Provision Of Energy Efficiency Research Articles

An Australian climate-based characterization of hygrothermal risks for buildings

Moisture-related issues in buildings can accelerate the decay of building materials and increase occurrence of mould, resulting in significant economic and health implications. Transient hygrothermal risks assessment proved to be the most reliable approach, yet its application at early design stages is impeded by the high number of assumptions, input and skills required to be robustly applied. Climate-based indicators can assist in determining effective prevention design strategies based on the magnitude of the potential hygrothermal risks. However, in Australia, the National Construction Code relies on a climate zoning originally developed for thermal and energy efficiency provisions, clustering locations that present different moisture profiles. This paper investigates the suitability of the existing climate zones for hygrothermal risk indications by calculating the moisture index for several representative cites across Australia. Results reveal the current climate mapping to be unsuitable and too coarse to reliably provide robust indications for moisture management. Further, a new characterization of Australian climates for hygrothermal assessment purposes is proposed as a first step towards a better representation of moisture risks within the building code.

Look-ahead energy efficient VM allocation approach for data centers

Energy efficiency is an important issue for reducing environmental dissipation. Energy efficient resource provisioning in cloud environments is a challenging problem because of its dynamic nature and varied application workload characteristics. In the literature, live migration of virtual machines (VMs) among servers is commonly proposed to reduce energy consumption and to optimize resource usage, although it comes with essential drawbacks, such as migration cost and performance degradation. Energy efficient provisioning is addressed at the data center level in this research. A novel efficient resource management algorithm for virtualized data centers that optimizes the number of servers to meet the requirements of dynamic workloads without migration is proposed in this paper. The proposed approach, named Look-ahead Energy Efficient VM Allocation (LAA), contains a Holt Winters-based prediction module. Energy efficiency and performance are inversely proportional. The energy-performance trade-off relies on periodic comparisons of the predicted and active numbers of servers. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, experiments are conducted with real-world workload traces from Google Cluster. LAA is compared with the best approach provided by CloudSim based on VM migration called Local Regression-Minimum Migration Time (LR-MMT). The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm leads to a consumption reduction of up to 45% to complete one workload compared with the LR-MMT.

A climate-based moisture index approach for hygrothermal analysis in Australia

In Australia, one-third of new constructions are affected by condensation and about 50% of buildings suffer from mould risk, mainly due to inappropriate design and management strategies. Despite the potential structural damage and serious health hazards, there is a lack of preventive moisture management strategies at the legislative level. The first hygrothermal management provisions were adopted in the National Construction Code only in 2019, with very general indications that correlate the breathability of the membranes with the climate zone. However, the building code identifies only eight zones for the entire Australia, which were originally developed for thermal analysis and energy efficiency provisions. The result is a coarse climate grid that clusters locations with highly variable humidity conditions. This paper undertakes a semi-empirical approach to identify whether the current climate zones are suitable for hygrothermal purposes. This research represents the first step towards an Australian-specific moisture risks management framework, and it advances the discussion about the suitability of the current hygrothermal design and construction policy and practices. The outcomes reveal the highly variable moisture indices obtained for the different representative cities, affirming the inappropriate use of existing climate zone clustering for hygrothermal assessment purposes.

State-of-the-Art Technologies for Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Systems

Advances in building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems for residential and commercial purposes are set to minimize overall energy requirements and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The BIPV design considerations entail energy infrastructure, pertinent renewable energy sources, and energy efficiency provisions. In this work, the performance of roof/façade-based BIPV systems and the affecting parameters on cooling/heating loads of buildings are reviewed. Moreover, this work provides an overview of different categories of BIPV, presenting the recent developments and sufficient references, and supporting more successful implementations of BIPV for various globe zones. A number of available technologies decide the best selections, and make easy configuration of the BIPV, avoiding any difficulties, and allowing flexibility of design in order to adapt to local environmental conditions, and are adequate to important considerations, such as building codes, building structures and loads, architectural components, replacement and maintenance, energy resources, and all associated expenditure. The passive and active effects of both air-based and water-based BIPV systems have great effects on the cooling and heating loads and thermal comfort and, hence, on the electricity consumption.

An increasing resistance to increasing resistivity

ABSTRACT Ever since energy efficiency provisions were introduced into the National Construction Code in 2003, there have been increased requirements for energy-efficient measures with each iteration of the code, particularly around insulation. This is based on the often-repeated objective of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions in the light of climate change. However, there is limited evidence whether the code achieved its stated objectives and whether these will continue to be suited to a changing climate. In fact, there is evidence that the intended and achieved goals are substantially different. This paper is a critical essay, set in the context of the Australian Building Codes Board's scoping study into "Energy efficient measures for 2022 and beyond", and makes the case that current insulation requirements are already excessive against considerations that should be made, as a higher priority, for fire safety, thermal bridging, condensation, heat stress resilience and thermal comfort.

