Energy-saving Options Research Articles

An Assessment Tool for Energy Audit of Buildings in Jordan Using Simulation

In developed nations, there's a growing concern for sustainable energy management, particularly regarding enhancing energy efficiency in both existing and new buildings. The methodology presented considers the energy modelling and simulation of manufacturing buildings through thermal and electrical loads calculations using Dymola/Modelica software. The thermal model is built with the primary components of Dymola along with available models to calculate the heating and cooling loads, whereas the electrical model was calculated using consumption patterns, then the total model was validated against real measurements where the error percentage was 9.96 %. The yearly heating load baseline was 6295 kWh/y and for cooling 46276 kWh/y., the exciting potential for energy- savings and load flexibility, and some suggestions for improving consumption were pointed out and identified. It found that the highest influence on the thermal load reduction was using the double glaze with shading with 61% of the energy-saving options, then replacing the fluorescent with LED with 30%, and finally, the roof insulation was the least influence with 9.5%. For the total consumption, the highest percentage was for replacing the fluorescent with LED with 78% of energy-saving options, then double glaze with shading, and finally the lowest is for the roof insulation.

Financial and prosocial incentives promote pro-environmental behavior in a consequential laboratory task

Incentives are a popular tool for fostering pro-environmental behavior. However, it is still largely unknown which types of incentives are most effective during incentive implementation and beyond incentive discontinuation. One likely reason for this is that incentives are often tested in noisy field settings where controlled comparisons and longitudinal assessments are difficult. In this study, we address this limitation by studying incentive effects on consequential pro-environmental behavior in the laboratory. In a preregistered experiment, N = 238 participants were repeatedly given the choice to save actual energy at a real waiting-time cost in the Pro-Environmental Behavior Task (PEBT). Incentivizing the energy-saving option with a 5-cent bonus payment led to a significant increase in pro-environmental behavior compared to a no-incentive control group (d = 0.68). Incentivizing the energy-saving option with a 5-cent donation to charity had a smaller, but still significant effect (d = 0.28). The difference between the incentive conditions was also significant (d = 0.41). Group differences disappeared in a follow-up experimental session that was completed without incentives. These data illustrate the (temporally limited) effectiveness of financial and prosocial incentives and the possibility of studying incentive effects on actual pro-environmental behavior in the laboratory.

Transformation of existing inefficient buildings into nearly zero-emission buildings – A case study of a residential building from the Czech Republic

This article presents a case study focusing on the conversion of an existing typical residential building in the Czech Republic into a near-zero emission building. Five parameters were compared in the study: average heat transfer, coefficient of the building envelope, non-renewable primary energy, energy requirements for heating, total energy supplied, and carbon dioxide emissions. A total of five energy-saving options were developed for the building, covering the building envelope and building services. The study was conducted considering two separate heat sources for heating and domestic hot water. The evaluation was carried out for a scenario involving a heat pump, and a district heating system.

Cranio-cervical and traumatic brain injury patterns-do they differ between electric bicycle, bicycle, and motorcycle-induced accidents?

With the growing technical options of power transmission and energy-saving options in electric drives, the number of E-bike-related accidents especially in an elderly population has increased. The aim of the current study was to compare if the increased velocity in comparison to conventional bikes translates into different injury patterns in the cranio-cervical and head region. A retrospective cohort study was performed in patients admitted to our level one trauma center between 2009 and 2019 after being involved in an accident with either an E-bike, bicycle, or motorcycle and suffered cranio-cervical or traumatic brain injury. cranio-cervical/intracranial injury pattern. Data interpretation was conducted in an interdisciplinary approach. From 3292 patients treated in this period, we included 1068 patients. E-bikers were significantly older than bicyclists (or motorcyclists) and lay between the other two groups in terms of helmet use. Overall injury patterns of E-bikers resembled those found in motorcyclists rather than in bicyclists. E-bikers had a higher incidence of different cerebral bleedings, especially if no helmet was worn. Helmet protection of E-bikers resulted in a comparable frequency of intracranial bleeding to the helmeted bicyclists. The overall pattern of head and cervical injuries in E-bikers resembles more to that of motorcyclists than that of bicyclists. As they are used by a more senior population, multiple risk factors apply in terms of complications and secondary intracranial bleeding. Our study suggests that preventive measures should be reinforced, i.e., use of helmets to prevent from intracranial injury.

