scholarly journals Using thermal transients at the outlet of electrical water heaters to recognise consumption patterns for heating schedule optimisation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Nel ◽  
MJ Booysen ◽  
A.B. van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Individual Behaviour ◽  
Flow Meters ◽  
Thermal Transients ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Algorithmic Solution ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Heating Schedule

In the midst of environmental concerns, and soaring energy costs and energy shortages, the efficiency of electrical household water heaters (EWHs) has been identified as an area with significant potential for savings. The benefits of applying optimised scheduling control for EWHs has been proven by various studies, however, little has been done to measure individual behaviour. This paper presents an alternative to the invasive and expensive solution of using water flow meters. A hardware and algorithmic solution is presented that uses thermal transients at the outlet of an EWH to measure consumption patterns. The results show that the approach is able to detect usage events with an accuracy of 91%. Despite the challenges related to thermal inaccuracies, event durations are estimated to within 2 minutes accuracy 79% of the time.

Pandemic will alter the apparel sector permanently

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Economic Sector

The pandemic has altered consumption patterns and deepened environmental concerns in this vital economic sector

scholarly journals Combining grid-tied PV and intelligent water heater control to reduce the energy costs at schools in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Gerber ◽  
Arnold Rix ◽  
Marthinus Johannes Booysen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Costs ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Water Heater ◽  
Peak Demand ◽  
Electricity Cost ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Electricity Rates ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Point Reduction ◽  
Two Temperature

South Africa's escalating electricity rates are increasingly diverting educational resources to utility bills. Recent advances in solar PV affordability, the advent of the smartgrid and the capacitive nature of water heaters could be combined to enable new methods for electricity cost and efficiency management without affecting user comfort.Control methods that combine excess PV energy dumping and real-time temperature-based prioritised scheduling were compared with the normally-employed thermostat control. In addition, the performance of an energy-optimising approach is compared with a peak demand optimising approach. The results show that peak demand limiting with a two-temperature thermostat provided the highest cost saving with a 30% reduction of the school's electricity cost and only a 0.2 percentage point reduction in the number of warm water events.

scholarly journals Net Economic Benefits from Shifting Consumption, Labor Elasticity, and Productivity Gains During an Accelerated Renewable Energy Transition in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yidan Chen ◽  
Jiang Lin ◽  
David Roland-Holst ◽  
Can Wang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Labor Supply ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Job Growth ◽  
Multiplier Effects ◽  
Elastic Labor Supply ◽  
Business As Usual

Abstract China is the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, but declining wind and solar energy costs present opportunities to transform its electric power sector. In 2017, China launched a national emission trading scheme (ETS). Evidence to date suggests that the ETS mitigates CO2 emissions and promotes renewable energy deployment but constrains economic growth. These studies, however, do not account comprehensively for economic impacts. Ours is the first to account for three multiplier effects—shifting consumption patterns, job growth with elastic labor supply, and higher total factor productivity (TFP)—when modeling accelerated renewable electricity growth with the ETS in China. Results from a detailed economic forecasting model show low renewable energy costs interacting with the ETS to slash GHG emissions while directly stimulating incremental net positive economic growth by 2030, compared with a business-as-usual scenario that assumes slower renewable cost reductions and no ETS. Accounting for the multiplier effects reveals larger potential benefits, including up to 15.6% of additional GDP growth (over business as usual) by 2030 when shifting consumption patterns, job growth with elastic labor supply, and higher TFP are all considered. These results suggest that China should accelerate its clean energy transition, not only for the air-quality and climate benefits, but also for the broad and positive impact on innovation, employment, and economic growth.

scholarly journals Which Strategy Saves the Most Energy for Stratified Water Heaters?

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 4859
Author(s):  
Michael J. Ritchie ◽  
Jacobus A. A. Engelbrecht ◽  
M. J. (Thinus) Booysen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Supply ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Point Temperature ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Heating Schedule ◽  
Reducing Energy

The operation of water heating uses a substantial amount of energy and is responsible for 30% of a household’s overall electricity consumption. Determining methods of reducing energy demand is crucial for countries such as South Africa, where energy supply is almost exclusively electrical, 88% of it is generated by coal, and energy deficits cause frequent blackouts. Decreasing the energy consumption of tanked water heaters can be achieved by reducing the standing losses and thermal energy of the hot water used. In this paper, we evaluate various energy-saving strategies that have commonly been used and determine which strategy is best. These strategies include optimising the heating schedule, lowering the set-point temperature, reducing the volume of hot water used, and installing additional thermal insulation. The results show that the best strategy was providing optimal control of the heating element, and savings of 16.3% were achieved. This study also determined that the magnitude of energy savings is heavily dependent on a household’s water usage intensity and seasonality.

