Savings Strategies Research Articles

HVAC Energy Saving Strategies for Public Buildings Based on Heat Pumps and Demand Controlled Ventilation

The paper analyzes and compares the perspectives for reducing the energy consumption associated to the operation of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning system for climatic control of large-size non-residential buildings. Three different control strategies are considered comparing the use of boiler and heat pumps as heating systems and analyzing the use of demand-controlled ventilation, operating on the effective occupancy of the building. The control strategies are applied to two different educational buildings with shapes representative of typical educational structures. The results of the analysis show how the energy consumption can be reduced up to 70%, shifting from the actual values of the energy intensity of over 300 kWh/m2 for year to values of less than 100 kWh/m2 per year. The significance of the energy savings achieved in such different buildings has led to the identification of a possible benchmark for HVAC systems in the next future years which could help reach the environmental targets in this sector.

Indoor Environmental Quality and Consumption Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Twelve Social Dwellings in Madrid, Spain

This article analyses the situation that prevailed in 12 dwellings located on the outskirts of Madrid during Spain’s state of emergency. How did 24/7 occupation affect the quality of indoor air and power consumption patterns? The mixed method used (surveys and instrumental monitoring) pragmatically detected the variation in consumption, comfort and indoor air quality patterns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The characteristics initially in place and household predisposition had a conclusive effect on such variations. The starting conditions, including household composition, habits and the way daily activities were performed, differed widely, logically affecting power consumption: 8/12 case studies increase occupancy density by more than 25 percent; 11/12 improve thermal comfort; 10/12 improve air quality but not necessarily translate in a sufficient ventilation practices; air quality was lower in the bedrooms on the whole; only 4/12 case studies use the potential of passive measures; only one household adopted energy savings strategies; 10/12 case studies increase electric power consumption but none of the dwellings was fitted with a renewable power generation system. The conclusion drawn is that, despite starting conditions differing widely, household composition, habits (including performance of daily activities performance) and power consumption also played an active role in the end result. This approach allowed to integrate qualitative and quantitative findings on indoor environmental quality (IEQ), energy use and households’ behavior. The objective data on the energy situation of the case studies not only is useful for the study, but also for potential enrollment in energy rehabilitation programs, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Cost of illness for severe and non-severe diarrhea borne by households in a low-income urban community of Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

The illness cost borne by households, known as out-of-pocket expenditure, was 74% of the total health expenditure in Bangladesh in 2017. Calculating economic burden of diarrhea of low-income urban community is important to identify potential cost savings strategies and prioritize policy decision to improve the quality of life of this population. This study aimed to estimate cost of illness and monthly percent expenditure borne by households due diarrhea in a low-income urban settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. We conducted this study in East Arichpur area of Tongi township in Dhaka, Bangladesh from September 17, 2015 to July 26, 2016. We used the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of three or more loose stool in 24 hours to enroll patients and enrolled 106 severe patients and 158 non-severe patients from Tongi General Hospital, local pharmacy and study community. The team enrolled patients between the first to third day of the illness (≤ 72 hours) and continued daily follow-up by phone until recovery. We considered direct and indirect costs to calculate cost-per-episode. We applied the published incidence rate to estimate the annual cost of diarrhea. The estimated average cost of illness for patient with severe diarrhea was US$ 27.39 [95% CI: 24.55, 30.23] (2,147 BDT), 17% of the average monthly income of the households. The average cost of illness for patient with non-severe diarrhea was US$ 6.36 [95% CI: 5.19, 7.55] (499 BDT), 4% of the average monthly income of households. A single diarrheal episode substantially affects financial condition of low-income urban community residents: a severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 4.35 days (17%) and a non-severe episode can cost almost equivalent to 1 day (4%) of household’s income. Preventing diarrhea preserves health and supports financial livelihoods.

