scholarly journals Economic assessment of energy efficiency investments in dwellings = Evaluación económica de inversiones de eficiencia energética en viviendas

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Hernández

In order to improve the energy performance of buildings, the need to value economically investments of energy efficiency associated with the rehabilitation of dwellings arises. This point of view provides an useful tool for analysts who start in the economic appraisal of energy efficiency investments. The present research gives a conceptual framework for the economic assessment of these types of investments in dwellings. As a result, it is possible to identify two techniques in the appraisals of this nature: dynamic and static approaches. Both methods contrast the benefits (energy savings) with the costs of investments over time. However, they differentiate the opportunity and the moment when investment must be carried out given an uncertainty scenario. This conceptual precision allows the study of several publications where different alternatives in retrofitting houses where evaluated, confirming the considerations that must be taken into account when economic modelling is made: the type of approach to be used (dynamic or static) and; at the definition of the investment alternatives and scenarios, the aspects of time, irrevocability and uncertainty.ResumenEn pro de la mejora del desempeño energético de los edificios, surge la necesidad de evaluar económicamente las inversiones de eficiencia energética asociadas a la rehabilitación de viviendas. Este punto de vista trata de ser una herramienta útil para analistas que se inicien en la evaluación económica de inversiones en eficiencia energética. La presente investigación muestra un marco conceptual de la evaluación económica de este tipo de inversiones en viviendas. Como resultado, es posible identificar dos enfoques presentes en los análisis económicos de esta naturaleza: el dinámico y el estático. Ambos métodos contrastan los beneficios (ahorros energéticos) con los costes de las inversiones en el tiempo. Sin embargo, diferencian la oportunidad y el momento en que la inversión debe realizarse dado un escenario de incertidumbre. Esta precisión conceptual permite estudiar varias publicaciones donde se evaluaron diferentes alternativas de reacondicionamiento en viviendas, confirmándose las consideraciones que deben tenerse presentes en momento de realizar la modelación económica: el tipo de enfoque a usar (dinámico o estático) y, en la definición de las alternativas de inversión y escenarios, los aspectos de tiempo, irrevocabilidad e incertidumbre.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9496
Author(s):  
Paris A. Fokaides ◽  
Christiana Panteli ◽  
Andri Panayidou

In 2018, the European Commission adopted the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) concept in the recast of the directive on the energy efficiency of buildings. The set of SRIs is a measure of the intelligence of buildings systems, and its promotion is expected to contribute to the energy savings of the building sector. These indicators are relatively new and were developed only at the beginning of last decade, within European standards. This study introduces and elaborates on these indicators, as delivered in the final report of the European Commission. Some first results, which are obtained using a tool developed by the European Commission, are also presented. The work identifies gaps and perspectives for improvement of this system, as well as predicting the evolution of its implementation in the coming years, through specific numerical scenarios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Fernando Martín-Consuegra ◽  
Fernando de Frutos ◽  
Ignacio Oteiza ◽  
Carmen Alonso ◽  
Borja Frutos

This study quantified the improvement in energy efficiency following passive renovation of the thermal envelope in highly inefficient residential complexes on the outskirts of the city of Madrid. A case study was conducted of a single-family terrace housing, representative of the smallest size subsidized dwellings built in Spain for workers in the nineteen fifties and sixties. Two units of similar characteristics, one in its original state and the other renovated, were analyzed in detail against their urban setting with an experimental method proposed hereunder for simplified, minimal monitoring. The dwellings were compared on the grounds of indoor environment quality parameters recorded over a period covering both winter and summer months. That information was supplemented with an analysis of the energy consumption metered. The result was a low-cost, reasonably accurate measure of the improvements gained in the renovated unit. The monitoring output data were entered in a theoretical energy efficiency model for the entire neighborhood to obtain an estimate of the potential for energy savings if the entire urban complex were renovated.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 224
Author(s):  
Lucia Cattani ◽  
Anna Magrini ◽  
Paolo Cattani

