scholarly journals Renovation Strategies for Multi-Residential Buildings from the Record Years in Sweden—Profit-Driven or Socioeconomically Responsible?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 6988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Mjörnell ◽  
Paula Femenías ◽  
Kerstin Annadotter
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Holistic Approaches ◽  
The People ◽  
Efficiency Measures

An important part of the multi-family housing stock in Sweden was built during the record years 1961–1975 and is in need of extensive renovation to be modernized. The stock is also at the center of political discussion of how to sustain ‘good housing for all’, especially in the rental sector. These renovation needs coincide with present energy targets and provides an opportunity to combine renovation with energy efficiency measures. Common for many of these buildings are that neglected maintenance has led to technical shortcomings, such as high energy use and low thermal comfort due to bad insulation, unsatisfactory air tightness and leaky windows, inefficient heating systems and insufficient ventilation, and moisture damage due to leaking building envelope and leaking pipes. However, the people living in these buildings are not willing to or cannot afford to pay the higher rents that extensive renovations would entail. Earlier research has highlighted the broader societal problem of energy renovations, but also that of housing companies’ priority of measures with short payback times, and those that give the possibility to raise rents. However, recent observations indicated a tendency towards more holistic approaches to housing renovation, and this study was initiated to investigate how public and private housing companies deal with renovation levels, rent increases and related social problems. The main conclusions are that sustainability and social responsibility are moving up on agendas in the public sector, but also, apparently, in the renovations strategies among the private companies. What is also seen is a trend moving from extensive total renovations to more tenant-adapted and step-by-step renovations. Renovation options which do not entail such large rent increases are increasingly being seen. Implications are that housing owners favor gentle renovation with reasonable rent increases of 10%–20%, which at the same time, may be a drawback for reaching energy efficiency targets.

Editorial

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Henk Visscher
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Process Innovations ◽  
Energy Saving Potential ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
The People ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Existing Housing

The existing housing stock has a major energy saving potential and is mostly considered to be the sector in which energy efficiency most cost effectively can be achieved. About 30% of all energy use is consumed in the housing stock. The European union formulates saving targets, policies and regulations that have to be implemented by the member states and a considerable share of the EU budget for research and innovation is dedicated to this challenge. In recent years many policies, investment programmes, technical innovations and process innovations have been developed and been put into practice. However, it appears to be very difficult to realise massive renovation programmes in the existing housing stock and really make a step forward towards the energy efficiency goals. This special issue presents an overview of actual insights of the perspectives of energy efficiency in the housing stock based on several research projects and analyses and discussions about how the current policies will work out and which are the barriers that still have to be taken. We focus on the policies, the processes and the people.

Unscrambling the Building Envelope Insulation Technique in "Tianjin Energy Efficiency Design Standard for Rural Residential Buildings"

2013 ◽  
Vol 805-806 ◽  
pp. 1519-1523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Feng Wang ◽  
Guo Qiang Fan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Minimum Energy ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Minimum Energy Consumption ◽  
Tianjin City ◽  
Energy Efficiency Standard ◽  
Energy Efficiency Standards

In order to solve problems of high energy consumption and poor indoor thermal comfort in existing rural residential buildings, Tianjin city developed Tianjin energy efficiency standard for rural residential buildings, the building envelope insulation technique in the standard-including determination of heat transfer coefficient, principle of choosing insulation materials for building envelope, energy efficiency standards of walls, windows, and roofs are unscrambled particularly in this paper. It is suggested that natural materials and appropriate techniques are used to achieve the energy-saving goal for rural residential buildings with minimum energy consumption.

Distant Learning Course “Energy Efficient Refurbishment Management”

2014 ◽  
Vol 635-637 ◽  
pp. 2057-2062 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Vatin ◽  
Darya Nemova ◽  
Lina Khazieva ◽  
Daria Chernik
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
International Level ◽  
Distant Learning ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Special Knowledge ◽  
New Buildings

Currently, a problem of the deterioration of housing stock exists and more and more buildings require reconstruction and renovation. Therefore, there is the need for specialists of the international level in the reconstruction and renovation of residential buildings in the labor market. To meet the need the distant learning course “Energy efficient refurbishment management” is offered. Implementation of the project is carried out by international organizations from different countries. The course is aimed at improving energy efficiency in new buildings and old residential buildings under the renovation in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The main objective of the project is the development of a program that will allow a manager to plan and implement energy efficiency measures of reconstruction. It is assumed that this course will be used both for self-education and for professional development and will be available for people who do not have special knowledge in this area. The program will provide the society with experts in the field of energy efficient renovation.