scholarly journals Rationalisation of meat consumption in New Zealand adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Kelly R. Latimer ◽  
Meredith C. Peddie ◽  
Tessa Scott ◽  
Jillian J. Haszard
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Food Choice ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Meat Consumption ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to describe meat consumption rationalisation and relationships with meat consumption patterns and food choice motivations in New Zealand adolescents. Design: This was a cross-sectional study of adolescents from high schools across New Zealand. Demographics, dietary habits, and motivations and attitudes towards food were assessed by online questionnaire and anthropometric measurements taken by researchers. The 4Ns questionnaire assessed meat consumption rationalisation with four subscales: ‘Nice’; ‘Normal’; ‘Necessary’; and ‘Natural’. Setting: Nineteen secondary schools from eight regions in New Zealand, with some purposive sampling of adolescent vegetarians in Otago, New Zealand. Participants: Questionnaires were completed by 385 non-vegetarian and vegetarian (self-identified) adolescents. Results: A majority of non-vegetarian adolescents agreed that consuming meat was ‘nice’ (65%) but fewer agreed that meat consumption was ‘necessary’ (51%). Males agreed more strongly than females with all 4N subscales. High meat consumers were more likely to agree than to disagree that meat consumption was nice, normal, necessary, and natural and vegetarians tended to disagree with all rationalisations. Adolescent non-vegetarians whose food choice was motivated more by convenience, sensory appeal, price, and familiarity tended to agree more with all 4N subscales, whereas adolescents motivated by animal welfare and environmental concerns were less likely to agree. Conclusions: To promote a reduction in meat consumption in adolescents, approaches will need to overcome beliefs that meat consumption is nice, normal, necessary, and natural.

scholarly journals Comprehensive Risk Management in Passive Buildings Projects

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6830
Author(s):  
Maria Krechowicz ◽  
Jerzy Zbigniew Piotrowski
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Passive House ◽  
Event Risk ◽  
Quality Costs ◽  
Remediation Strategies ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Effective Reduction

Nowadays, we can observe a growing interest in passive buildings due to global climate change, environmental concerns, and growing energy costs. However, developing a passive building is associated with meeting many Passive House requirements, which results in their increased complexity as well as many challenges and risks which could threaten the successful completion of the project. Risk management is a key tool enabling meeting today’s challenging passive house project’s demands connected with quality, costs, deadlines, and legal issues. In this paper, a new model of risk management dedicated for passive buildings based is proposed, in which a novel Fuzzy Fault Tree integrated with risk response matrix was developed. We proposed 171 risk remediation strategies for all 16 recognized risks in passive buildings projects. We show how to apply the proposed model in practice on one passive building example. Thanks to applying the proposed risk management model an effective reduction of the risks of the basic event is enabled, leading to a significant reduction of the top event risk. The proposed model is useful for architects, installation designers, contractors, and owners who are willing to develop attainable and successful passive buildings projects that benefit all stakeholders.

Tap Water Scald Burns in Children, by K. W. Feldman, R. T. Schaller, J. A. Feldman, and M. McMillon,Pediatrics, 1978;62:1–7

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 102 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 256-258
Author(s):  
Frederick P. Rivara
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Full Thickness ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Household Water

Tap water scald burns account for 7% to 17% of all childhood scald burns that require hospitalization. Often the burns are severe and disabling. Toddlers and preschool children are the most frequent victims. In 45% of the injuries, the unsupervised victim or peer turned on the tap water; in 28% the cause was abuse. Eighty percent of the homes tested had unsafe bathtub water temperatures of 54°C (130°F) or higher, exposing the occupants to the risk of full-thickness scald with <30-second exposure to hot water. Such burns may be prevented passively by limiting household water temperatures to <52°C (125°F). New water heaters could be preset at this temperature, and families could be taught to turn down the temperature on existing units.

Tap Water Scald Burns in Children

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Feldman ◽  
Robert T. Schaller ◽  
Jane A. Feldman ◽  
Mollie McMillon
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Full Thickness ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Household Water

Tap water scald burns account for 7% to 17% of all childhood scald burns that require hospitalization. Often the burns are severe and disabling. Toddlers and preschool children are the most frequent victims. In 45% of the injuries, the unsupervised victim or a peer turned on the tap water; in 28% the cause was abuse. Eighty percent of the homes tested had unsafe bathtub water temperatures of 54 C (130 F) or greater, exposing the occupants to the risk of full-thickness scalds with 30-second exposure to hot water. Such burns may be prevented passively by limiting household water temperatures to less than 52 C (125 F). New water heaters could be preset at this temperature and families could be taught to turn down the temperature on existing units.

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