Ensuring Energy Efficiency Of Air Permeability Of Interfloor Ceilings In The Sections Of Nodal Connections

This research paper discusses the provision of energy efficiency for air permeability of interfloor ceilings in the sections of nodal connections. Resistance to air permeability is the possibility of using the proposed method of device thermal liners, which accordingly increase the durability of the building.

Ensuring energy efficiency at pharmaceutical enterprises in the paradigm of reducing the technogenic load on the environment

In this paper, the approaches to optimizing the environmental management system at pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises and the environmental policy of pharmaceutical corporations in general were proposed. In the course of the study, it has turned out that the indicators of the negative impact on the environment as a result of the economic activities of industrial pharmaceutical enterprises do not take into account all the specific features of technological processes. At modern pharmaceutical enterprises, direct environmental risks are minimized at working areas and, in fact, their assessment is replaced by the calculation of barrier and isolation measures, which is in the competence of calculating sanitary and epidemiological risks only for employees of enterprises. In the course of pre-design, design work and the creation of pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises, owing to the requirements and mandatory application of GxP, in fact, the negative impact on the environment at the enterprise itself within the boundaries of its sanitary zone is reduced to zero. However, a number of questions remain to be resolved, including how and to what extent a pharmaceutical business entity, in the course of its activities, causes a negative impact on the environment outside its location.
 With this article, we begin series of publications of the results of our research in the direction of multilateral analysis of environmental risks in pharmaceutical organizations of different profiles and groups of pharmaceutical companies, united into separate corporate companies.
 Compared to those approaches to assessing environmental risks as a result of the activities of pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises, which are mainly focused on meeting the GxP requirements and relate to the quality of manufactured pharmaceutical products, we propose to take into account information with an emphasis, inter alia, on the energy saving policy of the Russian pharmaceutical industry.
 The main goal of an integrated approach to the development of environmental policy and environmental management system in the pharmaceutical industry is for the management of manufacturing enterprises to comprehensively monitor and assess all environmental risks and energy conservation, in particular, taking into account the provision of energy efficiency to reduce the negative impact on the environment.

ЭНЕРГОЭФФЕКТИВНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ВЫСОКОЧАСТОТНОЙ ОБРАБОТКОЙ ПОЛИМЕРНЫХ МАТЕРИАЛОВ

The article deals with the formation of general approaches for energy efficiency provision and improvement of the performance of technological processes of polymer high-frequency electrothermy. The research was carried out on the basis of physics and chemistry of polymer materials, thermodynamics, electrical engineering and fundamentals of automated system design. Experimental studies involved the use of the control methods of heat deformations and fields. A functional diagram of automated control systems of technological processes of high-frequency electrothermy is presented. The tasks are identified that are solved at control implementation by individual technological processes of high frequency electrothermy (drying and welding of polymer parts). Control process cyclograms are specified. The principles and general approaches to the control organization of high-frequency heating of polymers are determined. They have been formed on the basis of the need to build a universal automated control system of technological processes and provision of energy efficiency, high performance of technological processes of high-frequency processing of polymers. According to the discussed approaches, it is shown that the transition to processing in the area of the maximum possible voltages of the operating capacitor of the electrothermal equipment U p provides the possibility to save up to 30-40% of energy costs and 70% of processing time.

The NatHERS dataset: An exploration of its content, provenance, and usefulness in the characterization of new residential building

Abstract: New residential buildings in Australia must demonstrate compliance with the energy efficiency provisions of the National Construction Code (NCC) in order to gain a building permit. 71% of new residential buildings demonstrate compliance by using a Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) accredited software tool. The data collected and generated by these tools have the potential to provide valuable insights into Australia’s residential building industry, giving advance knowledge of not only the number of planned builds and their energy efficiency, but also planned construction material types and quantities. The data would be of value to government departments, construction companies, the real estate industry, energy distributors, and researchers. This paper describes the content and provenance of this dataset, explores how it might be used to characterise new residential building stock, and presents sample data and analysis.

Is energy efficiency underprovided? An analysis of the provision of energy efficiency in multi-attribute products

The paper investigates the provision of energy efficient products in a differentiated product market. We build a model to understand the provision of quality and energy efficiency in products when a tradeoff exists between these two product attributes represented by a technological frontier. In our model, a monopoly firm offers a high-end and a low-end version of a product to two groups of consumers who differ in their willingness to pay for the product. We find that the relative energy efficiency of the two products depends on the energy price. We show that price discrimination distorts the choice of energy efficiency and quality of the low-end product on the frontier. In addition, it may cause the firm to offer an energy efficiency/quality combination for the low-end product that is below the frontier, to induce the high-end consumers to buy the high-end product. This suggests that the firm’s desire to price discriminate in markets is one reason for the slow diffusion of energy saving technologies, a phenomenon known as the “energy paradox.” It also suggests that the technology to improve energy efficiency, even when available to firms, may not be fully utilized.

