scholarly journals A Review of Behavioral Energy Reduction Programs and Implementation of a Pilot Peer-to-Peer Led Behavioral Energy Reduction Program for a Low-Income Neighborhood

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4635
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hoody ◽  
Anya Galli Robertson ◽  
Sarah Richard ◽  
Claire Frankowski ◽  
Kevin Hallinan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Energy Reduction ◽  
Smart Meters ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Behavior Based ◽  
Improved Design

Utility-sponsored residential energy reduction programs have seen rapid advancement in the Unites States (US) over the past decade. These programs have particularly emphasized investments in energy efficient appliances and enveloped improvements. They have generally required co-investment by residents and, as a result, have mostly reached medium to high-income residents, with low income residences, in effect, supporting the utility investments through higher energy costs. Additionally, utility initiatives directed toward behavior-based energy reduction have reached residences with more advanced technologies, such as smart meters and smart Wi-Fi thermostats linked to phone apps, technologies generally not present in low-income residences. This research seeks to inform development of behavior-based energy reduction programs aimed specifically at low-income residences, premised on peer-to-peer energy education and support. It focuses on the design and implementation of a pilot program for 84 low-income residences in a medium-sized Midwestern US urban neighborhood, followed by measurement of realized energy savings and assessment of program outcomes through surveys of resident participants and interviews with program implementers. Only 21 residences provided an initial response to outreach. Of these, only 11 participated, and of these, energy savings were, in general, modest. However, evidence based upon other research and qualitative data obtained from program implementers and participants is presented in this study for the development of an improved design. The improved design emphasizes grassroots community co-design of the program and community engagement through program implementation to transform energy consumption and behaviors and find energy justice for vulnerable communities.

Water–energy nexus in houses in Brazil: comparing rainwater and gray water use with a centralized system

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Vieira ◽  
E. Ghisi
Keyword(s):  
Water Consumption ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Theoretical Method ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Smart Meters ◽  
Gray Water ◽  
Low Income Households

The objective of this paper is to assess the potential for energy savings in water and sewerage services by means of on-site integrated water and sewage management strategies in low-income households in Florianópolis, Brazil. The on-site water efficiency measures include reclamation of gray water and rainwater use. The water and energy saving potential of both strategies were studied, and their energy intensities were compared to centralized water and sewerage services. Furthermore, the water consumption pattern for 10 low-income households was empirically determined using smart meters; the rainwater supply was estimated by using the computer program Netuno 4.0; and the water supply and sewage reduction potential of gray water systems were determined using a theoretical method. On average, the gray water and rainwater supply capacities were equivalent to 24% and 43% of the total water consumption of households, respectively. In regard to energy savings, rainwater harvesting was the most energy intensive strategy (0.86 kWh/m³), followed by centralized systems (0.84 kWh/m³); whereas, gray water was the most energy efficient strategy (0.54 kWh/m³). The findings suggest that alternative water and sewerage services may promote energy savings in comparison with centralized ones only when a concomitant reduction in sewage production is achieved.

scholarly journals “My coupons are like gold”: experiences and perceived outcomes of low-income adults participating in the British Columbia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Caron-Roy ◽  
Sayeeda Amber Sayed ◽  
Katrina Milaney ◽  
Bonnie Lashewicz ◽  
Sharlette Dunn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Farmers Market

ABSTRACT Objective: The British Columbia Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program (FMNCP) provides low-income households with coupons valued at $21/week for 16 weeks to purchase healthy foods in farmers’ markets. Our objective was to explore FMNCP participants’ experiences of accessing nutritious foods, and perceived program outcomes. Design: This study used qualitative description methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with FMNCP participants during the 2019 farmers’ market season. Directed content analysis was used to analyse the data whereby the five domains of Freedman et al’s framework of nutritious food access provided the basis for an initial coding scheme. Data that did not fit within the framework’s domains were coded inductively. Setting: One urban and two rural communities in British Columbia, Canada. Participants: 28 adults who were participating in the FMNCP. Results: Three themes emerged: Autonomy and Dignity; Social Connections and Community Building; and Environmental and Programmatic Constraints. Firstly, the program promoted a sense of autonomy and dignity through financial support, increased access to high-quality produce, food-related education and skill development, and mitigating stigma and shame. Secondly, shopping in farmers’ markets increased social connections and fostered a sense of community. Finally, participants experienced limited food variety in rural farmers’ markets, lack of transportation, and challenges with redeeming coupons. Conclusions: Participation in the FMNCP facilitated access to nutritious foods and enhanced participants’ diet quality, well-being and health. Strategies such as increasing the amount and duration of subsidies, and expanding programs may help improve participants’ experiences and outcomes of farmers’ market food subsidy programs.

INTRA-APPLICATION ENERGY REDUCTION FOR MICROPROCESSOR LOW-POWER DESIGN

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (01) ◽  
pp. 181-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
XIAO XIN XIA ◽  
TENG TIOW TAY
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Low Power ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Low Power Design ◽  
Energy Reduction ◽  
Software Optimization ◽  
Application Identification ◽  
Instructions Per Cycle ◽  
Important Design

Energy consumption is one of the most important design constraints for modern microprocessors, and designers have proposed many energy-saving techniques. Looking beyond the traditional hardware low-power designs, software optimization is becoming a significant strategy for the microprocessor to lower its energy consumption. This paper describes an intra-application identification and reconfiguration mechanism for microprocessor energy reduction. Our mechanism employs a statistical sampling method during training runs to identify code sections among application that have appropriate IPC (Instructions per Cycle) values and could make contributions to program runtime energy reduction, and then profiles them to dynamically scale the voltage and frequency of the microprocessor at appropriate points during execution. In our simulation, our approach achieves energy savings by an average of 39% with minor performance degradation, compared to a processor running at a fixed voltage and speed.