Retracted: Deep learning-based energy inefficiency detection in the smart buildings

The operation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is essential for the indoor thermal environment and is significant for energy consumers in commercial properties. Although earlier studies suggested that reinforcement learning controls could increase HVAC energy savings, they lacked sufficient details regarding end-to-end management. Recently, the focus on gathering and analyzing data from smart meters and buildings connected to energy-saving studies has increased. Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) suggests novel methods for operating HVAC systems and lowering energy usage. This paper evaluates energy consumption by Convolution Recurrent Neural Networks (CRNN), and Deep Reinforcement Learning is used. This is intended to forecast energy use under various climatic circumstances, and the processes are assessed under different communication protocols. The suggested control technique might directly accept quantitative elements, such as climate and indoor air quality conditions, as input and control indoor thermal set - points at a supervisory level by utilizing the deep neural network. In a highly effective office area in the Houston area, time series data, CRNN, and DRL are effectively used to uncover new energy-saving options (TX, USA). The article presents 1-year information from the Net Zero, Energy Star, and Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)-certified building, demonstrating a potential energy savings of 8% with the presented design. The findings demonstrate how useful the suggested strategy is in assisting building owners in locating new potential for energy conservation.

Import competition and energy efficiency: Firms' responses to the WTO accession in China

This paper investigates the impact of import competition on energy efficiency among firms in China. Using a difference-in-differences approach that exploits industry- and firm-level tariff reductions following China's accession to the WTO, we examine the effects of reduced output tariffs on coal intensity, measured as coal use per output, of Chinese manufacturing firms. Our findings indicate that higher levels of import competition lead to significant reductions in coal intensity, without negatively affecting firm production levels. We also find evidence that these effects are primarily driven by multi-product firms adjusting their product mix to prioritize energy-saving options.

Energy and CO2 abatement costs potential in Maltese households

The paper presents a case study home in an 1870s three-story residential setting of around 80m2 footprint in Malta. The home is indicative of many other houses on the estate that are difficult to sell or rent owing to their age, construction, and lack of care. There are 153,100 inhabited houses in Malta, and their energy usage accounts for 30% of CO2 emissions. In addition, over 70,000 are uninhabited. Three-quarters of all inhabited dwellings will still be in use by 2050 with a goal of above 90% CO2 reduction. Various energy-saving options are examined using a techno-economic evaluation methodology, including upgraded lighting equipment and appliances, photovoltaics, wind turbines, and energy storage. Based on yearly estimates, the findings indicate the kWh reduced and its cost by each proposed measure over a 25-year timeframe.

Thermal performance of a window shutter with a phase change material as a passive system for buildings in warm and cold climates of México

This paper shows the thermal performance of a window system with a shading cover made out of a phase change material (window-PCM shutter). The analysis was the numerical study where conjugated heat transfer was considered on the whole system window-PCM shutter. The modeling was conducted under warm (Merida) and cold weather (Toluca) conditions in México for the warmest and coldest day. Two different phase change materials (PCMs) were selected for the study: Paraffin wax - MG29 and n-octadecane. The results show that the n-octadecane and the MG29 were capable of keeping the inside comfort temperature for 14:35 and 16:23 h, respectively.The n-octadecane and MG29 reduced the energy of the window-PCM shutter inside surface by 67.3 and 71.6%, respectively, compared to a conventional window. Under cold weather conditions also occurred reductions of heat fluxes by 87.2 (n-octadecane) and 83% (MG29) with the window-PCM shutter system compared to a conventional window, causing non-comfort temperatures. The use of a window-PCM shutter is highly recommended under warm weather conditions, given that it showed to be a viable option for energy savings in buildings; however, for its implementation under cold weather conditions of México, it becomes necessary further investigations with other PCMs.

