Energy Efficiency Regulations Research Articles

Energy management in harvesting enabled sensing nodes: Prediction and control

Energy efficient transmission rate regulation of wireless sensing nodes, is a critical issue when operating in an energy harvesting (EH) enabled environment. In this work, we view the energy management problem as a queue control problem where the objective is to regulate transmission such that the energy level converges to a reference value. We employ a validated non-linear queuing model to derive two non-linear robust throughput controllers. A notable feature of the proposed scheme is its capability of predicting harvest-able energy. The predictions are generated using the proposed Accurate Solar Irradiance prediction Model (ASIM) whose effectiveness in generating accurate both long and short term predictions is demonstrated using real world data. The stability of the proposed controllers is established analytically and the effectiveness of the proposed strategies is demonstrated using simulations conducted on the Network Simulator (NS-3). The proposed policy is successful in guiding the energy level to the reference value, and outperforms the Throughput Optimal (TO) policy in terms of the throughput achieved.

Thermal bridging problems on advanced cladding systems and smart building facades

Double-skin facades (DSFs) are a technology that lies behind innovative energy efficient facade systems. While it provides a potential for high energy efficient buildings, other important parameters, like point thermal bridge problems, are in most cases overlooked. The aim of this study is to investigate the magnitude of this approach and the effect it might has on the overall heat flow estimation in buildings. The study performs a numerical analysis of heat flow through the points where such effects are found, in order to analyse their nature under different design parameters selection like the use of thermal breaks, the substrate wall material, the thermal insulation thickness and the type of anchors used to securely connect both facade skins. The results are then applied to a case-study office building aiming at quantifying the overall contribution of point thermal bridges to heat flows through the building envelope. As the analysis shows, point thermal bridges in well-insulated envelopes have a heat-loss similar to the one from 1 m2 of facade’s wall. The overall effect at DSFs can surpass 25% of total envelope heat flow, leading to a large underestimation of actual heat flows through the building envelope. Overlooking their contribution, as many European national energy efficiency regulations currently do for the shake of simplicity, has a significant effect in widening the gap between predicted and actual energy efficiency of buildings.

Lighting Products Problems of Technical and Legal Regulation of Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency

One of the key problems in the state of the Russian energy sector is the creation of effective energy­saving technologies for both organizations and ordinary consumers. The forecast of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation for the period until 2030, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation, mentions low volumes of energy saving in the sphere of final consumption as one of the threats to Russia’s economic development. In 2009, the Federal Law No. 261­FZ “On Energy Saving and Increasing Energy Efficiency” was adopted. The corresponding Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 961 of September 20, 2014 prescribes the creation of a database on the most effective technologies used in apartment houses, administrative and public buildings. Federal Law No. 184­FZ of December 27, 2002 (as amended on July 29, 2017) “On Technical Regulation” establishes an imperative order, according to which technical and legal regulation in the field of application of energy efficiency requirements, requirements for lighting devices, electric lamps, used for lighting purposes, should be implemented at the level of the federal law approving the relevant normative legal act. However, as of today this federal law has not been adopted. The technical and legal regulation of lighting products is carried out fragmentarily, at the level of national standards. The adoption of a federal law that establishes a technical regulation for lighting products will effectively respond to the challenge outlined in Presidential Decree No. 208 of May 13, 2017 “On the Strategy for Economic Security of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2030” regarding the development of energy­saving technologies and reducing the material consumption.

A novel ship energy efficiency model considering random environmental parameters

Energy efficiency management is becoming increasingly important in the trend towards decarbonisation and intelligentisation of future ships. Establishing a verified energy efficiency model is essential in realising reliable assessment of various energy efficiency strategies. Based on a 53,000-tonne bulk carrier, modelling and verification of a ship’s energy efficiency with consideration of multiple factors is carried out. First, the existing ship’s energy efficiency regulation and its evaluation methods are introduced. Second, the onboard data collection system is introduced with the features of the measured data detailed. A ship energy efficiency model is developed from four main aspects, namely ship energy efficiency operational indicator, ship fuel consumption, ship main engine power, and ship resistance characteristics. Based on the Monte Carlo simulation method and utilising Matlab/Simulink, the energy efficiency model for the selected ship is simulated and measured fuel consumption data is used to verify the model. Finally, the simulation results are presented and discussed. The research results show that the devised model provides good enough accuracy to simulate ship energy efficiency with consideration to cargo loading, ship speed and the random impact of multiple natural environmental parameters. This study not only helps the ship manager assess the projected energy efficiency, but can also provide decision support for the optimisation of ship energy efficiency.