scholarly journals Evaluating the potential energy savings of residential buildings and utilizing solar energy in the middle region of Saudi Arabia – Case study

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872097514
Author(s):  
AbdulRahman S Almushaikah ◽  
Radwan A Almasri
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Middle Region

Lately, with the growth in energy consumption worldwide to support global efforts to improve the climate, developing nations have to take significant measures. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) implemented meaningful policy actions towards promoting energy efficiency (EE) in several sectors, especially in the building sector, to be more sustainable. In this paper, various EE measures and solar energy prospects are investigated for the residential sector, in two locations in the middle region of the KSA. An energy performance analysis of pre-existing residential buildings with an overall design is performed using simulation programs. However, installing EE measures in the building envelope is important to achieve an efficient sector regarding its energy consumption. The findings showed that applying EE measures for the building envelope, walls, roof, and windows should be considered first that makes the energy conservation possible. In Riyadh, EE measures are responsible for reducing energy consumption by 27% for walls, 14% for roof, and 6% for window, and by 29%, 13%, and 6% for walls, roof, and windows, respectively, for Qassim. However, the most impactful EE solution was selecting a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system with a high energy efficiency rate (EER), which can minimize the energy consumption by 33% and 32% for Riyadh and Qassim, respectively. The study's feasibility showed that the number of years needed to offset the initial investment for a proposed roof PV system exceeds the project's life, if the energy produced is exported to the grid at the official export tariff of 0.019 $/kWh. However, the simple payback time was 13.42 years if the energy produced is exported to the grid at a rate of 0.048 $/kWh, reflecting the project's economic feasibility.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of radon concentrations in buildings of different energy efficiency classes on example of five Russian cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
I. V. Yarmoshenko ◽  
A. D. Onishchenko ◽  
G. P. Malinovsky ◽  
A. V. Vasilyev ◽  
E. I. Nazarov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Radon Concentration ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Radon Concentrations

A comparative analysis of the radon concentrations in modern multi-storey residential buildings of high energy efficiency class and buildings typical for urban areas of the twentieth century was carried out. The study was conducted in Russian cities located in various climatic zones – Ekaterinburg, Krasnodar, St. Petersburg, Salekhard, Chelyabinsk. The radon concentration in samples of buildings was measured using integrated radon radiometers based on nuclear track detectors according to a single method. The surveyed sample included 498 apartments in multi-apartment buildings. Among all the examined building types, the highest average radon concentration is observed in modern energy-efficient houses – 43 Bq/m3. In other types of buildings, the following average radon concentrations were obtained: brick 2–5 floors – 35 Bq/m3; panel 5 floors – 32 Bq/m3; panel 7–12 floors 1970-1990 years of construction – 22 Bq/m3; brick> 5 floors 1970–1980 years of construction – 20 Bq m3; panel, built since 1990 – 24 Bq/m3. The results of the study confirm the assumption that radon concentration in modern multi-storey energy-efficient houses is on average higher than in typical residential buildings of the Soviet period. The increased accumulation of radon in energy-efficient buildings is associated with a decrease in the building envelope permeability and the contribution of fresh air to the general air exchange. Despite the fact that there were no cases of exceeding hygienic standards for the indoor radon concentration in the framework of this study, the higher radon concentration in buildings of increased energy efficiency requires attention from the point of view of implementing the principle of optimization of radiation protection. In the future, extensive construction of energy-efficient buildings may increase the average and collective doses to the urban population in the Russian Federation.

scholarly journals Improving energy efficiency in Vietnamese tube houses

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 366-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phan Anh Nguyen ◽  
Regina Bokel ◽  
Andy van den Dobbelsteen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Indoor Environment ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Actual Energy Consumption

Purpose Refurbishing houses is considered a key measure to improve the energy efficiency of the built environment. However, little is known about the implementation and outcome of housing renovation for energy upgrades in the Vietnamese practice. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the energy performance of the current housing stock in Vietnam and the potential to reduce energy use in households. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a survey with 153 respondents in three major climatic regions of Vietnam. The survey focusses on building characteristics, environmental performance, energy performance and refurbishment activities. Data collected from the survey were statistically analysed to give insight into the current performance of the housing stock and its energy saving potential. Findings This paper concludes that building design and construction, particularly the building envelope, have a significant influence on the occupants’ comfort. However, the energy consumption in houses is not statistically associated with building design and indoor environment. It is suggested that financial status and occupants’ behaviour currently have a strong influence on the household energy use. The survey also showed that refurbishment improves the housing performance, especially if improving the indoor environment was one of the drivers. Originality/value There are very few studies on energy use in households in Vietnam, especially with regards to actual energy consumption. This paper brings insights into the actual energy consumption and reveals the “performance gap” in Vietnamese housing stock.