Study and Analysis of an Electrical Energy Saving Strategies and Gas Emissions Reduction for a Private Hospital Building in Yemen

Hospital buildings consume high energy more than other buildings in the commercial buildings sector as there is a continuous demand for power supplies. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced in the buildings sector by using various energy saving methods. In this study, on-sight visiting for energy audit has been conducted at a private hospital in Sana’a - Yemen to record all data relevant to energy consumption by equipment, machines, and all other mechanical systems. Different energy saving scenarios were using to estimate the potential of energy saving such as using high-efficiency lighting devices, raising the thermostat set point temperature for air conditioners, using high-efficiency motors (HEM) with a different load ratio, and using variable speed motors (VSM). Results indicated that energy consumption for the hospital was 4,061.8 Megawatthourper year whereas energy intensity was 232 kWh/m2. It is found that about 150.32 megawatt-hours of annual energy saving is achieved by using HEM and 689.72 Megawatt-hour per year by raising the set point of air conditioners thermostat to 26 °C. In addition, 1513 megawatt-hours per year of energy can be saved by reducing the VSM speed to 60% whereas95.8 megawatt-hours per year is estimated by adopting 100% load of HEM. The economic study of energy saving strategies was found that the use of HEM is not economically viable, while the use of VSM with large capacity motors is better from economic and environmental points of view.
 Keywords: Hospital building, energy consumption, Energy index, Energy saving, Emission reduction

Study and Analysis of an Electrical Energy Saving Strategies and Gas Emissions Reduction for a Private Hospital Building in Yemen

Hospital buildings consume high energy more than other buildings in the commercial buildings sector as there is a continuous demand for power supplies. Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced in the buildings sector by using various energy saving methods. In this study, on-sight visiting for energy audit has been conducted at a private hospital in Sana’a - Yemen to record all data relevant to energy consumption by equipment, machines, and all other mechanical systems. Different energy saving scenarios were using to estimate the potential of energy saving such as using high-efficiency lighting devices, raising the thermostat set point temperature for air conditioners, using high-efficiency motors (HEM) with a different load ratio, and using variable speed motors (VSM). Results indicated that energy consumption for the hospital was 4,061.8 Megawatthourper year whereas energy intensity was 232 kWh/m2. It is found that about 150.32 megawatt-hours of annual energy saving is achieved by using HEM and 689.72 Megawatt-hour per year by raising the set point of air conditioners thermostat to 26 °C. In addition, 1513 megawatt-hours per year of energy can be saved by reducing the VSM speed to 60% whereas95.8 megawatt-hours per year is estimated by adopting 100% load of HEM. The economic study of energy saving strategies was found that the use of HEM is not economically viable, while the use of VSM with large capacity motors is better from economic and environmental points of view.
 Keywords: Hospital building, energy consumption, Energy index, Energy saving, Emission reduction

Energy Saving Strategies and On-Site Power Generation in a University Building from a Tropical Climate

This paper compares the potential for building energy saving of various passive and active strategies and on-site power generation through a grid-connected solar photovoltaic system (SPVS). The case study is a student welfare unit from a university campus located in the tropical climate (Aw) of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The proposed approach aims to identify the most effective energy saving strategy for building retrofit in this climate. For this purpose, we modeled the base line of the building and proposed energy saving scenarios that were evaluated independently. All building simulations were done in OpenStudio-EnergyPlus, while the on-site power generation was carried out using the Homer PRO software. Results indicated that the incorporation of daylighting controls accounted for the highest energy savings of around 20% and 14% in total building energy consumption, and cooling loads, respectively. Also, this strategy provided a reduction of about 35% and 43% in total building energy consumption, and cooling loads, respectively, when combined with triple low-e coating glazing and active measures. On the other hand, the total annual electric energy delivered by the SPVS (output power converter) was 66,590 kWh, from where 48,497 kWh was supplied to the building while the remaining electricity was injected into the grid.

In Search of the Optimal Saving Strategy for Pan-European Pension Products

The introduction of pan-European pension products in 2020 is associated with an ongoing debate on prescribing predefined saving strategy that would both deliver adequate performance and limit the down-side risk at the end of the saving horizon. Dynamic life-cycle saving strategies are generally accepted as a good risk-mitigation tool that can be individually set. Many research papers confirm the ability of life-cycle strategies to deliver high risk-reward outcomes. Objective of our paper is to test the ability of one-factor life-cycle saving strategies based on the age and/or the remaining saving horizon to deliver the promised value for PEPP savers. We constructed 18 saving strategies divided into three groups – static saving strategies with fixed proportion of equities, dynamic life-cycle strategies based on the age and/or remaining saving horizon, and quasi-active strategies combining two factors – the remaining saving horizon and price movement. We employed the model based on moving-block bootstrapping technique and performed simulations for various economic conditions. We have tested the expected saving performance combined with the down-side risk during the saving horizon. Our findings do not confirm the general findings on life-cycle saving strategies. We claim that having the age as the only factor defining the proportion of equities in the pension saving portfolio would not be optimal. However, we found that two-factor saving strategies look promising in delivering both lower down-side risk and higher performance over the saving horizon.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT BALANCE SHOCKS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOME TUNISIAN MACROECONOMICS VARIABLES: EVIDENCE FROM A VAR MODEL

