologies in multifamily buildings and to identify the origin of barriers to energy efficiency this paper investigates barriers as consequences of the current system structure in the Swedish building sector. The study views the Swedish building sector as a sociotechnical system built from technical artefacts, institutions, and actors, thus often deeply embedded in our societies. The Swedish building sector is well structured, resulting in that innovation and development occurring outside of the existing sociotechnical regime might not be recognized as feasible investments. In order to identify the structures enabling barriers to energy efficiency adoption this paper aims at developing a framework for categorizing barriers depending on their structural origin. The categorization framework is inspired by theories of sustainable innovation journeys and of soft systems and distinguishes between three decision-levels for barriers to energy efficiency: Project level, Sector level and Contextual level. By implementing the proposed categorization framework it becomes obvious that problem areas in the building sector are not connected to any specific structural level. However, results in this study reveal that most barriers originate in the Contextual level, which implies that energy and sustainability are not yet key aspects when forming and transforming contextual preconditions on how to design and build multifamily buildings in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses possibilities for CO 2 emission reduction into the centralized district heating system by using the index decomposition analysis: Kaya identity equation. The classical Kaya equation is complemented with an energy efficiency indicator of a district heating system. The paper focuses on the impact of the Kaya equation components on the CO 2 emission reduction. The elaborated methodology is tested in order to analyze possibilities for CO 2 emission reduction at district heating systems in Latvia. 3 scenarios were formed for the forecast of the CO 2 emission reduction. In case the current model for the state development is continued (scenario1) CO 2 emissions will be reduced for 13%; however, in the scenario of orderly and balanced DH systems they will reduce for 29% by 2020 as compared to 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing new technologies in buildings in Sweden have historically been connected with great portions of scepticism, hence influencing the speed of acceptance of new technologies. The speed is slow even though technologies are tested, evaluated, proven to make an impact, and economic efficient. In order to understand acceptance of energy efficient technologies in multifamily buildings and to identify the origin of barriers to energy efficiency this paper investigates barriers as consequences of the current system structure in the Swedish building sector. The study views the Swedish building sector as a sociotechnical system built from technical artefacts, institutions, and actors, thus often deeply embedded in our societies. The Swedish building sector is well structured, resulting in that innovation and development occurring outside of the existing sociotechnical regime might not be recognized as feasible investments. In order to identify the structures enabling barriers to energy efficiency adoption this paper aims at developing a framework for categorizing barriers depending on their structural origin. The categorization framework is inspired by theories of sustainable innovation journeys and of soft systems and distinguishes between three decision-levels for barriers to energy efficiency: Project level, Sector level and Contextual level. By implementing the proposed categorization framework it becomes obvious that problem areas in the building sector are not connected to any specific structural level. However, results in this study reveal that most barriers originate in the Contextual level, which implies that energy and sustainability are not yet key aspects when forming and transforming contextual preconditions on how to design and build multifamily buildings in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using innovation such as new technologies, R&D, or new processes can support Energy Efficiency (EE). Building on this idea, this paper seeks to explore whether a novel approach to foster EE in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) includes improving the overall innovation degree through the adoption of (OI) practices. To do this, a multiple case study with ten firms in Northern Italy operating in energy-intensive industries was conducted. The paper analyses the firm's specific energy consumption, the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, the perception of barriers to EE, and their relation with the firms’ internal innovation and OI activities. Main results show that more innovative firms, in terms of internal and inbound innovation, have better EE indicators albeit a lower adoption of energy-efficient technologies or the challenge of economic and technology barriers. Equally, medium-large firms are more innovative and have better EE performance. This study offers preliminary evidence of a relation between certain innovation practices and the rise of EE in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy efficiency in China has a great gap with developed countries. Even among different regions in China, energy efficiency has huge differences. This paper investigates the impact of administrative monopoly power price on regional energy efficiency. Based on the analysis of its conduct mechanism, the empirical section data of various provinces in China in 2006 are used