Water extraction from air, based on reverse cycle systems, is becoming a technology more and more diffused and various models of air to water generators (AWG) are now available, all claiming the best efficiency. To date, there is not a standard indicator stating energy efficiency for AWGs, neither in the literature nor in technical practice. The only evaluation parameter, that can be found is a sort of specific energy consumption (SEC) without any clear indications about the involved calculation terms, definition of hypotheses, or environmental conditions. The current work is a first proposal of an indicator to standardise the AWG efficiency evaluation. The indicator is called WET (Water Energy Transformation); it states water production as a useful effect of an AWG machine and calculates its energy performance with an approach similar to COP (Coefficient of Performance) and EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) evaluation. The indicator is meant to be a normalised tool that permits comparing different AWG machines, but it is also the first part of a wider study, currently under development that is oriented to obtain a global index formulation that combines WET itself, EER and COP, and it is intended for a comprehensive evaluation of all the useful effects of a reverse cycle in integrated machines, in compliance with the current efficiency evaluation approach. The current paper presents the WET equation, with a discussion about involved terms, a set of normalised calculation conditions and some application examples, including a comparison with SEC.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika K. Jägerbrand

The aim of this review was to map synergies and trade-offs between sustainable development and energy efficiency and savings regarding exterior lighting. Exterior lighting, such as public road and street lighting, requires significant amounts of energy and hinders sustainable development through its increasing of light pollution, ecological impact, and global climate change. Interlinkages between indicators in sustainability and energy that have positive interactions will lead to a mutual reinforcement in the decision-making process, and vice versa, interlinkages between trade-offs may lead to unwanted and conflicting effects. Very few studies have presented a clear vision of how exterior lighting should be contributing to, and not counteracting, the sustainable development of our planet. This study was conducted through a theoretical and systematic analysis that examined the interactions between sustainable development and energy performance based on a framework using indicators and variables, and by reviewing the current literature. Additionally, 17 indicators of energy efficiency and energy savings were identified and used in the analysis. Most interactions between variables for sustainable development and energy performance (52%) were found to be synergistic. The synergistic interactions were mostly found (71%) in the ecological and environmental dimension showing that environmental and ecological sustainability goes hand in hand with energy efficiency and savings. Trade-offs were found only in the economic and social dimensions accounting for 18% of the interactions identified. This review shows that the interactions between sustainable development and energy performance can be used to establish more efficient policies for decision-making processes regarding exterior lighting.


Author(s):  
Teresa Parejo-Navajas

AbstractThe behavior of occupants in buildings has an enormous impact on their energy consumption. Despite the efforts to improve the energy efficiency in buildings, there are still many barriers that need to be overcome. Behavior change measures -to improve the energy performance of buildings- are focused on both, the design and the use and operation of buildings. If we are really committed to achieving the sustainable development objective to improve our society’s well-being, special attention should be put into energy use behavior as it has been proven to be an effective way for improvement. ResumoO comportamento dos ocupantes em edifícios tem um enorme impacto no seu consumo de energia. Apesar dos esforços para melhorar a eficiência energética nos edifícios, ainda há muitas barreiras que precisam ser superadas. Medidas de mudança de condutas - para melhorar o desempenho energético dos edifícios - são focadas tanto no design como na utilização e operação de edifícios. Se estamos realmente empenhados em alcançar o objetivo de desenvolvimento sustentável para melhorar o bem-estar da nossa sociedade, uma atenção particular deve ser proporcionada em relação as condutas que influem no uso cotidiano de energia, uma vez que se provou ser um meio eficaz de progresso.