Advances in the Study of Phase Change Materials and Ne-PCMs for the Storage of Energy Applications

Phase change materials with nanoparticles that are used to store passive latent heat are proving of utmost importance to the present technology, because of their usage in wide applications right from domestic applications to space technologies. It is attracting the focus of all researchers because energy saving that to renewable energy saving such as solar energy is the biggest demand of the twenty-second century. As fossil fuel storage is getting depleted and is harming the environment, energy demand is increasing, and focusing on renewable energy storage becomes an important task in every application. The present paper focuses on various applications and recent trends of the phase change material. Later the properties of Phase Change materials are being studied. Though the PCMs are proving to be the best option as compared to other energy-saving options such as using solar concentrators, or using fins, solely using pure PCMs is not giving satisfactory results. Hence to improve the thermal properties of PCMs research is being done on the characterization of PCM through the addition of nanoparticles. This article aims at the various combinations and options of PCM and nanoparticles for different applications which give the best result.

Research on a New Type of Polar Icebreaking Guide Ship based on MATLAB

Polar regions are rich in natural resources and have valuable scientific research value. In recent years, with the deepening of polar exploration and the development of marine resources in the frigid zone, the development of icebreakers, as an important marine equipment in polar rescue, channel opening, and material supply, has attracted more and more attention and attention from various countries. Aiming at the current common icebreakers and icebreaking methods, through theoretical research and simulation analysis, the author designs a polar icebreaking guide ship with a new icebreaking method. While adjusting the ice breaking device in real time according to the thickness of the ice layer, according to the forward and inverse solution algorithm for the motion planning of the robot arm, the precise control of the ice breaking robot arm is completed, and the purpose of energy saving and emission reduction is achieved at the same time. Provide more intelligent and energy-saving options for the construction and development of icebreaker equipment in my country.

Pricing strategy for household energy-saving option (HESO): A novel option-based intervention for promoting household energy efficiency

Household energy-saving interventions are essential in reducing energy consumption in residential buildings. One of the effective interventions is Household Energy-Saving Option (HESO). However, the pricing strategy of this innovative intervention has not been explored. This study aims to establish a feasible valuation strategy for HESO to facilitate the application of market-based energy-saving interventions among households. This study first provides a pricing strategy of HESO from a market zero-profit perspective. It continues by developing a price cap and floor for HESO's market price. The theoretical pricing model was validated by a field experiment consisting of two-tiered HESO trading among 67 households in Singapore. The results revealed decisive implications for both environmental policymakers and HESO suppliers. Policymakers are suggested to launch HESO in countries or regions with stable and relatively high electricity prices and low discount rates. HESO suppliers may choose to adjust rewards and duration accordingly when the market price deviates from the zero-profit equilibrium price of HESO. The valuation strategy of HESO also helps quantitative estimation of households' perceived value of HESO.

Energy efficiency and thermal insulation code violations for residential buildings in Jordan and the role of social advocacy campaigns

Compared to developed countries, developing countries' building codes are less enforceable for energy efficiency and minimum acceptable thermal insulation levels for building envelopes particularly. What leads to stronger compliance with such requirements is advancing not just policies, regulations, and enabling markets but also supportive non-governmental advocacy campaigns. The aim of such advocacies is raising awareness of overlooked energy-saving options in buildings and highlighting to policy-makers potential energy-efficiency and thermal-insulation codes' violations. This study presents a model research-based, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)-led advocacy supported by human rights defense-oriented tactics. It advocated for the overlooked right of the residents of Jordan in thermally-insulated housing and mitigating longtime walls' moisture, mold, thermal discomfort, and high energy bills. It is structured on a thoughtful, occupants-centered survey of 500 apartment buildings in the capital city, Amman. Aided by a ground-truthing Infrared thermography, we estimated the true percentage of the thermally-insulated units, which surprisingly amounted only 5.8 %, and documented evidence of high level of thermal-insulation code violation. Consequently, an investigative survey of roles and responsibilities of involved building sector's stakeholders, to identify root causes of code-enforcement failures, was systematically conducted. Based on findings of the two surveys, the social advocacy was launched to raise awareness and campaign for this violated “technical right”, targeting regulatory entities to enact the legal and procedural rectifications needed. Consequently, this science-based, SCOs-led advocacy induced legal changes in the building-codes' enforcement framework, which promotes involvement of SCOs in the national energy efficiency and sustainable development agenda.