This paper reinterprets the mixed evidence of the relationship and the long-run relationships between the general government budget (GGB) and some macroeconomics variables (current account deficit, fixed investment (FI), gross savings (GS), government consumption (GC) and gross domestic product (GDP) and GDP per capita) in Tunisia using the VAR model. The period of the study runs from 1975 until 2018 with a yearly data. We obtain evidence of fluctuations in current account deficit (CAD) as a response to GGB shocks. But during the end of the period, the shocks of the CAD have a negative effect on the GGB and the two deficits are found to be positively linked. Our results suggest that impulse responses of budget deficit did a weak impact on gross saving of Tunisia, but the one savings strategy has a positive effect on this deficit. On the basis of results published in the empirical literature, the general government deficit increase the fixed investment, but the response of the GGB to FI shocks is weak and almost stable. In addition, fiscal deficit shocks have a positive effect on consumption. Any increase in the GGB to an increase in consumption. GDP per capital’s impulse responses to GGB shocks is characterized by such stable and positive effects. The Granger causality test indicates that causation run from GGB shocks to most macroeconomics variables with the exception of the CAD, implying that variation in general government deficit is explained by increasing public spending and also by these five other variables.

Sustentabilidad y nanejo agroecológico mediante indicadores en un paisaje agrícola: estudio de caso a nivel de finca, Amazonía Ecuatoriana

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar lasustentabilidad y el manejo agroecológico en la fincael Guayacán, cantón Santa Clara, provincia de Pastaza,Ecuador. Se caracterizó mediante la metodología paraevaluar sustentabilidad en la región amazónica ecuatoriana(MESRAE), que involucró 36 indicadores para cuantificarla sustentabilidad se utilizó una escala ordinal y numéricadel 1 al 10, considerando niveles de alto (>6.5 a 10),medio (>5.5 a 6.5) y bajo (<5.5), distribuidos en cuatrodimensiones, ambiental, socio-cultural, política yeconómica, con los valores obtenidos para cada dimensiónse constituyeron flujogramas tipo “ameba” que permitenvisualizar el estado general y nivel de sustentabilidad dela finca, el índice promedio de sustentabilidad presentó elsiguiente orden: dimensión ambiental (6.85), dimensiónsocio-cultural (7.58); dimensión política (4.02); dimensióneconómica (4.32), los cuales fueron clasificados de alta,media o baja sustentabilidad; el índice obtenido de lafinca es 5.69, nivel uno. Los resultados sugieren que lasustentabilidad a nivel de finca presentó puntos críticosen la dimensión ambiental, económica y política. Losindicadores que deben ser mejorados son: a) Nivel deerosión del suelo b) Presencia de insectos benéficos, c) Bajapresencia de diversidad biológica d) Ingreso neto mensual dela UPA), e) Costos de insumos agropecuarios (balanceado,desparasitantes, sal), f) Estrategias de comercialización, g)Estrategia de ahorro, h) Programas del estado relacionadoscon la finca (Sistemas Ganaderos), i) Nivel de aceptaciónde los programas del estado, j) Articulación de la finca conotras instituciones acompañantes.

