scholarly journals Use of Beta Regression to investigate the link between home air infiltration rate and self-reported health

2021 ◽  
Vol 2069 (1) ◽  
pp. 012178
Author(s):  
S. Lu ◽  
P. Symonds ◽  
N Verschoor ◽  
Z. Chalabi ◽  
J. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Beta Regression ◽  
Air Infiltration ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Reported Health

Abstract The UK has introduced ambitious legislation for reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Improving the energy efficiency of homes is a key priority in achieving this target and solutions include minimising unwanted heat losses and decarbonising heating and cooling. Making a dwelling more airtight and applying insulation can result in a lower energy demand by reducing unwanted heat loss through fabric and openings. However, the supply of sufficient outdoor air is required to dilute indoor airborne pollutants. This research investigates the relationship between dwelling air infiltration and self-reported health at population neighbourhood level for Greater London. This paper links data from a variety of sources including Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), the Greater London Authorities’ Large Super Output Area (LSOA) Atlas and the Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards (AHAH) database at LSOA level. Beta regression has been performed to assess the influence of air infiltration rate on self-reported health, whilst controlling for other socioeconomic factors. All factors have been ranked in order of their association with self-reported health. Findings indicate that air infiltration rate has a positive association with the percentage of people reporting themselves to be in “good or very good” health.

scholarly journals Framework for Developing a Low-Carbon Energy Demand in Residential Buildings Using Community-Government Partnership: An Application in Saudi Arabia

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4954
Author(s):  
Mohammad AlHashmi ◽  
Gyan Chhipi-Shrestha ◽  
Kh Md. Nahiduzzaman ◽  
Kasun Hewage ◽  
Rehan Sadiq
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Geographical Regions

Rapid population growth has led to significant demand for residential buildings around the world. Consequently, there is a growing energy demand associated with increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The residential building energy demand in arid countries such as Saudi Arabia is supplied with fossil fuel. The existing consumption pattern of fossil fuels in Saudi Arabia is less sustainable due to the depletion of fossil fuel resources and resulting environmental impacts. Buildings built in hot and arid climatic conditions demand high energy for creating habitable indoor environments. Enormous energy is required to maintain a cool temperature in hot regions. Moreover, climate change may have different impacts on hot climatic regions and affect building energy use differently. This means that different building interventions may be required to improve the performance of building energy performance in these geographical regions, thereby reducing the emissions of GHGs. In this study, this framework has been applied to Saudi Arabia, a hot and arid country. This research proposes a community–government partnership framework for developing low-carbon energy in residential buildings. This study focuses on both the operational energy demand and a cost-benefit analysis of energy use in the selected geographical regions for the next 30 years (i.e., 2050). The proposed framework primarily consists of four stages: (1) data collection on energy use (2020 to 2050); (2) setting a GHG emissions reduction target; (3) a building intervention approach by the community by considering cost, energy, and GHG emissions using the Technique for Order of Performance by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to select the best combinations in each geographical region conducting 180 simulations; and (4) a clean energy approach by the government using grey relational analysis (GRA) to select the best clean energy system on the grid. The clean energy approach selected six different renewable power generation systems (i.e., PV array, wind turbine, hybrid system) with two storage systems (i.e., battery bank and a combination of electrolyte, fuel cell, and hydrogen tank storage). This approach is designed to identify the best clean energy systems in five geographical regions with thirty scenario analyses to define renewable energy-economy benefits. This framework informs through many engineering tools such as residential building energy analysis, renewable energy analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) techniques, and cost-benefit analysis. Integration between these engineering tools with the set of energy policies and public initiatives is designed to achieve further directives in the effort to reach greater efficiency while downsizing residential energy demands. The results of this paper propose that a certain level of cooperation is required between the community and the government in terms of financial investments and the best combinations of retrofits and clean energy measures. Thus, retrofits and clean energy measures can help save carbon emissions (enhancing the energy performance of buildings) and decrease associated GHG emissions, which can help policy makers to achieve low-carbon emission communities.