to check the hypothesis of this paper. The finding is that the huge difference in administrative monopoly power price among regions is an important factor impacting energy efficiency, the higher the administrative monopoly power price, the higher the energy efficiency .The artificial inter-provincial barrier in power market and administrative monopoly power price hinders the circulation of power resources among different regions so that there is no efficient allocation of resources all over the country. Besides, it is hard to rectify low allocation efficiency by relying on market force. Regional protectionism and inter-provincial barriers of the power market should be broken to form uniform national power market so that energy efficiency can be enhanced and huge energy saving potentials can be released © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of RIUDS [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, net zero or plus-energy buildings (PEB) have been widely analyzed and discussed for their benefits of increasing energy savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A successful transition to energy-efficient buildings must, however, develop an efficient method that examines technical, economic, environmental and social criteria. In this paper, a method for design optimization based on spatial analysis combined with multi-criteria decision-making was proposed for achieving plus-energy buildings in Algeria. To apply the proposed method, a single family residential building was chosen. First, the annual energy consumption of the building at 40 locations was evaluated and the results are then interpolated for the whole country. The best energy efficiency measures and renewable energy are then chosen using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Finally, energy balance and spatial analysis were carried out based on the geographical information system. The results showed the energy plus target was achieved in large parts of the country using a high-performance envelope, more efficient appliances and solar energy (solar photovoltaic and thermal). In addition, the southern provinces, mainly Adrar, Tindouf, Bechar, Ouargla, and Illizi, have identified the most suitable areas for setting up new buildings with an energy-plus target. In addition, applying the method will reduce the overall energy demand by 43 % and reduce GHG emissions in the country by around 23 % by 2030. Therefore, the method will have a significant impact on sustainability locally and worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nowadays, all industry, including the agri-food sector, faces the urgent need to increase its competitiveness in order to survive in a global market. In this context, it is vital to ensure a strong, renewed and innovative industrial base throughout all stages of the value chain, capable of competing internationally and differentiating itself by the quality of its products and services. Since wealth generation cannot be dissociated from productivity, which in turn is closely related to the trinomial: processes, technologies and quality, it is concluded that the implementation of this strategy requires a commitment to the qualification of organizational management, operational management, project management and processes and productive systems themselves and associated technologies. This paper presents the characterization of the energy consumption and technologies in bakery and pastry sector, one of the most significant in the Portuguese agri-food sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Buildings are consuming a high percentage of material resources throughout the world. Green building movements have emerged at a rapid pace since the beginning of the 1990s. The green building rating system developed by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council as part of the sustainable development initiative was launched in UAE in 2010 on the name of Estidama, according to which a new building can score on seven different credit categories. This paper examined the Resource Energy (RE) credit category of the Pearl Rating system on an existing typical old Emirati house and concluded that the existing residential private building stock in UAE has a high potential of becoming Estidama certified. The total points achieved were 16 out of the maximum 21 points in the RE credit category. A number of retrofit strategies were applied in the form of insulation, passive cooling integration and onsite renewable energy generation using the Autodesk Revit® 2017 with Sefaira® 2017 plugin. Future recommendations for the existing building stock are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Renewable energies are getting progressively widespread due to the growing worry of carbon discharges. There has been a substantial volume of advancement being made in renewable energy sources. One of the remarkable ones is wind power. The common myths of building a wind turbine in highways suburban, and coastal areas are the extent of the machine, and the turbulence may affect the performance of the turbine that ultimately may uncover a poor return on investment. In this paper, some laboratory testing was performed on a conventional turbine and a wind lens turbine to determine if there are any potential applications for the Wind lens turbines in a turbulent environment. Highways, coastal and suburban areas may prove appropriate for this kind of turbine. However, there is still additional analysis required on the effects that these turbines may have on local fauna migration patterns. It is also important to check if the noise pollution generated by the wind lens turbines are enough to