The Evaluation of Building Materials in Terms of Energy Efficiency

Buildings consume energy at different levels in every stage of the life-cycle. Building materials occupy a great share of this consumption. Therefore, the amount of energy consumed by materials used in building during their life cycle is an important parameter in determining the energy eciency of the building. In this study, the importance of energy- efficient material selection in designing “Energy-Efficient Building” is considered and discussed. It is possible to evaluate some building materials in Turkey in the framework of energy ecient building material criteria. This information is considered as a guide for users and employees of the building sector. As a result of the study, the selection of building material and energy efficient features of building materials are important parameters for the provision of energy efficiency.

Application of the method of cluster analysis for formulation of the frequency-control law of an asynchronous motor

A simplified synthesis of energy-efficient scalar systems of frequency control of an asynchronous motor is considered. A method for formulating special frequency-control laws calculated for a certain range of loads is considered for provision of energy efficiency. Calculation of the frequency-control law of an asynchronous electric drive is carried out based on iteration optimization, in which the number of iterations may reach a thousand. It is resolved to find a simplified procedure for formulation of a law applicable to engineering calculations. The hypothesis is raised that there is a “similarity” of laws of control for motors with relatively similar parameters of the equivalent scheme. This assumes that the control law (which is quasi-optimal) obtained for one motor can be applied to other electric machines with similar parameters with some degree of error. It is suggested that motors with similar parameters be distinguished by means of clustering based on self-organizing artificial neural networks (a Kohonen map). The number of clusters is selected based on the dispersion of the desired motor parameters, which is determined from the deviation of optimization criteria from the extreme. Finally, a hexagonal Kohonen map with 49 clusters is obtained in which each cluster is assigned a set of quasi-optimal laws. Thus, it is sufficient to correlate a motor with some cluster (in other words, classify it) which automatically defines a quasi-optimal control law. Procedures of formation and training of the network and parameters of realization of optimized control laws are provided.

Research on Amending the Energy Efficiency Provisions in the Building

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main requirements of the Building Regulations Part L1A for new dwellings. An explanation of the technical basis for energy rating is given including how they are calculated, how fuel costs are used, the role of the standard occupancy pattern, and an appreciation of the Building Research Establishment Domestic Energy Model (BREDEM). The aims and requirements of the European Directive on the Energy performance of Buildings and its implementation for new and existing domestic buildings is also considered. Design/methodology/approach – The requirements of Part L1A of the Building Regulations are developed. These relate to the thermal properties of the building fabric including insulation, thermal bridging, air tightness and glazing, the efficiency and responsiveness of heating and hot water systems, ventilation and lighting. The methodology for calculating thermal transmittance coefficients (U-values) is also demonstrated.

Strategies for reducing heating and cooling loads of uninsulated rammed earth wall houses

Abstract The research reported in this paper investigated the potential reduction of heating and cooling loads in a hypothetical uninsulated rammed earth wall house. The analysis was performed in three different climate zones in Australia, namely: climate zone 3, 5 and 7, representing hot arid, warm temperate and cool temperate climate, respectively. The investigation involved simulating the energy load for a rammed earth house with different building parameters using the home energy rating software AccuRate developed by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). In Australia, new building designs must comply with the energy efficient provision of the Building Code of Australia in the National Construction Code (NCC), and one method of compliance is through an assessment of the predicted energy loads. The simulation results show that it is possible for an uninsulated rammed earth wall house in Australian climate zones 3 and 5, to fulfil the minimum requirement of the NCC as long as the building is designed carefully by optimising a number of passive solar strategies. In climate zone 7, however, uninsulated rammed earth houses cannot meet the NCC requirement even after applying passive solar design strategies.

AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT REGULATORY REGIMES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY LIVING AND THE WAY FORWARD: A CASE STUDY FROM PAKISTAN

