Exploring Social Dimensions of Achieving Energy Efficiency in Urban Housing Design - A Case Study from Hanoi (Vietnam)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Quang Minh ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Urban Housing ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
State Management ◽  
The Way

Achieving energy efficiency is widely regarded as the first bold step in paving the way for sustainable architecture to take shape. In Vietnam, energy efficiency has been mostly considered in technical aspects so far. Social dimensions, which are equally essential in the context of such a fast-developing country as Vietnam, have not yet been properly investigated. In fact, research projects only deal with affordability, amortisation and difficulties to overcome in view of state management and energy policy making. However, actually, social dimensions cover a much broader spectrum than what many people often imagine. Thus, by means of surveys, analyses of data and interviews, the author examines the following social issues of using energy at building level with 190 households in Hanoi: awareness of the importance of saving energy and using renewable energy at home, users’ behaviour and application of (and readiness for) more energy-efficient solutions and obstacles on the way to achieve energy efficiency. The results and arguments will help planners, designers and engineers understand better the current situation before trying to take action in order to meet the public demand in urban housing design and management towards energy efficiency. In this regard, public awareness plays a key role, but having input data for a more efficient housing design and a better project management policy is also very important, requiring a more systematic and larger-scale study on household energy use. Without digitalisation as a new method of site surveying and data collecting, this aim might never be fulfilled.

scholarly journals The Citizens’ Views on Adaptation to Bioclimatic Housing Design: Case Study from Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4984
Author(s):  
Veronika Andrea ◽  
Stilianos Tampakis ◽  
Paraskevi Karanikola ◽  
Maria Georgopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Residential Sector ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Design Case Study ◽  
Log Linear ◽  
The City

Bioclimatic housing design is regarded as an important pillar towards energy policies. Additionally, it is closely affiliated with the performance of energy efficiency of buildings. The citizens’ views and their adaptation to energy saving practices can be utilized as an important data base in order to design, improve and properly manage urbanization and environmental challenges in the residential sector. For the capitalization of the citizens’ views in Orestiada, the newest city in Greece, simple random sampling was applied on data that were collected via personal interviews and with the use of a structured questionnaire. Reliability and factor analyses were applied for the data processing along with hierarchical log-linear analysis. The latter was utilized for the statistical clustering of citizens into given distinct groups—clusters, arising by factor analysis. The main findings revealed that the citizens are merely aware of bioclimatic principles, while only a small percentage of 28.8% adopts some primary bioclimatic disciplines. Conclusively, it should be noted that there is a need for effective planning towards empowerment on energy efficiency in the residential sector of the city. Notwithstanding, it should not be disregarded the need for the incorporation of conceptual frameworks in urban planning. This is an approach that prerequisites public awareness and the stakeholders’ participation in decision making processes.

scholarly journals Rising public awareness of energy efficiency of buildings enhanced by “smart” controls of the in-door environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1307-1319
Author(s):  
Vladan Pantovic ◽  
Sanja Petrovic-Becirovic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Near Term

Buildings consume a significant amount of energy today and are expected to consume even more in the future. This consumption necessitates the use of fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, both of which have significant environmental impacts. While renewable energy sources remain promising, the most of the energy supply will still use conventional fuels in the near term. Therefore, improving the energy efficiency in buildings is critical, and one of the central visions of ?smart buildings? is to reduce their energy use while maintaining the same level of service and comfort. However, to make the buildings meaningfully ?smart?, their envelopes must first be made compliant with the current energy efficiency standards. In this paper we first examine how the public awareness of energy efficiency was risen in Serbia through different demonstration projects, funded by the state budget and through implementation of the energy efficiency measures in public buildings, funded by municipal funds and soft loans from the banks. Then, we describe how the energy efficiency in buildings might further be increased by the use of new technologies and smart networks for control of the energy consumption. We finally argue that these controls should take into account the personal variables (activity, clothing) along with environmental variables (air temperature, velocity, and humidity) for an optimum thermal comfort to be achieved in public and residential buildings.