cause disruption. Two different types of edges were also embraced to see whether performance in such a location relies more on blade type than the design of the turbine. From the testing in a lab-scale wind tunnel, it was found that on average the wind lens design provided a 40% increase in efficiency both in the Betz coefficient and tip speed ratio of the turbine. However, the wind lens turbine requires further assessment to determine its suitability in environments not exposed to constant wind currents such as highways. There is a possibility that the wind lens turbine can be applied in a turbulent setting with further assessment and enhancements to the manufacturing process of the turbine models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Energy and water insecurities are global challenges, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. This paper proposes an optimal energy-water nexus management approach in residences using alternative energy and water resources, these alternatives are rainwater harvesting system, greywater recycling system, water storage, and gravity-fed distribution system. The Solving Constraint Integer Programming (SCIP) solver, in MATLAB's OPTI toolbox, is used to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. Simulation results show that the optimal tank sizing and system operations will minimize the capital and operational cost of the system. The solver produced a potable water savings of 20.5% and an energy savings of 62.54%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The buildings around the world consume about one-third of final energy in both residential and commercial sectors. To reduce annual power consumption, however, energy saving in construction of division has a particular importance. In this paper, the effect of green roof along with rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on energy efficiency of a typical building is investigated in a comprehensive analytic approach. For this purpose, three vegetation coatings including crops, grass, and shrub as well as three commercial solar panels including CanadianSolar, Suntech, and Trina are considered and evaluated. The technical and economic analyses of this project have been simulated with DesignBuilder (DB) and PVSOL software respectively, using Net Present Value (NPV) method. According to the results, the reduction of energy consumption in presence of green roof is about 0.1%. The simulation results of PV system shows the electricity production is up to 26 MWh in a year and the return of capital will be between 6.5 to 7.5 years. In addition, the maximum reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is annually 16.31 tons which will be obtained by installing crops and Trina solar panels simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Buildings use significant amount of energy worldwide, with mechanical air-conditioning systems accounting for a large proportion of the total energy consumed. Utilizing natural ventilation can achieve a comfortable indoor thermal environment while reducing the use of air-conditioning and building energy consumption. However, previous studies mainly focused on either thermal comfort or energy conservation by utilizing natural ventilation. The correlation between thermal comfort and energy performance due to the effect of natural ventilation is important, but has not been studied thoroughly in literature. Moreover, natural ventilation in buildings is greatly affected by building geometry, material property, outdoor environmental condition and occupancy, which were not fully incorporated in the previous studies. This paper presents a framework based on building information modeling (BIM) to study the effect of natural ventilation on the correlation between thermal comfort and energy performance. BIM provides 3D building models with detailed geometric and material information as well as the building location and type that help determine the outdoor environmental condition and occupancy, thereby improving the accuracy of natural ventilation simulation. A case study was conducted using the proposed framework, aimed at investigating the natural ventilation in a residential flat in Hong Kong at different seasons. The results show that utilizing natural ventilation cannot always achieve thermal comfort. Natural ventilation brings cool air in late spring (April) during which the indoor temperature can be controlled at a comfortable level and the energy use for mechanical ventilation can be saved. The proposed framework helps evaluate the natural ventilation in buildings for maintaining indoor thermal comfort at minimal energy use, thereby creating a more sustainable built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Advanced building structures are extremely complicated with a large number of dynamically interacting components and widely equipped with multi-zone air conditioning (ME A/C) systems. In this paper, multi-zone commercial building systems are built as second order Resistance-Capacitance (RC) models with individual zones communicating to the whole network through neighbors. The presented thermal dynamics are different from that in our previous work [8], which does not consider the wall's thermal dynamics. The second order RC models are more accurate in capturing the thermal dynamics of a building in comparison with the first order model employed in [8]. We first propose a hierarchical distributed method using ME A/C systems in commercial building for demand response. The idea of the upper layer strategy is based on the balance of building's energy demand and users' comfort level to generate reference signals. The lower layer is designed