Behavioral Economics: Examining the Population’s Expectations and Strategies

The presented study analyzes the expectations and strategies of individuals in their economic behavior. Aim . The study aims to identify the major trends in the transformation of the population’s behavioral models in the field of economic decisions, primarily with regard to the implementation of savings strategies. Tasks . The authors compare data for 2007(2010)–2019 on the structure of application of financial income, on how the population evaluates the favorability of conditions for making major purchases, on the existence of savings and potential for their growth, minimum amount and purpose of savings. Methods . This study uses such methods as collection and comparative analysis of data from the Federal State Statistics Service, National Agency for Financial Studies (NAFI), Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), and the results of a study conducted by the Institute of Socio-Economic Studies of Population of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISESP RAS), which describes a number of directions of the monetary behavior of Russian people. Results . The dynamics of changes in the economic strategies and expectations of the population during the examined period is shown. The results of the analysis of data published by the Federal State Statistics Service are confirmed by sociological surveys: Russian people increasingly tend to apply conservative economic strategies and show a lack of optimism in their estimates. In terms of savings, there is a visible reduction in opportunities for savings and in the assessment of the amount that is called ‘savings’. Conclusions . The transformation of economic behavior is affected by factors associated with rational reasons for making certain decisions and with mental (psychological) motives for choosing a strategy. Changes in the models of savings behavior, which is the most common subject of Russian scientists, are caused by socio-economic factors (external influence) and previous practical experience (internal influence).

Firm Size and Tax Saving Behaviour of Listed Companies in Nigeria

In this paper has been investigated tax savings behaviour of firms in Nigeria with the objective of finding out how it affects firm size. The ex-post facto research design was employed, and secondary data obtained from the annual reports of firms listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange was used. Descriptive statistics and panel data regression tests were conducted. The data were further subjected to unit root test to establish the stationarity of the data. The result revealed that interest tax savings behaviour and depreciation savings behaviour have negative but significant relationship with firm size while effective tax rate has negative and insignificant relationship with firm size. The study concluded that the lower the firm size the higher the tax savings behaviour and vice versa of quoted companies in Nigeria. The paper recommended that tax regulatory authorities should focus their searchlight on tax aggressiveness of small sized companies as a strategy to reduce tax evasion while encouraging appropriate tax savings strategies to ensure tax compliance.

Factors influencing China’s non-residential power consumption: Estimation using the Kaya–LMDI methods

Electric power plays an important role in the economic development of a nation and in improving human life. Since China is the world’s largest electricity consumer, an understanding of the factors influencing the growth in the consumption of electricity would help Chinese leaders design appropriate energy savings strategies and economic policies. Using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method based on the Kaya identity, this study takes China’s non-residential power consumption from 2007 to 2016 as its research subject and decomposes the influencing factors into population size, economic development, regional economic structure, regional industrial structure, and electricity consumption intensity. We find that economic growth is the main factor influencing the growth of non-residential power consumption, mostly in the eastern region; moreover, the increased intensity of power consumption inhibits the growth of non-residential power consumption, with the suppression effect being more significant in the secondary industry. Population growth plays a small role in promoting electricity consumption. Regional economic structure has a negative effect on power consumption, showing a significant difference between provinces. From these results, regional differences and industrial structure are factors to be considered for the development and management of electricity. Therefore, technological innovation and management need to be strengthened, with focus on industrial structure adjustment and promotion of energy conservation technology in the central and western regions.

IoT based Energy Saving Strategies for Student Hall at University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

IoT based Energy Saving Strategies for Student Hall at University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

Laboratory Hood Energy Savings: The Low-Hanging Fruit

Laboratory safety and energy savings are currently occupying the same space in many engineering conversations regarding lab design and construction. Exhaust from lab hoods is particularly prominent in such conversations. There are a wide variety of strategies that can be applied to save energy by reducing hood exhaust, from the inexpensive approach of lowering face velocities to the more expensive variable air volume (VAV) lab hood exhaust systems. Whatever energy-saving strategy is chosen, it should maintain good hood containment. Once this central truth is accepted, energy savings with established containment becomes straightforward to measure. Overall energy-savings techniques can be subdivided into separate components and analyzed for effectiveness. Low-exhaust technologies are not additively cumulative, but multiplicative in nature. Each strategy can reduce total energy use by a percent of the whole; the next strategy has a lower “whole” from which to produce savings and so forth. Since each savings strategy has an up-front cost, it only makes sense to use the least expensive strategies first, followed by the costlier strategies. Using this approach, smaller lab hoods, lower face velocities, lower operating sash openings, and nonoccupied hood exhaust setbacks produced much more significant and less expensive savings than more expensive approaches like heat reclamation and VAV. Of course, like any generalized strategy, there are some important qualifications that may shift more expensive strategies to a higher priority.