scholarly journals Statistical and machine learning models for optimizing energy in parallel applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1079-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Endrei ◽  
Chao Jin ◽  
Minh Ngoc Dinh ◽  
David Abramson ◽  
Heidi Poxon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Parallel Applications ◽  
Learning Models ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Machine Learning Models

Rising power costs and constraints are driving a growing focus on the energy efficiency of high performance computing systems. The unique characteristics of a particular system and workload and their effect on performance and energy efficiency are typically difficult for application users to assess and to control. Settings for optimum performance and energy efficiency can also diverge, so we need to identify trade-off options that guide a suitable balance between energy use and performance. We present statistical and machine learning models that only require a small number of runs to make accurate Pareto-optimal trade-off predictions using parameters that users can control. We study model training and validation using several parallel kernels and more complex workloads, including Algebraic Multigrid (AMG), Large-scale Atomic Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator, and Livermore Unstructured Lagrangian Explicit Shock Hydrodynamics. We demonstrate that we can train the models using as few as 12 runs, with prediction error of less than 10%. Our AMG results identify trade-off options that provide up to 45% improvement in energy efficiency for around 10% performance loss. We reduce the sample measurement time required for AMG by 90%, from 13 h to 74 min.

scholarly journals Evaluation of CO2 emissions and energy use with different container terminal layouts

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arif Budiyanto ◽  
Muhammad Hanzalah Huzaifi ◽  
Simon Juanda Sirait ◽  
Putu Hangga Nan Prayoga
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Container Terminal ◽  
Container Terminals ◽  
Future Planning ◽  
Container Handling

AbstractSustainable development of container terminals is based on energy efficiency and reduction in CO2 emissions. This study estimated the energy consumption and CO2 emissions in container terminals according to their layouts. Energy consumption was calculated based on utility data as well as fuel and electricity consumptions for each container-handling equipment in the container terminal. CO2 emissions were estimated using movement modality based on the number of movements of and distance travelled by each container-handling equipment. A case study involving two types of container terminal layouts i.e. parallel and perpendicular layouts, was conducted. The contributions of each container-handling equipment to the energy consumption and CO2 emissions were estimated and evaluated using statistical analysis. The results of the case study indicated that on the CO2 emissions in parallel and perpendicular layouts were relatively similar (within the range of 16–19 kg/TEUs). These results indicate that both parallel and perpendicular layouts are suitable for future ports based on sustainable development. The results can also be used for future planning of operating patterns and layout selection in container terminals.

scholarly journals Environmental Citizenship and Energy Efficiency in Four European Countries (Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary)

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1154
Author(s):  
Ibolya Czibere ◽  
Imre Kovách ◽  
Gergely Boldizsár Megyesi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Social

In our paper we aim at analysing the social factors influencing energy use and energy efficiency in four different European countries, using the data from the PENNY research (Psychological social and financial barriers to energy efficiency—Horizon 2020). As a part of the project, a survey was conducted in four European countries (Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary) to compare environmental self-identity, values and attitudes toward the energy use of European citizens. Previous research has examined the effect of a number of factors that influence individuals’ energy efficiency, and attitudes to energy use. The novelty of our paper that presents four attitudes regarding energy use and environmental consciousness and compares them across four different regions of Europe. It analyses the differences between the four attitudes among the examined countries and tries to understand the factors explaining the differences using linear regression models of the most important socio-demographic variables. Finally, we present a typology of energy use attitudes: four groups, the members of which are basically characterised by essentially different attitudes regarding energy use. A better understanding of the diversity of energy use may assist in making more accurate policy decisions.

scholarly journals The Sustainability of Decentralised Renewable Energy Projects in Developing Countries: Learning Lessons from Zambia