as distributed model predictive controllers (DMPC) to track the reference signals whereas energy cost and demand are reduced. Simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Residential sector has been recognised as a critical sector for energy conservation in Singapore. Research gap exists to understand the relationship of personality traits, demographics and energy behaviour of the residents. Through detailed questionnaires, demographics, energy conservation behaviour and Big Five personality traits were collected from the households in both public and private housing. The sample size of this study consists of 394 households. The results show that agreeableness, openness and conscientiousness have significant positive correlations with different aspects of energy conservation behaviour. In addition, the results illustrate that household income level and highest education level had statistical correlations whereas age and gender have no statistically significant correlation with energy conservation behaviour. Detailed discussion has been provided in this paper. Lessons from the study can help to refine current energy-saving campaigns in Singapore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It has been a hot issue to investigate the cement production associated with potential effects of its environmental emissions from the perspective of conversion efficiency. This paper aims to analyzethe thermal process containing the energy and resource accounting and conversion process with exergy metrics. The resource exergy conversion efficiency, exergy loss rate, and recycling rate are calculated and compared considering each section of the cement production chain. The results show that the milling stage has the highest conversion efficiency, followed by the clinker calcinations, while those of raw material preparation and pulverized coal preparation are much lower. Due to the temperature differences, the clinker calcination section has the highest exergy loss rate, followed by the waste gas treatment section. The raw material preparation section has a low exergy loss without high temperature stages. The pulverized coal preparation and cement milling sections have the lowest exergy loss. Also, coal power preparation section has the highest recycling ratio, followed by raw material preparation with large amount of sensible heat exergy, while the clinker calcination section has a lower ratio due to coal combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Most of the production facilities in Europe make use of compressed air to drive equipment for manufacturing and Compressed Air Systems (CAS) account for about 10% of the total electrical energy consumption of European industries. Therefore, reducing CAS energy consumption is a crucial task to meet the European goals of improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact of the industrial sector. This work is part of a wider research activity aimed at developing a strategy to optimize the energy use in CAS. In particular, this paper shows the importance of monitoring energy consumption and control energy use in compressed air generation, to enable energy saving practices, enhance the outcomes of energy management projects, and to guide industries in energy management. We propose a novel procedure in which measured data are compared to a baseline obtained through mathematical modelling (i.e. regression functions) to enable faults detection and energy accounting, through the use of control charts (i.e. variations' control and the Cumulative Sums). The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated in a case study, namely the compressed air system of a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engines in waste-heat recovery applications experience variable heat-source conditions (i.e. temperature and mass flow-rate variations). Maximising ORC system performance while accounting for off-design operation in response to such variations is of crucial importance for the financial viability and wider adoption of this technology. In this paper, the off-design performance of an ORC engine is investigated in a heat-recovery application from a stationary internal combustion engine (ICE), employing a screw expander and two heat exchanger (HEX) architectures. Unlike previous studies where the ORC expander and HEX performance are assumed fixed during off-design operation, here we consider explicitly the time-varying characteristics of these system components. Nominal system sizing results indicate that the screw expander isentropic efficiency exceeds 80%, and that the heat transfer area requirements of plate HEXs (PHEXs) are 50% lower than those of double-pipe HEXs (DPHEX). Following nominal system design, the ORC engine operation is optimised at conditions relating to part-load (PL) operation of the ICE. Although, the heat transfer coefficients in the evaporator decrease by 30% at PL, the HEX effectiveness increases by up to 20% due to higher temperature differences between the working fluid and the heat source, and the performance of the PHEX appears less sensitive to off-design operation conditions. The optimum PL screw expander efficiency maps reveal only a minor reduction of the expander efficiency (by 2%) relative to the design conditions. Optimum off-design maps indicate that the power output of the ORC engine reduces to 72% of full-load for an ICE at 60% of full-load, and that ORC engines with PHEXs generate slightly more power for the same heat-source conditions. Overall, the tool developed predicts ORC performance over an operating envelope and allows the selection of optimal HEX and expander designs. The findings can be used