Comparing evapotranspiration and yield performance of maize under sprinkler, superficial and subsurface drip irrigation in a semi-arid environment

In arid and semiarid environments, with shortage of water resources, maize production is competing for available water. This study analyzed the effect of different irrigation systems on maize yield, crop evapotranspiration and its components, i.e., canopy transpiration (T) and soil evaporation (E). A 2-year field experiment was conducted at the ITAP Research facilities located in Albacete (southeast Spain). Four treatments were assessed: surface drip irrigation with a spacing between drip lines of 1.5 m (SDI_1.5) and 0.75 m (SDI_0.75); subsurface drip irrigation (SubDI); solid set sprinkler irrigation (Sprink). In all treatments, irrigation was applied to refill the estimated potential water demand. Crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and E/T partitioning were estimated using a Simplified Two-Source Energy Balance (STSEB) approach. Although there was an important difference in the irrigation water applied between treatments, ranging from 743 and 722 for Sprink system to 534 and 495 for SubDI system in 2014 and 2015, respectively, yield was unaffected by the irrigation regime, resulting in an increase in the irrigation water productivity (IWP) by an average of 25% when irrigation was applied by the subsurface system. Maize ETc was affected by the irrigation system, with the SubDI achieving in 2015 a 39% reduction of seasonal ETc in comparison with the Sprink system. Similar reductions were obtained for separated E and T components with soil evaporation accounting in general for 15–20% of the total ETc. It is concluded that subsurface irrigation is a water savings strategy for irrigation of maize reducing the consumptive water use and increasing IWP. The final convenience for the widespread adoption of subsurface irrigation will depend on water availability and prices.

Window energy efficiency in Argentina - Determining factors and energy savings strategies

In various regions in the world, including Argentina, low-performance windows are massively sold, which means that windows energy saving potential is high. Windows energy efficiency depends on thermal indices (U-factor, SHGC) but also on climate and building characteristics. In order to identify the most influential factors and to explore energy savings strategies for the climatic and technological context of Argentina, a parametric study based on detailed building simulations was conducted using EnergyPlus . The analyzed parameters were window type, leakage rate, location, building geometry, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), orientation and building envelope materiality and exposure. The results indicate that window type is one of the most determining factors, followed by location, orientation and building envelope characteristics. In the most populous locations of Argentina, characterized by mild winters and high solar irradiation levels, windows mainly impact on buildings cooling demand. In consequence, the most energy efficient windows are generally not the more insulated but the ones with low SHGC, which shows the importance of shading devices. In addition, it was found that an adequate architectural design (as regards WWR and windows orientation) may produce substantial energy savings, offering alternative strategies to expensive high-performance window technologies. • In sunny climates with mild winters, low SHGC windows are the most energy efficient. • Adequate window-to-wall ratio and orientation lead to substantial energy savings. • Windows’ contribution to building loads is higher for lightweight insulated envelopes.

Cost-minimization study of the percutaneous approach to endovascular aortic aneurysm repair

ObjectivePercutaneous access for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (P-EVAR) is less invasive compared with surgical access for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (S-EVAR). P-EVAR has been associated with shorter recovery and fewer wound complications. However, vascular closure devices (VCDs) are costly, and the economic effects of P-EVAR have important implications for resource allocation. The objective of our study was to estimate the differences in the costs between P-EVAR and S-EVAR. MethodsWe used a decision tree to analyze the costs from a payer perspective throughout the course of the index hospitalization. The probabilities, relative risks, and mean difference summary measures were obtained from a systematic review and meta-analysis. We modelled differences in surgical site infection, lymphocele, and the length of hospitalization. Cost parameters were derived from the 2014 National Inpatient Sample using “International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification” codes. Attributable costs were estimated using generalized linear models adjusted by age, sex, and comorbidities. A sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 6876 abdominal and thoracic EVARs were identified. P-EVAR resulted in a mean cost savings of $751 per procedure. The mean costs for P-EVAR were $1287 (95% confidence interval [CI], $884-$1835) and for S-EVAR were $2038 (95% CI, $757-$4280). P-EVAR procedures were converted to open procedures in 4.3% of the cases. The P-EVAR patients had a difference of −1.4 days (95% CI, −0.12 to −2.68) in the length of hospitalization at a cost of $1190/d (standard error, $298). The cost savings of P-EVAR was primarily driven by the cost differences in the length of hospitalization. In the base case, four VCDs were used per P-EVAR at $200/device. In the two-way sensitivity analysis, P-EVAR resulted in cost savings, even when 1.5 times more VCDs had been used per procedure and the cost of each VCD was 1.5 times greater. In our probabilistic sensitivity analysis, P-EVAR was the cost savings strategy for 82.6% of 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations when simultaneously varying parameters across their uncertainty ranges. ConclusionsP-EVAR had lower costs compared with S-EVAR and could result in dramatic cost savings if extrapolated to the number of aortic aneurysms repaired. Our analysis was a conservative estimate that did not account for the improved quality of life after P-EVAR.

