Editorial

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Henk Visscher

The existing housing stock has a major energy saving potential and is mostly considered to be the sector in which energy efficiency most cost effectively can be achieved. About 30% of all energy use is consumed in the housing stock. The European union formulates saving targets, policies and regulations that have to be implemented by the member states and a considerable share of the EU budget for research and innovation is dedicated to this challenge. In recent years many policies, investment programmes, technical innovations and process innovations have been developed and been put into practice. However, it appears to be very difficult to realise massive renovation programmes in the existing housing stock and really make a step forward towards the energy efficiency goals. This special issue presents an overview of actual insights of the perspectives of energy efficiency in the housing stock based on several research projects and analyses and discussions about how the current policies will work out and which are the barriers that still have to be taken. We focus on the policies, the processes and the people.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 6988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Mjörnell ◽  
Paula Femenías ◽  
Kerstin Annadotter

An important part of the multi-family housing stock in Sweden was built during the record years 1961–1975 and is in need of extensive renovation to be modernized. The stock is also at the center of political discussion of how to sustain ‘good housing for all’, especially in the rental sector. These renovation needs coincide with present energy targets and provides an opportunity to combine renovation with energy efficiency measures. Common for many of these buildings are that neglected maintenance has led to technical shortcomings, such as high energy use and low thermal comfort due to bad insulation, unsatisfactory air tightness and leaky windows, inefficient heating systems and insufficient ventilation, and moisture damage due to leaking building envelope and leaking pipes. However, the people living in these buildings are not willing to or cannot afford to pay the higher rents that extensive renovations would entail. Earlier research has highlighted the broader societal problem of energy renovations, but also that of housing companies’ priority of measures with short payback times, and those that give the possibility to raise rents. However, recent observations indicated a tendency towards more holistic approaches to housing renovation, and this study was initiated to investigate how public and private housing companies deal with renovation levels, rent increases and related social problems. The main conclusions are that sustainability and social responsibility are moving up on agendas in the public sector, but also, apparently, in the renovations strategies among the private companies. What is also seen is a trend moving from extensive total renovations to more tenant-adapted and step-by-step renovations. Renovation options which do not entail such large rent increases are increasingly being seen. Implications are that housing owners favor gentle renovation with reasonable rent increases of 10%–20%, which at the same time, may be a drawback for reaching energy efficiency targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (47) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
K.V. Izmaylova ◽  
L.A. Kharchenko

The article analyzes domestic and international experience in the field of energy efficiency and energy security. Thus, it was important to adopt the Law of Ukraine "On the Energy Efficiency of Buildings", which introduced mandatory certification of buildings by energy consumption classes. The study of sources on the issues of effective energy consumption showed that issues related to improving the energy efficiency of buildings and structures are acquiring special relevance; the use of foreign models to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. Specific organizational and economic measures are highlighted that will help improve the energy efficiency of the national economy. The Swedish experience of using a modern cost model for the full period of operation ("General Concept") is studied, which aims to assess the economic results of investments in measures to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. The main principles of the modern cost model of the full operation period and the criteria for determining the number of necessary energy efficiency measures are considered. Analyzed "hard" (physical condition of the building) and "soft" (user behavior) measures that provide for the integrated energy efficiency of the building. The stages of the analysis according to the cost model of the full operation period are considered. The typical for Sweden ranges of the duration of energy efficient measures and the requirements for the internal rate of return, which depends on the general economic situation in the country and the terms of the loan, have been investigated.  Based on the results of the energy audit of the ten-story building selected for the study and taking into account the experience of Sweden, a number of measures to improve energy efficiency are proposed and a calculation is given to ensure the energy efficiency of a residential building in Ukraine. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that there is a positive trend in this implementation. With the integrated use of all measures that will even allow you to save more, you can significantly improve the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock in Ukraine.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
Henk Visscher ◽  
Dasa Majcen ◽  
Laure Itard

The energy saving potential of the building stock is large and considered to be the most cost efficient to contribute to the CO2 reduction ambitions. Severe governmental policies steering on reducing the energy use seem essential to stimulate and enforce the improvement of the energy performance of buildings with a focus on reducing the heating and cooling energy demand. In Europe the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a driving force for member states to develop and strengthen energy performance regulations for new buildings and energy certificates for the building stock. The goals are to build net zero energy new buildings in 2020 and to reach a neutral energy situation in the whole stock by 2050. More and more research projects deliver insight that the expected impact of stricter regulations for newly built houses is limited and the actual effects of energy savings through housing renovations stay behind the expectations. Theoretical energy use calculated on base of the design standard for new houses and assessment standards for Energy Performance Certificates of existing dwellings differ largely from the measured actual energy use. The paper uses the findings of some Post Occupancy Evaluation research projects. Is the energy saving potential of the housing stock smaller than expected and should we therefore change the policies?


Author(s):  
Marta Skiba ◽  
Natalia Rzeszowska

Climate change and sustainable energy use is one of the five long-term objectives of the European Union. The first stage of the activities involving the implementation of this task is to reduce energy consumption of buildings to a minimum by 2020 and, in the case of public buildings by 2019. The purpose of this article is a search for the optimal way of bringing the energy performance of an existing school to a level that enables implementation of the objectives of the European Union energy policy. An analysis of the current condition of the existing school building has been carried out and options of its deep thermal upgrading has been proposed to adjust each parameter the energy performance to current guidelines specified in the technical conditions. One of the possible ways to improve the energy efficiency of the school is the use of renewable energy sources as a means of improving energy characteristics in terms of primary energy PE, the other one - optimization of renovation spending.