by ORC plant operators to optimise the ORC engine power output given varying on-site heat-source conditions, and by ORC vendors to inform HEX and expander design decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities account for over 75% of all primary energy usage in the world with buildings making up the bulk of this usage. It is well acknowledged that the building energy usage is greatly impacted by urban context and thus understanding the relationships between building energy use and surrounding urban systems is critical for more energy efficient and holistic planning. This paper proposes a Data-driven Urban Energy Analytics (DUE-A) workflow to investigate and quantify the relationships between building energy usage and the spatial proximity of other urban systems. A case study of 530 buildings in a mid-size city in the Unites States is conducted to validate the performance of the workflow and demonstrate the statistical significance of relationships between building energy use and spatial proximity of other systems. Results show that spatial proximity of other buildings, roads and trees can have both positive and negative impacts on the mean, variability and distribution of building energy usage, and indicate that more holistic planning and design of cities could unlock urban energy efficiency and low-carbon municipal pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper proposes novel decentralized control design methods for occupant comfort and energy saving in smart multi-zone buildings. First, the graph-based modeling technique for buildings is utilized to obtain a simplified lumped model for thermal dynamics of zones. Second, the graph theory is employed to derive features of the model useful for the control design. Next, two methods are proposed based on the pole placement in linear matrix inequality (LMI) region technique and the Lyapunov inequality to synthesize decentralized controllers to track the reference temperatures set by users for their thermal comfort and to save energy. The effectiveness of the proposed designs are then illustrated in a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Passively designed buildings are the tradition of historic areas of metropolitan Cairo. According to UNESCO, Cairo was inscribed on the World Heritage in 1979 under the title of "Islamic Cairo", recognizing its unquestionable historical, archaeological and urbanistic importance. Among Islamic Cairo Heritage buildings, Wekalet El-Ghouri is located in Al-Azhar area, was built in 1504 by the Memluk Sultan Qunsuwah El Ghouri. This research paper aims to investigate such historical passive design of Wekalet El-Ghouri in terms of energy efficiency simulations using eQuest, whereas sustainability assessment used a developed generic rating criterion for existing buildings. The 40 cm brick walls Wekala building was examined in comparison to its images; 12 cm, and 25 cm envelopes and simulated to compare its green rating calculated by the generic optimized rating criterion. The original passive case of the building showed the highest earned credit points by the generic criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The impact of existing buildings on the environment is on the rise; thus to achieve environmental sustainability requires sustainable upgrade (SU) of existing built facilities. Over the years, SU has focused on technologies with little attention given to the nature and conditions of existing buildings. The purpose of this paper is to identify existing building characteristics that impact SU. A detailed literature review on the nature and characteristics of existing buildings, as well as energy and environmental performance was undertaken. A survey questionnaire with all the determinants of existing buildings was administered to sustainability and construction professionals in Australia. The results show that size of building, age of building, U-value of wall, U-value of ceiling, area of external wall, thickness of insulation materials, occupancy, size of window opening, life span of sustainable technologies, and the type of building impact sustainable upgrade of existing buildings for energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The impact of existing buildings on the environment is on the rise; thus to achieve environmental sustainability requires sustainable upgrade (SU) of existing built facilities. Over the years, SU has focused on technologies with little attention given to the nature and conditions of existing buildings. The purpose of this paper is to identify existing building characteristics that impact SU. A detailed literature review on the nature and characteristics of existing buildings, as well as energy and environmental performance was undertaken. A survey questionnaire with all the determinants of existing buildings was administered to sustainability and construction professionals in Australia. The results show that size of building, age of building, U-value of wall, U-value of ceiling, area of external wall, thickness of insulation materials, occupancy, size of window opening, life span of sustainable technologies, and the type of building impact sustainable upgrade of existing buildings for energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Shipping is a major contributor to the global CO 2 emissions. It is important to improve the ship energy efficiency and reduce the ship emissions. Various emission reduction measures have been proposed to reduce the ship emissions. In order to evaluate the efficiency of these emission reduction measures, it is necessary to evaluate the reduction of fuel consumption for these measures. However, due to the complex