The optimization of energy efficiency measures for a single-family residential building using detailed simulations

The residential sector of Algeria consumes 29% of the total energy consumption. In order to reduce and address this consumption along with the challenges of climate change, the Algerian public policy considers energy efficiency investment measures (EEIMs) in the residential sector as a key factor. However, despite the recommendations and incitement measures from the government, the adoption of EEIMs of Algerian homeowners is too low. In 2018, EEIMs have been implemented in 4,000 houses. This number represents only 4% of the government's target which is the implementation of EEIMs in 100,000 houses per year. The present article, accordingly, attempts to explore the barriers to the adoption of EEIMs. To this effect, a questionnaire survey with 150 randomly selected Algerian single-family homeowners in Mostaganem area was used for the study. It was found that the five greatest barriers to the adoption of EEIMs were: (1) the lack of subsidies and rebates on energy efficient equipment, (2) the high initial prices of energy efficient equipment, (3) the lack of techniques and tools for the estimation of saved energy, (4) the unwillingness to borrow money and (5) the difficulty of identifying, procuring, installing, operating and maintaining energy efficiency measures. The principal component analysis categorised 16 barriers around four components: (1) "Financial" barriers, (2) "Technological" barriers, (3) "Lack of time and knowledge" barriers and (4) "Attitude towards energy efficiency improvements" barriers. Finally, the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analysis has shown that the perception of barriers to the adoption of EEIMs also differs in accordance with certain personal characteristics of the homeowner.

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Adoption of Energy Efficiency Measures in Renovation of Single-Family Houses: A Comparative Approach

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13226042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (22) ◽

pp. 6042 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shoaib Azizi ◽

Gireesh Nair ◽

Thomas Olofsson

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Housing Stock ◽

Northern Region ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Comparative Approach ◽

Single Family ◽

Chi Square ◽

Related Factors ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

Efficiency Measures

Inclusion of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) in the renovation of the single-family housing stock can unlock the potential for much-needed energy efficiency to tackle climate change. Energy renovation (ER) in single-family houses is often promoted as an aggregate process, and EEMs are treated homogenously without sufficient attention to their differences. This study applies a comparative analysis on common EEMs using chi-square test to investigate the influence of factors already found affecting the implementation of ER. This paper addresses the “personal” and “house-related” factors influencing the adoption of EEMs regardless of motives or barriers leading the adopters’ decisions. This strategy is useful to highlight the contexts leading to an increase in the adoption rate of different EEMs. The analysis is based on a questionnaire survey mailed in spring 2017 to 1550 single-family homeowners in the northern region of Sweden. Approximately 60% of respondents showed interest in adopting at least one EEM if they implement a major renovation. About 46% of respondents stated to have at least one indoor environmental problem (IEP) in their houses, and IEPs are found to have significant relations with homeowners’ interest to adopt several different EEMs. The policy implications related to different EEMs are discussed.

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Simulation of Energy Efficiency Measures for the Residential Building Stock: A Case Study in the Semi-Arid Region

IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1088/1757-899x/1090/1/012018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1090 (1) ◽

pp. 012018

Author(s):

Kawar Salih ◽

Gabriela Ledesma ◽

Zaid O. Saeed

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Arid Region ◽

Residential Building ◽

Building Stock ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

Efficiency Measures ◽

Residential Building Stock ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

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Implications of Passive Energy Efficiency Measures on Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of High-rise Residential Building Envelopes

Energy and Buildings ◽

10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111202 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 111202

Author(s):

M. Lizeth Rivera ◽

Heather L. MacLean ◽

Brenda McCabe

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽

Greenhouse Gas ◽

Residential Building ◽

Gas Emissions ◽

Building Envelopes ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

High Rise ◽

Efficiency Measures

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Indoor thermal climate after energy efficiency measures of a residential building in a sub-Arctic region: Comparing ANSYS CFX and IDA ICE methods

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x211030323 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1420326X2110303

Author(s):

Petter Lundqvist ◽

Mikael Risberg ◽

Lars Westerlund

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Ventilation System ◽

Residential Building ◽

Arctic Region ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

Efficiency Measures ◽

Ansys Cfx ◽

Thermal Climate

A residential building which had been subjected to an energy efficiency measures study had its indoor thermal climate investigated using two software approaches to understand how each approach would predict the outcome, using the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD). The computational fluid dynamics software (ANSYS CFX) and the building performance simulation (BPS) software (IDA ICE) were used to simulate the indoor thermal climate before and after the measures. The measures included additional insulation and changing the ventilation system. The results showed a difference in how the software packages handled the thermal radiation. The difference was also because CFX could calculate the indoor thermal climate of the whole interior. While the PPD values could remain similar between the CFX solutions, the area with dissatisfaction in the apartment was decreased when the building envelope was improved. These changes gave an improvement for the CFX solutions, which was not possible to predict with IDA ICE because only the central node was visible. The user should be aware of the shortcomings of BPS and building energy simulation software when evaluating the indoor thermal climate to predict changes. A coupling between BPS and CFX software should be considered when new measures or significant changes are planned.

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Impact of Passive Energy Efficiency Measures on Cooling Energy Demand in an Architectural Campus Building in Karachi, Pakistan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7251

Author(s):

Mushk Bughio ◽

Muhammad Shoaib Khan ◽

Waqas Ahmed Mahar ◽

Thorsten Schuetze

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Electricity Consumption ◽

Information Modeling ◽

Base Case ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

Efficiency Measures ◽

The Impact ◽

Cooling Energy Demand ◽

Campus Building

Electric appliances for cooling and lighting are responsible for most of the increase in electricity consumption in Karachi, Pakistan. This study aims to investigate the impact of passive energy efficiency measures (PEEMs) on the potential reduction of indoor temperature and cooling energy demand of an architectural campus building (ACB) in Karachi, Pakistan. PEEMs focus on the building envelope’s design and construction, which is a key factor of influence on a building’s cooling energy demand. The existing architectural campus building was modeled using the building information modeling (BIM) software Autodesk Revit. Data related to the electricity consumption for cooling, building masses, occupancy conditions, utility bills, energy use intensity, as well as space types, were collected and analyzed to develop a virtual ACB model. The utility bill data were used to calibrate the DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus base case models of the existing ACB. The cooling energy demand was compared with different alternative building envelope compositions applied as PEEMs in the renovation of the existing exemplary ACB. Finally, cooling energy demand reduction potentials and the related potential electricity demand savings were determined. The quantification of the cooling energy demand facilitates the definition of the building’s electricity consumption benchmarks for cooling with specific technologies.

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