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3757
Author(s):  
Susann Stritzke ◽  
Prem Jain
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Decentralised renewable energy (RE) systems such as solar PV mini-grids (MG) are considered to be a cornerstone for the strategic achievement of the UN’s energy access goals in the developing world. Many of these systems implemented however face substantial technical, financial and social sustainability challenges which are also a recurring theme in the relevant literature. MG analyses however often lack detailed technical or financial data or apply ‘silo-approaches’ as a comprehensive review of MG case study literature presented in this article reveals. Consequently, this study aims to enhance the understanding of RE MG sustainability in the developing context based on the integrated evaluation of the technical, financial and social dimensions of MG operation through empirical data from community surveys on energy use from Uganda and Zambia and two in-depth MG case studies from Zambia. By presenting detailed technical and financial data in combination with energy consumer perception, the study aims to close existing data gaps on sustainable RE MG operation and offers an approach to evaluate and optimise the operational sustainability of an MG in its individual local context. The article finds that the complex rural community ecosystem is a central, but yet undervalued determinant of MG sustainability in rural developing contexts. The mismatch between energy affordability and MG tariffs threatens MG sustainability and the scaling of energy access projects if not addressed specifically during project development and implementation. Consequently, the article calls for a strategic inclusion of community-ecosystem parameters and MG planning based on realistic energy affordability levels and an added value approach that includes dynamic MG financing mechanisms and targeted measures to generate added value through energy consumption as integral parts of RE MG projects.

Twelve Years of Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings in Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Claesson ◽  
Tor Broström
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Indoor Climate ◽  
Climate Control ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Research Challenge ◽  
Technical Solutions

Abstract The Swedish National Research programme for Energy Efficiency in historic buildings was initiated in 2006 by the Swedish Energy Agency. This article gives an overview of the programme: objectives, projects and the general results of the programme. The research programme aims to develop knowledge, methods and technical solutions that contribute to energy efficiency in historically valuable buildings without destroying or damaging the historical value of the buildings, including decoration, furnishings, interiors or equipment. The programme is not limited to listed and monumental buildings but covers a wider range of historic buildings that account for a large part of the energy use in the building sector. For one and two-family houses, around 25 % of the energy use is associated with buildings built before 1945. The same number for multifamily houses is around 15 %. The programme is currently in its third consecutive four-year-stage. Previous four-year-stages were completed in 2010 and 2014. Over time, the scope of the programme and the projects have developed from mainly dealing with indoor climate control in monumental buildings towards addressing more general issues in the much larger stock of non-listed buildings. Technical research, based on quantitative analysis, dominate throughout all three stages, however most projects have had interdisciplinary components. The results from the programme have been presented in 31 journal papers, 67 conference papers, five books and five PhD theses. The projects have also contributed to CEN standards and resulted in a number of Bachelors and Master’s theses. An equally important long-term effect of the programme is that the number of Swedish researchers in the field have increased from practically none in 2007 to 18 senior researchers and twelve PhD students from ten universities in 2014. The research programme on Energy Efficiency in historic buildings is unique in an international context. Hopefully it can serve as an example for other countries on how to address an important interdisciplinary research challenge.

Cleaner, greener data centres

ITNOW ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-20
Author(s):  
John Booth
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Data Centre ◽  
Eu Directives ◽  
Data Centres

Abstract John Booth MBCS, Data Centre Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Consultant at Carbon3IT, explores the detrimental trajectory of data centre energy use, against a backdrop of COP26, climate change and proposed EU directives.

scholarly journals A new myth regarding the Great Trek: Reinvention of identity in Die pad na skuilhoek [The path toSkuilhoek] by Hans du Plessis.

Literator ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlies Taljard
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Historical Novels ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Interpretation ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Myth ◽  
The Way

This article aims to illustrate how Hans du Plessis, in his novel Die pad na Skuilhoek [The path to Skuilhoek] (a place of shelter), subverts the way in which history had been presented in historical novels in the past by addressing social issues that contemporary readers find relevant. The first part of the article deals with the social codes that shape the identities of the main characters and how these identities are relevant in terms of the social framework within which the novel is received. In the second place the focus will shift towards Du Plessis’s representation of cultural and national identities. The question: ‘Who were the Afrikaners at the time of the Great Trek?’ will be answered with reference to these identities. In conclusion it will be pointed out how Du Plessis avoids dated practices of historical interpretation by choosing ecocrticism as the ideological framework for his novel and is, in this way, constructing a new social myth about the Great Trek.

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