of ship energy system, it is difficult to assess the ship fuel consumption under different scenarios considering both operational and weather conditions through physical systems or simulation models. In this paper, a Gaussian process metamodel is developed to predict the ship fuel consumption for different scenarios. This model not only considers the effects of operational conditions such as speed and trim, but also takes into account the impacts of weather conditions such as wind and wave effects. The effects of these factors on ship fuel consumption are further evaluated. The case study indicates the accuracy and efficiency of using Gaussian process metamodel for ship energy consumption prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered as energy-intensive facilities. Against the background of stricter policy requirements and discharge standard, thousands of municipal WWTPs are experiencing upgrading and reconstruction in China. However, the accompanying energy consumption cannot be ignored. Based on the statistical analysis of energy consumption and relevant factors from data of more than six thousand WWTPs over China, in this paper we analyzed the most influential factors related to energy consumption, which include treatment technology, wastewater amount, removed pollutants, social and economic characteristics, etc. Furthermore, we set up systematic method of energy performance assessment for WWTPs and explored the potential of energy saving in WWTPs. Results showed that processing capacity, organic pollutant concentration, discharge standard and economic factors have major effects on energy efficiency. Although sludge treatment and disposal normally consume intensive energy, it is possible to recover energy from biomass in the sludge. The results indicate that there is huge potential for energy saving and recovery in WWTPs, and we propose a conceptual roadmap for energy efficiency improving in WWTPs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For the last decades energy efficiency initiatives have avoided enormous amounts of energy consumption, to the favor of the environment and consumer expenditures. Although there is still a big potential for further energy efficiency improvements it is time to move further and start preparing the whole energy system for the challenge of oversupply from intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly in the power sector. In 2015 the maximum one-hour power oversupply from wind turbines alone in Denmark happened the 26th of June, peaking at around 900 MW and the oversupply over a 15-hour period was 10 GWh. Known solutions to make use of oversupply in the power sector are power export, energy storage and halting the power generation. The power export needs to rely on sufficient capacity at local interconnectors, power demand in the importing country and there is an economic gain in the export. Energy storages can range from storing of power in batteries, pumped hydro, synthetic fuels to fuel displacing at other energy sectors. The last option is stopping the turbines, which should be avoided. The optimum energy storage would have large capacity, fast charging, high recovery efficiency and low cost. Scoring high on all criteria’s can be difficult when focusing on a single energy sector. By widening the perspective and start taking advantages of synergies between the energy sectors there is a possibility to score high on all three criteria’s. In this paper the potential of utilizing synergies between the power and heat sectors will be explored by considering the projections for the Danish energy system in 2025. The result of the analysis shows the optimum energy storage of renewable power is achieved through fuel displacement in the heating sector in combination with utility sized heat pumps, electric boilers and large thermal storages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A module of ceramic tile with integrated a silicon amorphous thin film solar cell was tested in working conditions. The ceramic modules were installed on a ventilated façade in a 3 stories laboratory building completely equipped with sensors to detect the thermal and energetic behavior of the prototype. The experimental campaign aimed at monitoring the energy and thermal performances of the ventilated BIPV façade in the current configuration. The paper describes the output of the experimentation. Specifically, the operative temperature, the global efficiency and the electric production of the system have been evaluated in real working condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lighting systems have a fundamental role for the overall buildings energy consumption. Therefore, remarkable efforts are required for optimizing the lighting systems energy use and for finding new daylight harvesting solutions. In this paper, the impacts on daylight harvesting provided by different room and window geometries and their effects on energy savings are presented. An academic classroom with only one window is chosen as case study and it is supposed that the window orientation is modified according to the four cardinal points. A climate-based approach was chosen for the multiple simulations, carried out via DIVA software, by assuming: square and rectangular classroom geometries with the same total area; square and rectangular window shapes having Window to Floor Ratios (WFRs) equal to 8% and 12%; two different dimmable lighting systems, in order to quantify the energy savings, by considering fluorescent and LED dimmable lamps. The daylight analysis, performed by evaluating both the Daylight Factor (DF) and the Daylight Autonomy (DA), showed that room and window