Energy efficiency has gained a lot of prominence in recent debates on urban sustainability and housing policy due to its potential consequences for climate change. At the local, national and also international level, there are numerous initiatives to promote energy savings and the use of renewable energy to reduce the environmental burden. There is a lot of literature on energy saving and other forms of energy efficiency in housing. However, how to bring this forward in the management of individual housing organisations is not often internationally explored. An international research project has been carried out to find the answers on management questions of housing organisations regarding energy efficiency. Eleven countries have been included in this study: Germany, the United Kingdom (more specifically: England), France, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Canada. The state of the art of energy efficiency in the housing management of non-profit housing organisations and the embedding of energy efficiency to improve the quality and performance of housing in management practices have been investigated, with a focus on how policy ambitions about energy efficiency are brought forward in investment decisions at the estate level. This paper presents the conclusions of the research
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The municipality of Apeldoorn had polled the interest among its private home-owners to turn their homes energy neutral. Based on the enthusiastic response, Apeldoorn saw the launch of the Energy Apeldoorn (#ENEXAP) in 2011. Its goal was to convert to it technically and financially possible for privately owned homes to be refurbished and to energy neutral, taking the residential needs and wishes from occupants as the starting point. The project was called an Expedition, because although the goal was clear, the road to get there wasn’t. The Expedition team comprised businesses, civil-society organisations, the local university of applied sciences, the municipality of Apeldoorn, and of course, residents in a central role. The project was supported by Platform31, as part of the Dutch government’s Energy Leap programme. The #ENEXAP involved 38 homes, spread out through Apeldoorn and surrounding villages. Even though the houses were very diverse, the group of residents was quite similar: mostly middle- aged, affluent people who highly value the environment and sustainability. An important aspect of the project was the independent and active role residents played. In collaboration with businesses and professionals, through meetings, excursions, workshops and by filling in a step- by-step plan on the website, the residents gathered information about their personal situation, the energy performance of their home and the possibilities available for them to save and generate energy themselves. Businesses were encouraged to develop an integrated approach for home-owners, and consortia were set up by businesses to develop the strategy, products and services needed to meet this demand. On top of making minimal twenty from the thirty-eight houses in the project energy neutral, the ultimate goal was to boost the local demand for energy- neutral refurbishment and encourage an appropriate supply of services, opening up the (local) market for energy neutral refurbishment. This paper will reflect on the outcomes of this collective in the period 2011-2015.
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In this paper we present a methodology to measure the energy consumption of software. The methodology is based on detailed monitoring of power usage of hardware components. We explain our lab setup after which we apply the methodology to different pieces of DNS resolver software. Through this case study we demonstrate some of the uses of our methodology, as it can be used to determine which software performs the tasks at hand in the most energy efficient way, what the influence of software configuration can be, etcetera.
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Paper which introduces an method developed by the research group Duurzame Projectontwikkeling of the SIA-RAAK project Energieke Restauratie. Besides an discription of the method, it also describes the application of the method for three (fictional) case study projects: Dairy Factory Dongeradelen (Lioessens), Strawboard Factory Free (Oude Pekela) and Der Aa church (Groningen).
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Electrification of transportation, communication, working and living continues worldwide. Televisions, telephones, servers are an important part of everyday life. These loads and most sustainable sources as well, have one thing in common: Direct Current. The Dutch research and educational programme ‘DC – road to its full potential’ studies the impact of feeding these appliances from a DC grid. An improvement in energy efficiency is expected, other benefits are unknown and practical considerations are needed to come to a proper comparison with an AC grid. This paper starts with a brief introduction of the programme and its first stages. These stages encompass firstly the commissioning, selection and implementation of a safe and user friendly testing facility, to compare performance of domestic appliances when powered with AC and DC. Secondly, the relationship between the DC-testing facility and existing modeling and simulation assignments is explained. Thirdly, first results are discussed in a broad sense. An improved energy efficiency of 3% to 5% is already demonstrated for domestic appliances. That opens up questions for the performance of a domestic DC system as a whole. The paper then ends with proposed minor changes in the programme and guidelines for future projects. These changes encompass further studying of domestic appliances for product-development purposes, leaving less means for new and costly high-power testing facilities. Possible gains are 1) material and component savings 2) simpler and cheaper exteriors 3) stable and safe in-house infrastructure 4) whilst combined with local sustainable generation. That is the road ahead. 10.1109/DUE.2014.6827758
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Designs for improving energy efficiency in historical buildings are tailor made. For initiators the flexible character of design processes raises uncertainty about why certain energy measures are (not) allowed. How is decision making in thedesign process organised? And what mechanisms influence tailor made designs? In this paper we present an integral design method for energy efficient restoration. Our theoretical background draws on two sources. Firstly, we follow design theory with distinct generic and specific designs. Secondly we use the ‘heritage-as-a-spatial-factor’ approach, where participants with different backgrounds focus on adding value to heritage. By applying the integral design method, we evaluate decision making processes and reflect on heritage approaches. We suggest how the integral design method can be improved andquestion the parallel existence of heritage approaches.