scholarly journals A Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Structural Insulated Panels for Residential Buildings in a Hot and Arid Climate

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Muataz Dhaif ◽  
André Stephan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Structural Insulated Panels ◽  
Operational Energy

In hot and humid climatic conditions, cooling tends to dominate building thermal energy use. Cooling loads can be reduced through the adoption of efficient building envelope materials, such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). This study quantifies the life cycle cost and operational energy of a representative case-study house in Bahrain using SIPs and hollow concrete blocks (HCBs) for the envelope over a period of 50 years. Operational energy is calculated using a dynamic energy simulation tool, operational costs are calculated based on the energy demand and local tariff rates, and construction costs are estimated using market prices and quotations. The life cycle cost is quantified using the Net Present Cost technique. Results show that SIPs yield a 20.6% reduction in cooling energy use compared to HCBs. For SIP costs of 12 and 17 USD/m², the SIP house was cheaper throughout, or had a higher capital cost than the HCB house (breaking even in year 33), respectively. We propose policy recommendations with respect to material pricing, electricity tariffs, and energy efficiency, to improve the operational energy efficiency of houses in Bahrain and similar countries along the Arabian Peninsula.

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 Redefining cost-optimal nZEB levels for new residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 03035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimo Simson ◽  
Endrik Arumägi ◽  
Kalle Kuusk ◽  
Jarek Kurnitski
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Apartment Building ◽  
Detached House

In the member states of the European Union (EU), nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) are becoming mandatory building practice in 2021. It is stated, that nZEB should be cost-optimal and the energy performance levels should be re-defined after every five years. We conducted cost-optimality analyses for two detached houses, one terraced house and one apartment building in Estonia. The analysis consisted on actual construction cost data collection based on bids of variable solutions for building envelope, air tightness, windows, heat supply systems and local renewable energy production options. For energy performance analysis we used dynamic simulation software IDA-ICE. To assess cost-effectiveness, we used Net Present Value (NPV) calculations with the assessment period of 30 years. The results for cost-optimal energy performance level for detached house with heated space of ~100 m2 was 79 kWh/(m2 a), for the larger house (~200 m2) 87 kWh/(m2 a), for terraced house with heated space of ~600 m2 71 kWh/(m2 a) and for the apartment building 103 kWh/(m2 a) of primary energy including all energy use with domestic appliances. Thus, the decrease in cost-optimal level in a five-year period was ~60% for the detached house and ~40% for the apartment building, corresponding to a shift in two EPC classes.

scholarly journals Application of Urban Scale Energy Modelling and Multi-Objective Optimization Techniques for Building Energy Renovation at District Scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11554
Author(s):  
Fahad Haneef ◽  
Giovanni Pernigotto ◽  
Andrea Gasparella ◽  
Jérôme Henri Kämpf
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Multi Objective Optimization ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Efficiency Measures ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Efficiency Measures

Nearly-zero energy buildings are now a standard for new constructions. However, the real challenge for a decarbonized society relies in the renovation of the existing building stock, selecting energy efficiency measures considering not only the energy performance but also the economic and sustainability ones. Even if the literature is full of examples coupling building energy simulation with multi-objective optimization for the identification of the best measures, the adoption of such approaches is still limited for district and urban scale simulation, often because of lack of complete data inputs and high computational requirements. In this research, a new methodology is proposed, combining the detailed geometric characterization of urban simulation tools with the simplification provided by “building archetype” modeling, in order to ensure the development of robust models for the multi-objective optimization of retrofit interventions at district scale. Using CitySim as an urban scale energy modeling tool, a residential district built in the 1990s in Bolzano, Italy, was studied. Different sets of renovation measures for the building envelope and three objectives —i.e., energy, economic and sustainability performances, were compared. Despite energy savings from 29 to 46%, energy efficiency measures applied just to the building envelope were found insufficient to meet the carbon neutrality goals without interventions to the system, in particular considering mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Furthermore, public subsidization has been revealed to be necessary, since none of the proposed measures is able to pay back the initial investment for this case study.

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