Thermodynamics-Kinetics-Balanced Metal-Organic Framework for In-Depth Radon Removal under Ambient Conditions.

Radon (Rn), a ubiquitous radioactive noble gas, is the main source of natural radiation to human and one of the major culprits for lung cancer. Reducing ambient Rn concentration by porous materials is considered as the most feasible and energy-saving option to lower this risk, but the in-depth Rn removal under ambient conditions remains an unresolved challenge, mainly due to the weak van der Waals (vdW) interaction between inert Rn and adsorbents and the extremely low partial pressure (<1.8 × 10-14 bar, <106 Bq/m3) of Rn in air. Adsorbents having either favorable adsorption thermodynamics or feasible diffusion kinetics perform poorly in in-depth Rn removal. Herein, we report the discovery of a metal-organic framework (ZIF-7-Im) for efficient Rn capture guided by computational screening and modeling. The size-matched pores in ZIF-7-Im abide by the thermodynamically favorable principle and the exquisitely engineered quasi-open apertures allow for feasible kinetics with little sacrifice of sorption thermodynamics. The as-prepared material can reduce the Rn concentration from hazardous levels to that below the detection limit of the Rn detector under ambient conditions, with an improvement of at least two orders of amplitude on the removal depth compared to the currently best-performing and only commercialized material activated charcoal.

Investigating the Environmental and the Energy Saving Behavior among School Principals through Classification Algorithms

Buildings are a significant energy consumption point since they account for 40% of the total energy demand and around 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-saving measures applied in the residential sector have led to a reduction in energy consumption during the last decade. On the contrary, such measures have not been widely applied in school buildings, although education is the second-largest energy consumer in the service sector. This paper aims to assess school principals' perceptions concerning energy saving and the environment since they are responsible for promoting energy-saving measures and investments and inspiring students and school personnel towards environmentally friendly behavior. Using survey data from Greek schools, we applied predictive classification models to locate the most critical variables that drive principals' perceptions of energy upgrading and energy-saving actions at school. Results revealed that the positive environmental perceptions of principals, the level of knowledge on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and the active energy-saving behavior are related to energy-saving actions and energy upgrading in school environment. Furthermore, the creation of more RES oriented courses is related to positive energy-saving behavior and actions. Thus, emphasis should be put on educating and informing the school principals concerning RES technologies and energy-saving options since they are critical players in applying energy-saving measures in school buildings

Pricing Strategy for Household Energy-Saving Option (Heso): A Novel Option-Based Intervention for Promoting Household Energy Efficiency

Pricing Strategy for Household Energy-Saving Option (Heso): A Novel Option-Based Intervention for Promoting Household Energy Efficiency

Households’ acceptance analysis of a marketized behavioral intervention - Household energy-saving option

As the residential building sector is a significant contributor to global energy consumption, new energy-saving interventions have emerged, including the innovative market-based intervention – Household Energy-saving Option (HESO). This study is one of the first studies investigating the influencing factors of tenants' adoption intention of HESO from the psychological perspective. Through conducting surveys in 311 public housing units in Singapore, the psychological attributes influencing households’ adoption intention of HESO were identified. The results showed that perceived value is the dominant direct contributor (β = 0.715) to the adoption intention. Specifically, by further decomposition of perceived value, perceived usefulness has been proved to be the strongest contributor of the perceived value, with the influencing power of 0.416. Moreover, a negative moderating effect (β = −0.079) of perceived risks on the relationship between perceived value and adoption intention was examined. The findings provided decisive insights for policymakers to facilitate market-based energy-saving interventions at the neighborhood level, thus contributing to achieving successful energy efficiency solutions.

Interconnect-Free Multibit Arithmetic and Logic Unit in a Single Reconfigurable 3 μm2 Plasmonic Cavity.