Optimisation of a social housing for south of Brazil: From basic performance standard to passive house concept

The paper aims to discuss the adaptation of a brazilian social housing project to the Passive House standard, by defining the thermal envelope construction fabric for different climates of southern Brazil, from a base line according to the Brazilian performance standard. The study was developed in 4 steps, where a numerical model was set up and runned in a transient regime, using EnergyPlus® software. In the first step, the thermal and energy performance of the reference base model was assessed. In the second step, a sensitivity analysis was performed, varying the thermal envelope parameters of the building case study, in order to satisfy the minimum performance of the classification level A, according to the Brazilian Energy Efficiency Regulation (RTQ-R). In a third step, the external envelope of the building was optimised, through a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. In a last step, the numerical model defined according to the Passive House standard was optimised, in order to obtain optimal solutions. Thermal and energy performance and economic viability of the solutions were analysed. Solutions attending to RTQ-R presented additional investment between 26% and 27% and solutions attending to Passive House standard presented additional costs of 39% and 42% for the three bioclimatic zones.

Experimental Evaluation of Radiant Heating Ceiling Systems Based on Thermal Comfort Criteria

Low-temperature radiant heating systems can be considered as suitable candidates for the refurbishment of old heating systems. These systems are proven to save energy, however, their drawback is their impact on the creation of radiant temperature asymmetry and local thermal discomfort, especially in old buildings where the temperatures of surfaces (for example external walls with a low level of insulation and large windows) are low. This study aims to evaluate the potential application of low-temperature radiant ceiling heating systems (28–38 °C) in old and energy-renovated buildings, based on subjective experiments and thermal comfort criteria such as thermal sensation, comfort, satisfaction, and sensation asymmetry votes. Later, in the Discussion section, the guideline for the radiant temperature asymmetry for the warm ceiling presented in ASHRAE Standard-55 is corrected for relatively low air temperatures and different surface temperatures corresponding to “about neutral” conditions for winter clothing. Findings of this research show that the radiant ceiling heating system operating at low temperatures (33–38 °C) can provide fairly neutral thermal sensation and satisfactory comfort at the majority of body-parts, if the building envelope satisfies advanced building energy-efficiency regulations. Additionally, the experimental analyses imply that limitation of 5% suggested by ASHRAE-55 for the percentage of dissatisfied occupants feeling uncomfortable due to overhead radiation can be elevated to 10%.

Comparative Analysis of Boiler Energy Efficiency Regulation System

Industrial boilers are increasingly used with the rapid economic development of our country, with both energy consumption and pollutant emissions ranking second in national industry sector, second only to utility boilers; their coal consumption is far higher than high energy-consuming steel, petrochemical and building material industry sectors, and their pollutant emissions caused to national key cities have exceeded that of utility boilers. In this paper, we focused on the merits and demerits of China’s industrial boiler energy efficiency indicator standards and make suggestions for improvement, specially, China industry boilers energy efficiency standards and regulation. We really think it will great promote China industry boilers energy efficiency progress.

Relevance of Embodied Energy and Carbon Emissions on Assessing Cost Effectiveness in Building Renovation—Contribution from the Analysis of Case Studies in Six European Countries

The construction sector is facing increasingly strict energy efficiency regulations. Existing buildings have specific technical, functional and economic constraints, which, in fulfilling regulations, could lead to costly and complex renovation procedures and also lead to missed opportunities for improving their energy performance. In this article, the methodology for comparing cost-optimality in building renovations, developed in the International Energy Agency (IEA)–Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Annex 56 project, is extended with a life cycle assessment by including embodied primary energy and carbon emissions in the calculations. The objective is to understand the relevance of embodied energy and carbon emissions in the evaluation of the cost effectiveness of building renovation solutions towards nearly zero energy buildings, as well as the effect of the embodied values in the achievable carbon emissions and primary energy reductions expected in an energy renovation. Results from six case studies, representative of different regions in Europe, suggest that embodied values of energy and carbon emissions have a decreasing effect—ranging from 2 to 32%—on the potential reductions of energy and emissions that can be achieved with renovation measures in buildings. In addition, the consideration of the embodied energy and carbon emissions does not affect the ranking of the renovation packages.

Economics and Ecology Symbiosis: Transition to Principles of Best Available Techniques

The paper presents the successful introduction of BAT depends greatly on the balance of legislation in whole, which takes into account different aspects of state regulation and promotion of energy efficiency in the industrial complex as well as close link of technological, energetic and ecological indicators of efficiency and non-wastefulness.

