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

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.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-29
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ahsan

AbstractAffordable Housing is a critical issue in many developing countries that impacts their potential for sustainability and socio-economic development. Lack of affordable housing, slower growth of housing stock, and aging housing conflates numerous other problems in Pakistan, including overcrowding, poor indoor air quality, prevalence of preventable diseases, and development of slums and katchi abadies, etc. These challenges lessen living standards in many areas. Unaffordable housing forces low income families in urban areas to live in dilapidated areas. An increase in the construction of affordable housing is needed to mitigate housing affordability challenges in Pakistan. Setting aside land quotas for low-income families in housing development schemes is not sufficient because the households still lack the means to construct housing. This paper attempts to identify the causes of unaffordable housing and solutions for its provision.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6054
Author(s):  
Jenny von Platten ◽  
Karl de Fine Licht ◽  
Mikael Mangold ◽  
Kristina Mjörnell

While the energy transition of the EU housing stock is now being intensified with the launch of the Renovation Wave, economic inequalities are increasing in many OECD countries, which has effects on housing-related inequalities and the demand of affordable housing. The Renovation Wave is thus an opportunity to improve housing quality for low-income households, but also entails risks for increased rents. In Sweden, the standard of housing is relatively high and energy poverty in multifamily housing is rare, meaning that there are limited social benefits to be achieved from extensive energy retrofitting; moreover, Sweden lacks a social housing sector, which limits protection of the worst-off residents. This paper thus explores whether the limited social benefits of the Renovation Wave weigh up against the risks that it entails for the worst-off in the Swedish context. This is done within a normative framework for just energy transitioning that is developed within the context of the Renovation Wave and increasing economic inequalities, consisting of four ordered principles: (1) The equal treatment principle; (2) The priority principle; (3) The efficiency principle; and (4) The principle of procedural fairness. Analysis showed that to be considered just according to our framework, the Swedish energy transition of housing should, in contradistinction to what is suggested in the Renovation Wave, limit the imposition of extensive energy retrofitting in low-income areas. Finally, having identified a mismatch between the most effective approaches in terms of energy savings and the most acceptable approaches in terms of social justice, we offer policy recommendations on how to bridge this mismatch in a Swedish context.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
Jihui Yuan ◽  
Kazuo Emura ◽  
Craig Farnham

The Typical meteorological year (TMY) database is often used to calculate air-conditioning loads, and it directly affects the building energy savings design. Among four kinds of TMY databases in China—including Chinese Typical Year Weather (CTYW), International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC), Solar Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) and Chinese Standard Weather Data (CSWD)—only CSWD is measures solar radiation, and it is most used in China. However, the solar radiation of CSWD is a measured daily value, and its hourly value is separated by models. It is found that the cloud ratio (diffuse solar radiation divided by global solar radiation) of CSWD is not realistic in months of May, June and July while compared to the other sets of TMY databases. In order to obtain a more accurate cloud ratio of CSWD for air-conditioning load calculation, this study aims to propose a method of refining the cloud ratio of CSWD in Shanghai, China, using observed solar radiation and the Perez model which is a separation model of high accuracy. In addition, the impact of cloud ratio on air-conditioning load has also been discussed in this paper. It is shown that the cloud ratio can yield a significant impact on the air conditioning load.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Didik Ariwibowo

Didik Ariwibowo, in this paper explain that energy audit activities conducted through several phases, namely: the initial audit, detailed audit, analysis of energy savings opportunities, and the proposed energy savings. Total energy consumed consists of electrical energy, fuel, and materials in this case is water. Electrical energy consumption data obtained from payment of electricity accounts for a year while consumption of fuel and water obtained from the payment of material procurement. From the calculation data, IKE hotels accounted for 420.867 kWh/m2.tahun, while the IKE standards for the hotel is 300 kWh/m2.tahun. Thus, IKE hotel included categorized wasteful in energy usage. The largest energy consumption on electric energy consumption. Largest electric energy consumption is on the air conditioning (AC-air conditioning) that is equal to 71.3%, and lighting and electrical equipment at 27.28%, and hot water supply system by 4.44%. Electrical energy consumption in AC looks very big. Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the statutes, the profile of energy use by air conditioning at the hotel by 48.5%. With these considerations in the AC target for audit detail as the next phase of activity. The results of a detailed audit analysis to find an air conditioning system energy savings opportunities in pumping systems. Recommendations on these savings is the integration of automation on the pumping system and fan coil units (FCU). The principle of energy conservation in the pumping system is by installing variable speed drives (VSD) pump drive motor to adjust speed according to load on the FCU. Load variations FCU provide input on the VSD pumps to match. Adaptation is predicted pump can save electricity consumption up to 65.7%. Keywords: energy audit, IKE, AC


2013 ◽  
Vol 368-370 ◽  
pp. 599-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Hung ◽  
Hsien Te Lin ◽  
Yu Chung Wang

This study focuses on the performance of air conditioning design at the Dazhi Cultural Center and uses a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to discuss the differences in wind velocity and ambient indoor temperature between all-zone air conditioning design and stratified air conditioning design. The results have strong implications for air conditioning design and can improve the indoor air quality of assembly halls.


Author(s):  
Mostafa El-Shafie ◽  
M. Khalil Bassiouny ◽  
Shinji Kambara ◽  
Samy M. El-Behery ◽  
A.A. Hussien

Author(s):  
Amanda J. Wheeler ◽  
Ryan W. Allen ◽  
Kerryn Lawrence ◽  
Christopher T. Roulston ◽  
Jennifer Powell ◽  
...  

During extreme air pollution events, such as bushfires, public health agencies often recommend that vulnerable individuals visit a nearby public building with central air conditioning to reduce their exposure to smoke. However, there is limited evidence that these “cleaner indoor air shelters” reduce exposure or health risks. We quantified the impact of a “cleaner indoor air shelter” in a public library in Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia when concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were elevated during a local peat fire and nearby bushfires. Specifically, we evaluated the air quality improvements with central air conditioning only and with the use of portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter air cleaners. We measured PM2.5 from August 2019 until February 2020 by deploying pairs of low-cost PM2.5 sensors (i) inside the main library, (ii) in a smaller media room inside the library, (iii) outside the library, and (iv) co-located with regulatory monitors located in the town. We operated two HEPA cleaners in the media room from August until October 2019. We quantified the infiltration efficiency of outdoor PM2.5 concentrations, defined as the fraction of the outdoor PM2.5 concentration that penetrates indoors and remains suspended, as well as the additional effect of HEPA cleaners on PM2.5 concentrations. The infiltration efficiency of outdoor PM2.5 into the air-conditioned main library was 30%, meaning that compared to the PM2.5 concentration outdoors, the concentrations of outdoor-generated PM2.5 indoors were reduced by 70%. In the media room, when the HEPA cleaners were operating, PM2.5 concentrations were reduced further with a PM2.5 infiltration efficiency of 17%. A carefully selected air-conditioned public building could be used as a cleaner indoor air shelter during episodes of elevated smoke emissions. Further improvements in indoor air quality within the building can be achieved by operating appropriately sized HEPA cleaners.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document