scholarly journals Energy Monitoring in a Heating and Cooling System in a Building Based on the Example of the Turówka Hotel

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Borowski ◽  
Piotr Mazur ◽  
Sławosz Kleszcz ◽  
Klaudia Zwolińska
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Management ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
And Control

The energy consumption of buildings is very important for both economic and environmental reasons. Newly built buildings are characterized by higher insulation and airtightness of the building envelope, and are additionally equipped with technologies that minimize energy consumption in order to meet legal requirements. In existing buildings, the modernization process should be properly planned, taking into account available technologies and implementation possibilities. Hotel buildings are characterized by a large variability of energy demand, both on a daily and a yearly basis. Monitoring systems, therefore, provide the necessary information needed for proper energy management in the building. This article presents an energy analysis of the Turówka hotel located in Wieliczka (southern Poland). The historical hotel facility is being modernized as part of the project to adapt the building to the requirements of a sustainable building. The modernization proposal includes a trigeneration system with a multifunctional reverse regenerator and control module using neural algorithms. The main purpose is to improve the energy efficiency of the building and adapt it to the requirements of low-energy buildings. The implementation of a monitoring system enables energy consumption to be reduced and improves the energy performance of the building, especially through using energy management systems and control modules. The proposed retrofit solution considers the high energy consumption, structure of the energy demand, and limits of retrofit intervention on façades.

scholarly journals Thermal Performance and Comfort Conditions Analysis of a Vernacular Palafitic Timber Building in Portuguese Coastline Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 10484
Author(s):  
Jorge Fernandes ◽  
Ricardo Mateus ◽  
Helena Gervásio ◽  
Sandra Monteiro Silva ◽  
Jorge Branco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Subjective Analysis ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Condition Evaluation ◽  
Timber Constructions ◽  
U Value ◽  
The Difference

The palafitic timber constructions of the central Portuguese coastline are an example of the adaptation to site-specific conditions (climate and sand landscape morphodynamics) using the available endogenous resources. Thus, in a context of environmental awareness and climate change, it is relevant to understand their features/strategies and how they perform. This work analyses the energy performance and thermal condition evaluation of a vernacular timber building–palheiro–from Praia de Mira, through in situ measurements, subjective analysis and energy simulation provided by DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus. The results show a good or satisfactory thermal performance during most of the seasons by passive means only. Despite, it was not possible to guarantee thermal comfort conditions for the occupants during winter. In the energy performance analysis, five scenarios, with different external walls, were compared. In the two scenarios that satisfy the maximum U-value for the climate zone, the current conventional building had a slightly better performance on heating and cooling (less 1.1 and 1.4 kWh/m2, respectively) than the timber building. However, the difference between the two construction solutions is not substantial in the annual energy demand (2.5 kWh/m2, 7.3%), indicating that timber structures are suitable in this mild climate area.

scholarly journals Coupling a Building Energy Simulation Tool with a Microclimate Model to Assess the Impact of cool Pavements on the Building’s Energy Performance. Application in a Dense Residential Area

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsoka ◽  
Tsikaloudaki ◽  
Theodosiou
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Building Unit ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Data Generator ◽  
The Impact

Replacing conventional pavements with the corresponding high albedo ones constitutes a well-known technique to improve outdoor thermal environment of modern cites. Since most of the existing studies assess the impact of the high albedo pavements at the pedestrian’s height and with respect to thermal comfort, this study aims to examine the effect of the application of highly reflective pavements on the heating and cooling energy needs of a building unit, located inside a dense urban area. Aiming at a higher accuracy of the energy performance simulations, an integrated computational method between ENVI-met model, Meteonorm weather data generator and Energy Plus software is established, to consider the site-specific microclimatic characteristics of the urban areas. The analysis is performed both for the design and the aged albedo values as significant changes may occur due to aging process. The analysis revealed that the application of cool materials on the ground surfaces only marginally affects the energy performance of the examined building unit, both for the design and the aged albedo value; changes on the annual heating and cooling energy demand, for both albedo scenarios did not exceed 1.5% revealing the limited potential of cool pavements regarding the improvement of the energy performance of urban building units.