Study on Energy Efficiency Regulations and Standards for LED Lighting Products in China

This paper analyzes the energy saving certification system for LED lighting products, government procurement system for efficient lighting products, energy efficiency “Top Runner” system for lighting products and other energy efficiency policies and regulations in China; introduces the index system and main content of energy efficiency standards for LED lighting products in China, analyzes the implementation of energy efficiency labeling system for non-directional self-ballasted LED lamps, and provides recommended values for energy efficiency indexes of all grades; and puts forward the suggestions that the focus of energy efficiency standards for LED lighting products in China should be shifted from products to systems and a comprehensive evaluation system and technical standards for efficient, high-quality, green lighting products should be established.

Meeting the Brazilian Energy Efficiency Law: A flexible and interactive multicriteria proposal to replace non-efficient motors

In Brazil, industries consume approximately 40% of all national electrical power, and the complexity of the industrial energy system demands an appropriate energy management. Moreover, industries need suitable tools to support their strategies to meet energy efficiency regulations and promote energy gains. Through a case study, this paper proposes a multicriteria model based on the FITradeoff procedure to support a motor replacement problem in a chemical industry, in order to build a replacement plan to meet the minimum energy performance standards established by the Brazilian Energy Efficiency Law. This interactive model requires less cognitive effort from the decision-maker in comparison to the traditional tradeoff procedure, avoiding a tedious and long decision process. In addition, this model deals with the data inaccuracy through a sensitivity analysis thereby providing more robust results. After building the replacement plan, an energy performance analysis has been drawn up to evaluate the benefits of using a multicriteria decision tool to address the motor replacement problem.

A New Demand-Supply Model to Enable Sustainability in New Australian Housing

Sustainability implementation in new housing in Australia lags much of the developed world’s standards and implementation levels for residential sustainability. Various reasons for this are offered via a ‘blame game’ in a sector plagued by lack of demand, prohibitive costs, and poorly implemented existing energy efficiency regulations. Multiple gaps in traditional supply-led procurement theory inhibits sustainability’s implementation in the Australian mass production residential construction system. Once-off consumers are not the key demand actor due to their inability to demand sustainability in a system that limits consumers’ choice and demand. Warren-Myers and Heywood (2016) theorized that the mass-producing Volume Builders are the pivotal demand-side actor in mainstreaming sustainability in the Australian new housing system. This paper investigated the Volume Builders’ roles and relationships with traditional demand-side actors, housing consumers, and the supply-side’s subcontractors and suppliers, to identify the ultimate demand actor that drives the housing industry. The investigation used semi-structured interviews with Volume Builders. The results demonstrated Volume Builders’ dominance of the Australian residential mass production construction industry validating their pivotal role as a demand-side actor in a consumption-based demand and supply model. This identifies Volume Builders as the key actor who could then drive wide-spread adoption of sustainability innovation in Australian mass-produced housing.

Hydraulic balancing strategies: A case study of radiator-based central heating system

With energy efficiency regulations coming into force, the retrofitting of existing plants has become mandatory in many European countries. The application of thermostatic radiator valves is a cheap, effective solution in case of radiator-based hydronic plants, but it requires the distribution system to be re-engineered and, in some situations, further adjusting devices to be added. In this paper, the behaviour of a vertical distribution heating system has been simulated with the aim of analysing the outcome of different hydraulic balancing strategies and proposing a method to identify the most suitable option. The common problem of noisy valves has been examined and the cost impact of the different solutions has also been considered. Practical application: This paper applies simple calculation tools to explore the impact of different balancing solutions to a real building, using an approach that could valuably assist the practitioner in the decision process.

Study on Chinese and U.S. Energy Efficiency Regulations and Standards for Efficient Lighting Products

We have analyzed Chinese and U.S. Energy efficiency policies, regulations and standards for LED and other efficient lighting products. The similarities and differences of the lighting products between the two countries in the energy efficiency policies and technical indexes were contrasted and analyzed. Accordingly, we have put forward the recommendations for improving China's efficient lighting standards system as well as establishing and implementing the effective labelling and certification programs of efficient lighting products.

Energy efficiency of housing as a tool for sustainable development

The paper aims to determine the role of energy efficiency of buildings to achieve sustainable development goals. The study objects are the mechanisms, tools and principles of state regulation of energy efficiency, construction of buildings and houses, the green economy development. The materials and methods of the study are data information on energy efficiency principles in the EU and Russia, government programs in the im-plementation of mechanisms and approaches for the green economy development, as well as methods of comparative and system analysis. The authors conclude on the need for further development of the principles of energy efficiency and resource conservation, the importance of sustainable development in order to ensure a high standard of living of the population.