2018 ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
Lyudmila Swistun ◽  
Taina Zavora ◽  
Yuliia Khudolii

The main goal of the study is to analyse the residential real estate market in Ukraine from the point of view of the need and the possibility of increasing its energy efficiency. Also, it aims to justify effective financial and credit mechanisms for ensuring measures to improve the thermal protection properties of residential and non- residential real estate, in particular by introducing energy efficiency development projects. With this research we investigated Ukraine's housing stock and utility tariffs and concluded that a beneficial strategy to be applied in Ukraine is the energy-efficient retrofit of real estate. This is one of the most effective ways to re-profile unclaimed real estate units in the existing state or to reconstruct inefficiently used buildings. Also, we reviewed selected methods of energy efficient residential real estate development and mechanisms of financing energy- efficient renovation of real estate used in the EU. And, in our view, the next step of the Ukraine in the direction of improving the energy efficiency of housing should be the effective operation of a dedicated/specific energy efficiency fund to ensure stable financing of housing modernization projects, which will allow for a comprehensive renovation of buildings and lead to significant annual energy savings in this end-use sector.


Author(s):  
Naum Staroselsky ◽  
Lawrence Ladin

Parallel Operating centrifugal gas compressors are major elements in the chemical industry, in oil production and in natural gas gathering, injection, separation, transmission and LNG production. Large energy savings, reduced repairs and improved automation are possible with more effective solutions for compressor station control. The authors suggest an improved definition of compressor energy efficiency. They analyze several common approaches to control of parallel compressors and evaluate them in terms of energy efficiency, stability of control, equipment protection and level of automation. An improved system developed by one of the authors will be described theoretically and with an example from field operation.


Author(s):  
Om Taneja

Sustainability goals for buildings are highly acclaimed as public and private sector’s contributions to environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well-being. All too often a building’s performance does not meet design expectations, particularly a new building’s energy savings projection that overstates achievable performance. Across the high-performing building industry, these unrealistic energy performance goals have come from, among other things, inadequate modeling and benchmarking practices, unreliable monitoring and equipment controls systems, and significant changes in space usage and tenant improvements. There is still lack of commitment to include operations staff in goal setting and provide adequate budgets for periodic benchmarking, commissioning, and tuning of buildings’ mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. This paper provides the analytical, performance & prescriptive measures for life cycle assessment of energy efficiency projects which can help in making adaptive changes to buildings systems to suit changing uses, or other internal and external factors that directly or indirectly affect performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 80-93
Author(s):  
B. V. Mednikov ◽  
V. I. Mednikov ◽  
S. V. Mednikov

The article aims to find quantitative characteristics of the mechanism of enterprise risk sustenance from the point of view of rivalry between commodity market participants. Our analysis of publications revealed the root cause of the lack of known enterprise control systems, including the “Industry-4”technology: this is the lack of their activities formalization and the lack of resources’ quantity for such a description. The method of this mechanism and rivalry quantitative description based on previously devised enterprise model and published data on the market participants’ activities; using the enterprise math model, math models of various sizes markets with cyclical declines in consumption created and further vector model of rivalry in the market created. A quantitative definition of risks in the enterprise activities is given; owing to what fundamental expression for the moment of the crisis risk appearance found. The obtained quantitative ratios are necessary, significant, and repeatable for various sizes markets, due to which uncertainties in the enterprises control of various infrastructures reduced.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Chaparro ◽  
Maria Netto ◽  
Patricio Mansilla ◽  
Daniel Magallon

The Energy Savings Insurance Program seeks to promote investment in energy efficiency and distributed generation in Latin America, primarily through small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It focuses on developing an innovative scheme of guaranteed energy performance that mitigates project risk and generates investor confidence (ESI Model). The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) facilitates the development of the ESI Program in alliance with the National Development Banks (NDBs). The ESI Model includes a contract for the supply, installation, and maintenance of equipment for generating a stipulated amount of energy or energy savings over a specific time period; validation by an independent body; insurance coverage that backs the savings or the guaranteed energy generation; and project financing. This paper describes the main attributes of the ESI Model (the contract, the insurance, validation and financing), evaluates market potential and the most attractive technologies, and identifies the priority sectors for implementing projects in Chile. The most promising economic sectors were found to be the hospitality industry, food processing industry, grape growing/wine production, and the fishing industry, and the technologies of electric motors, boilers, air conditioning systems and photovoltaic solar generation. In each of these sectors, estimates were made of financing requirements as well as CO2 emission reductions that could be achieved.


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