scholarly journals Home Energy Efficiency and Subjective Health in Greater London

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Symonds ◽  
N. Verschoor ◽  
Z. Chalabi ◽  
J. Taylor ◽  
M. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Infiltration Rates ◽  
Air Infiltration ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe UK has introduced legislation that requires net-zero greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved by 2050. Improving the energy efficiency of homes is a key objective to help reach this target, and the UK government’s Clean Growth Strategy aims to get many homes up to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band of C by 2035. The relationship between home energy-efficiency and occupant health and wellbeing remains an area of ongoing research. This paper explores the nexus between home energy efficiency, energy consumption and self-reported health—an indicator of the general health and wellbeing of the population. We focus on Greater London through secondary data analysis. Energy-efficiency ratings and air infiltration rates of dwellings, derived from EPCs, were aggregated and matched to local area self-reported health and energy consumption data obtained from the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) Atlas database. Our regression model indicates that improving the energy efficiency (SAP) rating by 10 points for a typical home may reduce household gas consumption by around 7% (95% CIs: 2%, 14%). Beta regression finds a positive, but not statistically significant association between median SAP rating and the proportion of the population reporting ‘good or very good’ health when considering all Greater London LSOAs (z score = 0.60, p value = 0.55). A statistically significant positive association is observed however when repeating the analysis for the lowest income quartile LSOAs (z score = 2.03, p value = 0.04). This indicates that the least well-off may benefit most from home energy efficiency programs. A statistically significant positive association is also observed for the relationship between self-reported health and air infiltration rates (z score = 2.62, p value = 0.01). The findings support existing evidence for the predominantly naturally ventilated UK housing stock, suggesting that home energy efficiency measures provide a co-benefit for occupant health provided that adequate air exchange is maintained.

scholarly journals Energy Performance of Buildings with Thermochromic Windows in Mediterranean Climates

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 6977
Author(s):  
Georgios E. Arnaoutakis ◽  
Dimitris A. Katsaprakakis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
High Resolution Data ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Comparative Results

This article presents comparative results on the energy performance of buildings in the Mediterranean. Many buildings in the Mediterranean exhibit low energy performance ranking. Thermochromic windows are able to improve the energy consumption by controlling the gains from sunlight. In this article, reference buildings in 15 cities around the Mediterranean are investigated. In this work, a dynamic building information modeling approach is utilized, relying on three-dimensional geometry of office buildings. Calculations of the energy demand based on computational simulations of each location were performed, for the estimation of heating and cooling loads. The presented study highlighted the need for high-resolution data for detailed simulation of thermochromic windows in buildings of Mediterranean cities. Temperature is one of the main climate parameters that affect the energy demand of buildings. However, the climate of Mediterranean cities nearby the sea may affect the energy demand. This was more pronounced in cities with arid Mediterranean climate with increased demand in air-conditioning during the summer months. On the other hand, cities with semi-arid Mediterranean climate exhibited relatively increased heating demand. With this parametric approach, the article indicates the energy saving potential of the proposed measures for each Mediterranean city. Finally, these measures can be complemented by overall building passive and active systems for higher energy reductions and increased comfort.

scholarly journals Energy Efficiency Evaluation of Different Glazing and Shading Systems in a School Building

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 03052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Khalaf ◽  
Touraj Ashrafian ◽  
Cem Demirci
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
School Building ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Lighting Energy ◽  
Energy Efficiency Evaluation