Author(s):  
Косухин ◽  
Andrey Kosukhin ◽  
Косухин ◽  
Mikhail Kosukhin ◽  
Семак ◽  
...  

There were presented the findings of the research in energy saving and energy efficiency of public and residential buildings with the purpose of evaluating the energy saving potential on the basis of energy audit. There was demonstrated the nature of energy consumption and the evaluation figures of energy saving in state-financed sphere and housing sector of the country. On the basis of research and calculations of various specialists it was determined, that the highest potential of energy efficiency improvement belongs to the housing funds of the country. It was pointed out that capital repairs and reconstruction of the existing housing funds are the necessary condition of implementing the energy saving measures. The investment issues, their types and their attractiveness for energy saving measures and improving the energy efficiency are reflected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 366-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phan Anh Nguyen ◽  
Regina Bokel ◽  
Andy van den Dobbelsteen

Purpose Refurbishing houses is considered a key measure to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment. However, little is known about the implementation and outcome of housing renovation for energy upgrades in the Vietnamese practice. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the energy performance of the current housing stock in Vietnam and the potential to reduce energy use in households. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a survey with 153 respondents in three major climatic regions of Vietnam. The survey focusses on building characteristics, environmental performance, energy performance and refurbishment activities. Data collected from the survey were statistically analysed to give insight into the current performance of the housing stock and its energy saving potential. Findings This paper concludes that building design and construction, particularly the building envelope, have a significant influence on the occupants’ comfort. However, the energy consumption in houses is not statistically associated with building design and indoor environment. It is suggested that financial status and occupants’ behaviour currently have a strong influence on the household energy use. The survey also showed that refurbishment improves the housing performance, especially if improving the indoor environment was one of the drivers. Originality/value There are very few studies on energy use in households in Vietnam, especially with regards to actual energy consumption. This paper brings insights into the actual energy consumption and reveals the “performance gap” in Vietnamese housing stock.


2021 ◽  
Vol 266 ◽  
pp. 02018
Author(s):  
Q. A. Kamecko ◽  
S.V. Izmailovich ◽  
Sati Rabih ◽  
A. A. Tivanova

The article analyzes the concepts and indicators for assessing energy saving and energy efficiency, which revealed a clear terminological relationship between the studied concepts and the absence of evaluation criteria that characterize important components of energy efficiency by type of economic activity and economic spheres. The most important components of energy efficiency were identified and calculations confirming the importance of the national policy to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock as the sector with the highest energy saving potential were made. It was confirmed that in order to achieve high indicators of real economic growth, both consistent and constructive measures are needed to create energy facilities of a new formation, as well as to improve existing capacities and facilities, for example, in the form of major repairs of the housing stock.


2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Nadel

▪ Abstract  Minimum energy efficiency standards are regulations that require products to meet specific energy efficiency requirements. Standards have been adopted in 17 countries plus the European Union. Standards have been set on more than 35 products, with refrigerators, air conditioners, ballasts, and freezers being the most common. Based on the available evidence, standards appear to be a very effective energy-saving policy. They have reduced energy use substantially in the United States and made good initial progress in other countries. The standards that have been implemented thus far appear to be cost effective to consumers and result in minimal adverse impacts on manufacturers. Available evidence indicates that the costs of actually implementing standards are commonly less than estimates made by manufacturers and government agencies during the standard-setting process. Standards are frequently a useful complement to other policies such as product labeling, incentives, and voluntary agreements. However, standards are not appropriate for all products and situations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3.2) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Alina Bohoslovska ◽  
Anna Komelina ◽  
Svitlana Shcherbinina

Ensuring the energy efficiency functioning of housing and communal services and increasing the energy efficiency of Ukraine's housing stock, which is one of the largest consumers of heat energy, requires the search for potential opportunities for managing energy efficiency of buildings. Integration into the world economy obliges Ukraine to adhere to international economic principles, one of which is the growth of energy efficiency.The article examines the experience of the world countries in the field of energy efficiency of buildings on the basis of sustainable building concept.  The methodology of calculating the integral rating point of the regions of the country based on their energy saving potential is developed. It can be used to evaluate the potential of energy efficiency management of buildings in Ukraine. As a result of the calculations of the integrated estimation of the energy saving potential, an appropriate ranking and grouping of the regions of Ukraine has been carried out.Improvement of the organizational and technical potential of providing energy-efficient functioning of the housing and communal services of Ukraine and the introduction of effective mechanisms for its modernization on the basis of the sustainable building concept should ensure an increase in the efficiency of energy efficiency management of buildings. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 31-41
Author(s):  
Marta Skiba ◽  
Natalia Rzeszowska

Abstract One of the five far-reaching goals of the European Union is climate change and sustainable energy use. The first step in the implementation of this task is to reduce energy demand in buildings to a minimum by 2021, and in the case of public buildings by 2019. This article analyses the possibility of improving energy efficiency in public buildings, the relationship between particular indicators of the demand for usable energy (UE), final energy (FE) and primary energy (PE) in buildings and the impact of these indicators on the assessment of energy efficiency in public buildings, based on 5 variants of extensive thermal renovation of a school building. The analysis of the abovementioned variants confirms that the thermal renovation of merely the outer envelope of the building is insufficient and requires the use of additional energy sources, for example RES. Moreover, each indicator of energy demand in the building plays a key role in assessing the energy efficiency of the building. For this reason it is important to analyze each of them individually, as well as the dependencies between them.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document