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Renewable energy is often suggested as a possible solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing dependency on fossil energy sources. The most readily available renewable energy sources in Europe, wind, solar and biomass are dispersed by nature, making them ideally suited for use within Decentralized Energy Systems. Decentralized energy grids can help integrate renewable production, short lived by-products e.g. heat, minimize transport of energy carriers and fuel sources and reduce the dependency on fossils, hence, possibly improving the overall efficiency and sustainability of the energy distribution system. Within these grids balance between local renewable production and local energy demand is an important subject. Currently, fluctuations between demand and production of energy are mainly balanced by input from conventional power stations, which operate on storable fossil energy sources e.g. coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear. Within the long term scope of transition towards a low carbon intensive energy system, sustainable systems must be found which can replace fossil energy sources as load balancer in our energy supply systems.
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Although there is an array of technical solutions available for retrofitting the building stock, the uptake of these by owner‐occupants in home improvement activities is lagging. Energy performance improvement is not included in maintenance, redecoration, and/or upgrading activities on a scale necessary to achieve the CO2 reduction aimed for in the built environment. Owner‐occupants usually adapt their homes in response to everyday concerns, such as having enough space available, increasing comfort levels, or adjusting arrangements to future‐proof their living conditions. Home energy improvements should be offered accordingly. Retrofit providers typically offer energy efficiency strategies and/or options for renewable energy generation only and tend to gloss over home comfort and homemaking as key considerations in decision‐making for home energy improvement. In fact, retrofit providers struggle with the tension between customisation requirements from private homeowners and demand aggregation to streamline their supply chains and upscale their retrofit projects. Customer satisfaction is studied in three different Dutch approaches to retrofit owner‐occupied dwellings to increase energy efficiency. For the analysis, a customer satisfaction framework is used that makes a distinction between satisfiers, dissatisfiers, criticals, and neutrals. This framework makes it possible to identify and structure different relevant factors from the perspective of owner‐occupants, allows visualising gaps with the professional perspective, and can assist to improve current propositions.
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De Europese energiekosten zijn torenhoog. “Wegduiken in de hoop dat het wel goed komt, is onmogelijk geworden nadat Draghi opschreef wat niemand in Brussel durfde te zeggen. De nieuwe EU-commissie publiceert nu het “Action Plan for Affordable Energy”, dat een waslijst aan voorstellen en voornemens bevat waar iedereen wel iets van zijn gading in kan vinden. De cynici niet uitgezonderd. Ik zie het glas als half vol.”
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Biogas can be seen as a flexible and storable energy carrier, capable of absorbing intermittent energy production and demand. However, the sustainability and efficiency of biogas production as a flexible energy provider is not fully understood. This research will focus on simulating biogas production within decentralised energy systems. Within these system several factors need to be taken into account, including, biomass availability, energy demand, energy production from other decentralised energy sources and factors influencing the biogas production process. The main goal of this PhD. research is to design and develop a method capable of integrating biomass availability, energy demand, biogas production, in a realistic dynamic geographical model, such that conclusions can be drawn on mainly the sustainability, and additionally on the efficiency, flexibility and economy of biogas production in the near and far future (2012 to 2050), within local decentralised smart energy grids. Furthermore. This research can help determining the best use of biogas in the near and far future.
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