The energy conversations methods and techniques take a significant role in the energy performance of the buildings. Façade and shading systems are in continuous development, and recent studies are showing the importance of implementation of such systems to reduce energy consumption and enhance the effectiveness of the building performance. School buildings are mostly being used during daytime, hence, require active use of sunlight. A measure that is taken on a school building envelope can prevent overheating and overcooling and reduce the heating and cooling energy consumption but at the same time can increase the lighting energy consumption vice versa. Thus, it is necessary to optimise the energy required for climatisation of a building with lighting energy demand. The main aim of the paper is to provide analysis for façade and shading systems applied to a school building and study the effectiveness of it on energy consumption and conservation. The case study for this paper is a typical building project designed to be located in Istanbul, Turkey and has a traditional façade system which is clear double layer windows without any shading devices. The analyses of the energy efficiency of these systems will be presented. The different glazing types and shading systems alternatives will show the most efficient one to be used as some optimised alternatives for the systems. Findings indicate that proper glazing and shading systems can reduce the needed energy for heating and lightening and thus total energy consumption of a school building significantly.

scholarly journals A Methodology to Investigate the Deviations between Simple and Detailed Dynamic Methods for the Building Energy Performance Assessment

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 6217
Author(s):  
Ilaria Ballarini ◽  
Andrea Costantino ◽  
Enrico Fabrizio ◽  
Vincenzo Corrado
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Heat Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Cooling Loads ◽  
Physical Phenomena

The research investigates the validity of the simple hourly method, as introduced by the EN ISO 52016-1 standard, for the assessment of the building energy demand for heating and cooling, by comparing it with a detailed dynamic model (EnergyPlus). A new methodology is provided to identify and quantify the causes of deviations between the models. It consists in the split of the contributions of the air heat balance (AHB) equation by dynamic driving force, and in the adoption of consistency options of the modeling parameters related to specific physical phenomena. A case study approach is adopted in the article to achieve the research objective. The results show that the deviations in the heating and cooling loads between the two calculation methods can be mainly ascribed to the use of different surface heat transfer coefficients, and to a different modeling of the extra thermal radiation to the sky. Providing a methodology to validate the calculation method, this work is intended to contribute to the enhancement of the use of simple dynamic models and to the improvement of the standardization activity.

scholarly journals Energy performance modelling and heat recovery unit efficiency assessment of an office building

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 865-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Harmati ◽  
Radomir Folic ◽  
Zoltán Magyar
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Hvac System ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Performance Modelling ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Simulation Engine

This paper investigates and analyzes a typical multi-zone office building?s annual energy performance for the location and climate data of central Belgrade. The aim is to evaluate the HVAC system?s and HR unit?s performance in order to conduct the most preferable heating and cooling solution for the typical climate of Belgrade city. The energy performance of four HVAC system types (heat pump - air to air, gas-electricity, electrical and fan coil system) was analyzed, compared and evaluated on a virtual office building model in order to assess the total annual energy performance and to determine the efficiency of the HR unit?s application. Further, the parameters of an energy efficient building envelope, HVAC system, internal loads, building operation schedules and occupancy intervals were implemented into the multi-zone analysis model. The investigation was conducted in EnergyPlus simulation engine using system thermodynamic algorithms and surface/air heat balance modules. The comparison and evaluation of the obtained results was achieved through the conversion of the calculated total energy demand into primary energy. The goal is conduct the most preferable heating and cooling solution (Best Case Scenario) for the climate of Belgrade city and outline major criteria in qualitative enhancement.

A Comparative Study of the Building Energy Performance of Thermotropic Windows

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22
Author(s):  
Jian Yao ◽  
Rong-Yue Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Energy Saving Potential ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Solar Shading ◽  
Lighting Energy ◽  
Shading Devices

This paper conducted a study on the energy-saving potential of a developed thermotropic window. Office buildings in different climate regions of China were compared in terms of heating, cooling and lighting energy demands. Results show that annual heating and cooling energy demands for office buildings differ largely, while lighting energy demand at different climates keeps a significant percentage of the total energy demand, ranging from 36.1% to 66.3%. Meanwhile, thermotropic windows achieve a great advantage in improving daylighting performance and in reducing the overall energy demand, by reducing the overall energy demand by 2.27%-8.7% and 10.1%-21.72%, respectively, compared to movable shading devices and Low-E windows. This means that this kind of thermotropic windows have a great potential in applications in different climatic regions and can be considered as a good substitute of solar shading devices and Low-E windows.

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