scholarly journals Insights from Smart Meters. Identifying Specific Actions, Behaviors and Characteristics that drive savings in Behavior-Based Programs

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Todd ◽  
Michael Perry ◽  
Brian Smith ◽  
Michael Sullivan ◽  
Peter Cappers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smart Meters ◽  
Behavior Based

scholarly journals A Decade On, How Has the Visibility of Energy Changed? Energy Feedback Perceptions from UK Focus Groups

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2566 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Fredericks ◽  
Zhong Fan ◽  
Sandra Woolley ◽  
Ed de Quincey ◽  
Mike Streeton
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Energy Reduction ◽  
Smart Meters ◽  
Central System ◽  
Energy Feedback ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Feedback Perceptions

The Smart Meter Rollout Programme in the UK has required energy suppliers to offer new smart meters to customers to provide near real-time energy use information and enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system. The provision was expected to result in meaningful energy reductions, but recent estimates suggest that these reductions may be as low as 2%. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of smart meters and in-home energy displays by providing insights on energy feedback perceptions from a series of focus groups with postgraduate consumers. In addition to domestic energy use, the study investigated how participants perceived their energy use at work and how they perceived the energy reduction efforts of their institutions and employers. A laddered and projective methodology was used to more deeply question participant perceptions and reveal their attitudes. The analysis of responses revealed a limited awareness around energy efficiency strategies and opportunities for more visual, mobile, engaging and target-driven interfaces for energy data. The findings also agree with previous observations that environmental concerns are not a key driver of energy reduction behaviours. This was shown by laddered questioning, not to be due to a lack of environmental concern, but rather the perception that reducing energy consumption would have negligible impact. A decade after in-home energy displays enabled a means of providing ‘visibility’ to ‘invisible’ energy consumption, little appears to have changed in the perception and experience of energy feedback.

Health system reconstitution syndrome: an often misunderstood phenomenon in global health practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 618-624
Author(s):  
Anatole Manzi ◽  
Alyssa Ierardo ◽  
Jean Claude Mugunga ◽  
Cate Oswald ◽  
Patrick Ulysse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Health Systems Strengthening ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Global Movement ◽  
Active Implementation

Abstract The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the new definition and framework of health systems strengthening (HSS). The global movement to improve access to high-quality care garnered new resources to design and implement comprehensive HSS programs. In this effort, billions of dollars flowed from novel mechanisms such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and several bilateral funders. However, poor health outcomes, particularly in low-income countries, raise questions about the effectiveness of HSS program implementation. While several evaluation projects focus on the ultimate impact of HSS programs, little is known about the short- and mid-term reactions occurring throughout the active implementation of HSS interventions. Using the well-documented WHO framework of six HSS building blocks, we describe the evolution and phases of health system reconstitution syndrome (HSRS), including: (1) quiescent phase, (2) reactive phase, (3) restorative phase and (4) stability phase. We also discuss the implications of HSRS on global health funding, implementation, policy and research. Recognizing signs of HSRS could improve the rigour of HSS program design and minimize premature decisions regarding the progress of HSS interventions.

Estimating the Earnings from Peer-to-Peer Carsharing for Vehicle Owners on the Turo Platform using Anonymized Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (9) ◽  
pp. 256-265
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Schwieterman ◽  
C. Scott Smith
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Marginal Cost ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Large Concentration ◽  
Minority Populations ◽  
Demographic Profiles ◽  
Income Family ◽  
Anonymized Data

Peer-to-peer carsharing, in which “hosts” (i.e., vehicle owners) make their vehicles available for a fee, has grown markedly in recent years. Little is known about how activity in this sector is distributed across communities with different socioeconomic or demographic profiles, or about the income it provides to hosts. To offer insights into these issues, this study evaluates anonymized data of trips made on Turo, one of the country's largest peer-to-peer carsharing platforms, in Illinois. It shows that usage is heaviest in higher-density neighborhoods with above-average unemployment and rental housing rates, with a particularly large concentration on Chicago's near north, south, and west sides, as well as zip codes with sizable minority populations. Most transactions are financially remunerative to hosts who would own their vehicle regardless of their decision to share. When maintenance and other expenses are taken into account (while nonmonetary costs such as the host's time are excluded), 94.9% of trips cover their marginal cost to the host. The returns from sharing sports utility vehicles (SUVs) tend to be higher than those for sedans and minivans. A low-income family making $40,000 annually will increase household income by 6% by sharing a vehicle 90 days annually.

scholarly journals Rethinking User Behaviour Comfort Patterns in the South of Spain—What Users Really Do

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo ◽  
Jesica Fernández-Agüera ◽  
Juan Sendra ◽  
Susan Roaf
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Energy Analysis ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
User Profile ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Standard Values

Although energy analysis techniques can contribute to substantial energy savings in housing stock retrofitting operations, the outcomes often deviate significantly from the predicted results, which tend to overestimate potential savings by overestimating the starting energy baselines, particularly in southern Europe. This deviation can be largely attributed to occupant practice relating to the use of air conditioning facilities and the temperatures at which occupants feel comfortable. The patterns observed differed widely from standard values. In this study environmental variables, primarily indoor air temperature both with and without HVAC, were monitored in occupied dwellings for a full year. The data gathered were supplemented with surveys on occupants’ temperature-related behaviour to define comfort patterns. The findings show that the standards in place are not consistent with actual comfort-accepted patterns in medium- to low-income housing in southern Spain, where energy consumption was observed to be lower than expected, mostly because occupants endure unsuitable, even unhealthy, conditions over long periods of time. A new user profile, better adjusted to practice in southern Europe, particularly in social housing, is proposed to reflect the current situation.

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