Energy refurbishment of public buildings under cultural heritage protection in Serbia: Constraints and potentials

By harmonizing national legislation to European codes concerning energy efficiency in building sector, Serbia took commitment to improve energy efficiency of national government buildings. Following the Directive 2012/27/EU principles, refurbishment of this part of building stock is recognized as a leading example in long-therm process of applying energy efficiency regulations at national level. Initial steps in implementation of adopted energy efficiency principles were made in Serbia during 2015, when first energy certificates for three most valuable buildings of national authorities (Government building, The National Assembly, and the Palace of Serbia) were issued. This paper will present results obtained during energy-assessment and energy-certification process of this particular buildings, showing at the same time their specificity, that pretty much traces possible category and range of proposed energy refurbishment scenarios.

Transient and persistent energy efficiency in the US residential sector: evidence from household-level data

In this paper, we measure the energy efficiency implicit in residential energy consumption using a panel dataset comprised of 40,246 observations from US households observed over 1997–2009. We fit a stochastic frontier model of the minimum input of energy needed to meet the level of energy services demanded by the household. This benchmarking exercise produces a transient and a persistent efficiency index for each household and each time period. We estimate that the US residential sector could save approximately 10% of its total energy consumption if it reduced persistent inefficiencies and 17% if it were possible to eliminate transient inefficiencies. These figures are in line with recent economy-wide assessments for the USA. Our results suggest that savings in energy use and associated emissions of greenhouse gases may benefit from both policy measures that attain short-run behavioral changes (e.g., nudges, social norms, display of real-time information about usage, and real-time pricing) as well measures aimed at the long run, such as energy-efficiency regulations, incentives on the purchase of high-efficiency equipment, and incentives towards a change of habits in the use of the equipment.

Towards improving energy efficiency regulations of bulk carriers

The introduction of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) caused an upsurge in activities for increasing the energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions of new vessel designs. However, application of the EEDI is not expected to further advance future design improvements partly owing to the fact the majority of the new buildings already comply with EEDI requirements and particularly since EEDI only considers a single operating point. In addition, the EEDI does not effectively assess a realistic improvement of measures for increasing the ship operating energy efficiency as they can be quite effective in the considered operating point for the EEDI but their performance greatly varies in the real operating conditions. In this study, a more realistic definition of the EEDI is proposed, which is based on a number of representative vessel operating points. The application of the proposed approach for the case of bulk carriers is investigated and the results are discussed in order to reveal its advantages against the currently used approach. The proposed approach can be employed by IMO for improving the energy efficiency regulatory framework.

Study on Laws, Regulations and Standards on Energy Efficiency, Energy Conserving and Emission Reduction of Industrial Boilers in EU

Industrial boilers are widely applied in such fields as factory power, building heating, and people’s lives; China is the world’s largest producer and user of industrial boilers, with very high annual energy consumption; clear requirements have been put forward by China on the energy efficiency since the “11th Five-year Plan” with the hope to save energy and reduce emission by means of energy efficiency standards and regulations on the supervision and control of various special equipment. So far, the energy efficiency of industrial boilers in China has been improved significantly but there is still a gap with the EU states. This paper analyzes the policies of energy efficiency, implementation models and methods of supervision and implementation at the EU level from laws, regulations, directives as well as standards; the paper also puts forward suggestions of energy conserving and emission reduction on the improvement of energy conserving capacity of industrial boilers in China through studying the legislations and measures of the developed countries in energy conserving of boilers.

Analysis on effects of energy efficiency regulations & standards for industrial boilers in China**Support by Project 2015424050 of Special Fund for quality control Research in the Public Interest

The industrial boilers in China are featured by large quantity, wide distribution, high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution, which are key problems faced by energy conservation and environmental protection in China. Meanwhile, industrial boilers are important equipment for national economy and people’s daily life, and energy conservation gets through all segments from type selection, purchase, installation and acceptance to fuel management, operation, maintenance and service. China began to implement such national mandatory standards and regulations for industrial boiler as GB24500-2009 The Minimum Allowable Values of Energy Efficiency and Energy Efficiency Grades of Industrial Boilers and TSG G002-2010 Supervision Regulation on Energy-Saving Technology for Boilers since 2009, which obviously promote the development of energy conservation of industrial boilers, but there are also some problems with the rapid development of technologies for energy conservation of industrial boilers. In this paper, the implementation of energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers in China and the significance are analyzed based on survey data, and some suggestions are proposed for the energy efficiency standards for industrial boilers.