Frugality Is Hard to Afford

Intertemporal savings strategies, such as bulk buying or accelerating purchase timing to take advantage of a good deal, provide long-term savings in exchange for an increase in immediate spending. Although households with limited financial resources stand to benefit the most from these strategies, they are less likely to make use of them. The authors provide causal evidence that liquidity constraints impede low-income households’ ability to use these strategies, above and beyond the impact of other constraints. Exploiting recurring variation in household liquidity, this study shows that when low-income households have more liquidity, they partially catch up to higher-income households’ ability to use intertemporal savings strategies. The findings provide guidance to marketing managers and researchers regarding targeted promotional design and measurement of deal-proneness. For policy makers, they suggest a new path for decreasing the higher prices low-income households have been documented to pay for everyday goods. Policies have traditionally focused on increasing financial literacy or access to supermarkets. Our work suggests that providing greater liquidity can help low-income households make better use of savings opportunities already available to them.

Real-time energy management for electric arc furnace operation

Electric arc furnaces are used extensively in the steel industry for steel production. Development of energy savings strategies for the highly energy-intensive batch process is extremely challenging due to the complexity of the process and lack of measurements due to the harsh operating conditions. Here we introduce a new energy management approach that effectively curtails the energy cost in real-time through the implementation of economically optimal operating decisions. An economics- oriented shrinking horizon nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) algorithm that exploits time-varying electricity prices is coupled with a multi-rate moving horizon estimator (MHE) to form an integrated decision- making framework. With a detailed first-principles dynamic model functioning at the core, the multi-variable interactions and plant variations are successfully incorporated into the control strategy to achieve reliable performance. We also present a novel initialization scheme for obtaining fast on-line solutions of the economic NMPC and multi-rate MHE dynamic optimization problems. Using this initialization algorithm, we show that the optimal input decisions are obtained with sufficient computational speed for real-time implementation. The energy usage optimization results indicate a significant reduction in the operating cost and peak electricity demand compared to the case where the electricity price profile is not updated.

Effect of Process Parameters on Joint Formation and Mechanical Performance in Friction Stir Blind Riveting of Aluminum Alloys

Aluminum alloys have been increasingly adopted in the fabrication of automotive body structures as an integral component of mass savings strategy. However, mixed use of dissimilar aluminum alloys, such as sheet metals, castings, and extrusions, poses significant challenges to the existing joining technologies, especially in regard to single-sided joint access. To address this issue, the current study applied the friction stir blind riveting (FSBR) process to join 1.2 mm-thick AA6022-T4 aluminum alloy to 3 mm-thick Aural-2 cast aluminum. A newly developed, robot mounted, servo-driven, FSBR equipment and the procedure using it to make FSBR joints were introduced systematically. The effect of rivet feed rate and spindle speed on joint formation and cross section geometry was investigated, and it was found that a high spindle speed and a low rivet feed rate, i.e., high heat input, are prone to produce good joints, and that low heat input can cause severe problems related to insufficient softening of the sheets. The rivet deformation, especially the notch location on the mandrel relative to the shank has significant influence on lap-shear strength and fracture mode of the final joints. A rivet pull-out fracture mode was observed at higher rivet feed rates and lower spindle speeds and exhibited significantly improved energy absorption capability, i.e., 62% higher compared to traditional blind riveted (BR) joints.