geometries have high influence on daylight harvesting maximization, allowing remarkable energy savings (up to 48.5%) with respect to non-dimmable lighting system. In particular, the best energy result, equal to 467.5 kWh/yr, was obtained with rectangular room and window geometries coupled with LED lamps and WFR equal to 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Durability is an important aspect that has not to be neglected in ZEB design. The requirements for buildings energy needs reduction and increase of renewable energy sources stimulated designers to integrate technologies in an efficient way. This ambitious goal must meet the capacity of the technical solutions to guarantee their performances over the years. The durability of materials and technologies is a topic that warrants further analyses in order to assess the proper efficiencies and the expected lifetime of a ZEB. Typically the energy balance of a ZEB is calculated by considering the annual energy flows or rarely the whole life cycle. The most used approaches consider constant performance of materials and technical elements over the lifespan. However, the performance loss of a single element can cause an imbalance in the behavior of a ZEB, for which persists a thin balance between inlet and outlet flows. The paper provides a critical point of view on this issue paying attention on the following technical solutions implemented in a case study for which the current scientific literature provides analysis on the degradation during their lifetime: glazing systems, VIPs, PV panels and GSHPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The non-energy-intensive nature of the food processing industry has led to a common trend where management energy has only secondary role to other productions costs, resulting in minimal oversight from management and short-term solution. Within cold storage facilities, 60–70 % of the electrical energy used is for refrigeration. For fish processing companies, one of the main energy users are the refrigeration units. The aim of the current paper is to make an algorithm based on case study in order to evaluate fish refrigeration electricity consumption and compare results with similar studies. Energy consumption for processing fish depends on installation, equipment and process. Process of cooling and refrigeration builds up about 16 % of the total energy in canning sector. This study has shown that refrigeration builds up about 24 % in average. From calculations, it can be concluded that average electricity consumption for fish refrigeration at the factory is 380 kWh per ton of product. In literature, sources it can be found that electricity consumption for industrial freezers are 70–130 kWh per ton of product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper is the first attempt to structure energy management in buildings retrofitted by Energy Service Company to maintain designed energy performance level. The energy performance of multifamily buildings is investigated. More specifically, ex-post energy data of the buildings are analysed to see the dynamics of the energy performance. The analysis is based on a unique dataset that combines data from energy meters and energy monitoring system. The results indicate that multifamily buildings with proper energy management keep designed energy efficiency level meanwhile providing in the energy performance contract guaranteed indoor temperature in space heating season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Building envelopes under various climates behave differently, in this paper the actual thermal transmittance or U-value of five different wall assemblies are evaluated and compared with values, calculated using standard EN ISO 6946. The experiment is carried out in five test buildings with equal spatial orientation, the same ceiling and floor assemblies as well as the same windows and doors mounted in each building. The thermal transmittances for these partitions are assumed to be well known and therefore, by knowing temperature difference and heat sources inside the building, the thermal transmittance of wall assembly can be calculated. It is shown that for small buildings the corner effects are of great importance and therefore a more precise calculation of them are done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, demand-based control in HVAC systems have achieved a great amount energy saving by providing precise services in according to actual demand. As the premise of determining actual demand, occupancy information has a significant impact on building heating, cooling and ventilation in building control and energy auditing. In this paper, a Wi-Fi probe based occupancy detection method is applied to detect the occupancy in typical office buildings. Given the Wi-Fi coverage and smart devices are widely used in modern buildings, Wi-Fi probe requires no initial investment and could scan the Internet connection request and response of occupants. Previous studies suggest time-series and stochastic characteristics of occupancy information, this research proposed a Time-Window based Markov Chain (TWMC) model to detect occupancy. An on-site experiment was conducted in this study to validate the proposed method. The results report an accuracy of over 80% (x-accuracy when x equals 4). Compared to actual occupancy profile, the proposed model shows over 88% of supply air amount reduction in energy simulation with an absolute deviation less than 20%. By integrating the proposed TWMC model based on Wi-Fi probe and demand-based control system, the energy consumption of HVAC system could be significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]