Processing information with conventional integrated circuits remains beset by the interconnect bottleneck: circuits made of smaller active devices need longer and narrower interconnects, which have become the prime source of power dissipation and clock rate saturation. Optical interchip communication provides a fast and energy-saving option that still misses a generic on-chip optical information processing by interconnect-free and reconfigurable Boolean arithmetic logic units (ALU). Considering metal plasmons as a platform with dual optical and electronic compatibilities, we forge interconnect-free, ultracompact plasmonic Boolean logic gates and reconfigure them, at will, into computing ALU without any redesign nor cascaded circuitry. We tailor the plasmon mode landscape of a single 2.6 μm2 planar gold cavity and demonstrate the operation and facile reconfiguration of all 2-input logic gates. The potential for higher complexity of the same logic unit is shown by a multi-input excitation and a phase control to realize an arithmetic 2-bit adder.

Energy efficiency comparison between a conventional tray column and a novel heat-intensified thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit: an assessment for mixtures with different relative volatilities

An energy performance comparison between a novel thermosyphon-assisted falling film distillation unit and a conventional tray unit was carried out for three mixtures with different relative volatilities: ethanol-water, acetone-isopropanol, and acetone-water. Experimental data from the pilot-scale plant were used as targets in the simulation runs through the Hysys® software. Thus, the separation performed in the falling film unit was reproduced in a conventional tray column. The thermosyphon-assisted falling film unit required less energy, with reductions of 24% for acetone-isopropanol, 30% for ethanol-water, and 55% for the acetone-water mixture. The energy-use ratio also showed that for each kW consumed in the falling film unit, the conventional unit would consume 1.33 kW for acetone-isopropanol, 1.44 kW for ethanol-water, and 2.21 kW for acetone-water, based in the same separation. Therefore, this novel distillation apparatus is more advantageous as an energy-saving viable option for separating mixtures with different relative volatilities.

PENERAPAN BUILDING PERFORMANCE SEBAGAI USAHA MENCIPTAKAN KENYAMANAN TERMAL

Indonesia is a large and rich country, predicted to be number 6th in the world economy by 2023. This is of course followed by the development of business sectors in the country, especially creative industries including the architectural design industry. The growing competition in the world of architecture with the number of firms that have sprung up has encouraged business performer in search for “added value” that can make their services receive more attention from the public. One thing that is appealing is green architecture, especially building performance that offers environmental friendly and energy-saving options. Aspects of concern in building performance include energy efficiency itself, productivity, and comfort. For many people energy efficiency is often associated with retrenchment, that reduce comfort, one of which is thermal comfort. In fact, building performance works simultaneously. Considering 3 aspects that concern the building performance, one of them is comfort, thermal comfort is one of the concerns. In fact, many building performance strategies can be offered and applied to architectural designs that improve heat management, especially heat loss such as shade and ventilation / ventilation that can handle this. With the right strategy, it is not only the energy savings we get, the comfort of the residents themselves can be maintained.

Exploring the Influencing Paths of Behavior-driven Household Energy-saving Intervention – Household Energy Saving Option (HESO)

Given the rapid increase of residential energy consumption worldwide, promoting energy-saving behaviors in residential buildings is essential. To address this issue, this research provides an assessment of the impact of — Household Energy-Saving Option (HESO), an innovative intervention to promote energy conservation, on household energy-saving behaviors. The proposed research model was tested using 101 valid questionnaires from households in Singapore. The results indicate that HESO effectively encouraged household energy-saving behaviors. The determinants of the energy-saving intention and behaviors under the influence of HESO were further investigated from the perspective of behavioral theories by structural-equation modelling. The results showed that personal norm had the strongest influence of 0.692 on households’ energy saving behavioral intention. In addition, perceived behavioral control was not only responsible for the behavioral intention by 0.399 but also associated with the energy-saving behaviors by 0.477. Individuals’ risk preference negatively moderated the relationship between personal norm and behavioral intention, and the relationship between perceived behavioral control and energy-saving behaviors, respectively. This study contributes to the literature by providing an understanding of the effectiveness and influencing paths of HESO on household energy-saving behaviors. The findings yield decisive implications for implementing HESO into communities to reduce household energy consumption.