Pakistan is currently facing acute energy shortages. The local energy production is inadequate to meet domestic needs and support economic growth which has decelerated the pace of economic development and industrialisation of the country. The residential sector consumes a significant chunk of the total energy resource available in the country. In this context there is a need to look for avenues where energy savings can be realised. The concept of energy efficient homes and sustainable dwellings is at the centre of energy saving debate but is still in its early stages of development in Pakistan. The main instruments to realise energy savings in any energy management regime stem from legal and regulatory frameworks, institutional and individual delivery capacity and enforcement mechanisms employed by the concerned authorities. This study looks into these regimes at national, regional and local levels and analyses their adequacy as to the objectives of their development and institution. The paper starts by detailing the prevailing situation with respect to (total) energy consumption and energy efficient living in Pakistan in the first part. Next, it analyses energy efficiency provisions for residential sector within the current legal and regulatory frameworks and identifies the challenges to such developments. The research method involves content analysis of policy, legal and regulatory provisions in Pakistan and institutional response through a dichotomous awareness survey about the existence and use of Building Energy Code of Pakistan, which is complementary to the main methodology. The research finds that there is need to adopt a holistic approach to improve the prevailing legal and regulatory regimes, which are weak and poorly defined. The capacity, enforcement mechanisms and environmental performance of these regimes are also important issues. The outcomes of this study are recommendations for the necessary policy responses to better enable Energy Efficient Homes in Pakistan. Key Words: Efficiency, Passive, Design, Legal and Regulatory, Capacity

Operational versus designed performance of low carbon schools in England: Bridging a credibility gap

In the UK, schools alone are responsible for 15% of the energy consumption in public and commercial buildings. The recent studies showed that newly built schools are failing to meet even basic performance criteria related to both energy consumption and provision of indoor environmental quality (acoustics, indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and lighting). The main objectives of this article are three-fold: (a) to review the results of three major studies related to operational performance of newly built schools in England, (b) to identify major issues of importance for energy efficient provision of indoor environmental quality in school buildings based on results of a comprehensive survey of 286 UK building professionals, and (c) to estimate the influence of uncertainty of some design parameters on energy consumption using differential sensitivity analysis. The article concludes that our current ongoing efforts to deliver low carbon school buildings conducive to learning have had little success due to a poor understanding of how to design, engineer, and facilitate learning spaces for changing pedagogical practices to support a mass education system. Major identified issues refer to aspects of policy, design, and commisioning that affects building performance.

Energy efficiency as a preferred resource: evidence from utility resource plans in the Western US and Canada

This article examines the future role of energy efficiency as a resource in the Western US and Canada, as envisioned in the most recent resource plans issued by 16 utilities, representing about 60% of the region’s load. Utility and third-party-administered energy-efficiency programs proposed by 15 utilities over a 10-year horizon would save almost 19,000 GWh annually, about 5.2% of forecast load. There are clear regional trends in the aggressiveness of proposed energy savings. California’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) had the most aggressive savings targets, followed by IOUs in the Pacific Northwest, and the lowest savings were proposed by utilities in Inland West states and by two public utilities on the West Coast. The adoption of multiple, aggressive policies targeting energy efficiency and climate change appears to produce sizeable energy-efficiency commitments. Certain specific policies, such as mandated energy savings goals for California’s IOUs and energy-efficiency provisions in Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, had a direct impact on the level of energy savings included in the resource plans. Other policies, such as revenue decoupling and shareholder incentives and voluntary or legislatively mandated greenhouse gas emission reduction policies, may have also impacted utilities’ energy-efficiency commitments, though the effects of these policies are not easily measured. Despite progress among the utilities in our sample, more aggressive energy-efficiency strategies that include high-efficiency standards for additional appliances and equipment, tighter building codes for new construction and renovation, as well as more comprehensive ratepayer-funded energy-efficiency programs are likely to be necessary to achieve a region-wide goal of meeting 20% of electricity demand with efficiency in 2020.

Erratum

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/02630800110393608. When citing the article, please cite: Stephen Todd, (2001), “A review of the proposals for amending the energy efficiency provisions in the Building Regulations for dwellings”, Structural Survey, Vol. 19 Iss 2 pp. 89 - 99.

Potential CO 2 reduction by implementing energy efficiency standard for room air conditioner in Malaysia

This study attempts to predict the environmental impact of implementing an energy efficiency standard for room air conditioners in Malaysia. The ownership of room air conditioners has increased tremendously in this country. At present, there are about 528,792 room air conditioners in Malaysian households. In the year 2020, it will be about 1,511,276. The potential carbon dioxide reduction is based on the predicted electricity savings from implementing a minimum energy efficiency standard for room air conditioners. The electricity savings are calculated based on the predicted electricity consumption by a single air conditioner in the Malaysian household. The replacement of less efficient units of this appliance is reflected in reduced electricity consumption and emissions from power plants. The energy efficiency provisions of this regulation and agreement provide targets to save money, energy and, most importantly, to protect the environment.

A review of the proposals for amending the energy efficiency provisions in the Building Regulations for dwellings

Reviews the UK government’s proposals for amending the energy efficiency of new dwellings. With the aid of worked examples the alternative calculation methods for U‐values are demonstrated. The author concludes that the new methods are cumbersome to calculate by hand and that where there is only one bridged layer the difference between the old and new methods is negligible. It is envisaged that manufacturers and SAP providers will quickly provide new calculation suites to enable designers to undertake calculations effectively and easily.