Search

With the increase in electricity consumption and price, energy efficiency in industrial refrigeration systems becomes an even more important issue. The performance of the industrial refrigeration system can be reported by creating energy labeling according to the energy efficiency index value. In this study, the industrial refrigeration system was evaluated in terms of energy performance with proposed a fan control technique and performed an environmentally friendly design using propane (R290) refrigerant. In addition, a new control process was developed for the management of evaporator and condenser fans, and the effect of this process on the cooled package temperatures and energy consumption was investigated. With this new technique, a 25.2% improvement was achieved in the total energy consumption of the industrial refrigeration system. It was observed that the cooled package temperatures were between −1 and +5°C throughout the experiment. The EEI value of the industrial refrigeration system has increased from class "E" to class "D" using a new control technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission has recently announced two guiding principles for EU product policy: First, product policy shall ensure that the performance of front-runner products in terms of sustainability becomes the norm, and second, the effectiveness of the current Ecodesign legislative framework is going to be significantly improved. Within this paper, already existing front-runner approaches and recent and ongoing product policy-making processes were reviewed. Based on the results, an EU front-runner approach is outlined. The presented approach (i) refers to performance levels of the best products already available on the market, (ii) aggregates information in existing databases, and (iii) works semi-automated. Together, all three attributes have a high potential to facilitate and accelerate the specification of appropriate minimum requirements for products at the EU level. This way, EU policymakers can deliver on the core objectives of the Ecodesign legislative framework much better. The basic mechanism and its legal entrenchment of the approach are illustrated for the energy efficiency of energy-related products. In addition, the Front-Runner Approach can be applied to any product group in the scope of the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and to a wide range of product-related minimum requirements, such as durability, reparability, or recycled content. The study's objective is to suggest a tailor-made and dynamic approach to keep the EU product legislation up to date using innovative technology based on the investigation of current regulations and identify the gap. Experiences from three international case studies suggest that a front-runner approach to setting energy-performance standards can drive innovation and reduce energy consumption via promoting energy-efficient products; transparency about available products is one of the key factors and can be established by a database. The EU front-runner approach comprises extending the existing energy label database (or making use of the digital product passport) and introducing a legislative procedure that triggers changes in the energy efficiency requirements in the specific EU regulations if the database shows that a certain threshold value is reached. Challenges such as limited EU staff capacities and opportunities such as increased dynamic are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study predicts the energy savings, carbon emissions reduction and economic benefits for Pakistan through energy efficiency improvements for room air conditioners under different policy scenarios. The simulation model assumes that room air conditioner stock will increase from 2.7 million for year 2020 to 4.9 million for year 2030. A market average energy efficiency ratio of 2.95 is assumed for year 2020. The impact of improvement in energy efficiency ratio is analyzed for business as usual and four other different scenarios: continuous improvement (5-years and 2-years cycles) and accelerated improvement (5-years and 2-years cycles). The model dynamically incorporates the retiring of old stock and addition of new stock every year. Our results show that annual national electricity consumption for this sector is projected to increase from 7.3 TWh in 2020 to 12.6 TWh in 2030 under the business as usual scenario. The cumulative energy consumption and carbon emissions are 103.5 TWh and 63.1 MtCO 2. However, implementing energy efficiency policies can result in electricity savings of 11.6 TWh over the ten years or savings nearly 7 million barrels of oil import. Policy recommendations aimed at promoting energy labeling, minimum energy performance standards, regulatory policies, and further country-specific studies for variety of appliances are provided.

The European Commission has recently announced two guiding principles for EU product policy: First, product policy shall ensure that the performance of front-runner products in terms of sustainability becomes the norm, and second, the effectiveness of the current Ecodesign legislative framework is going to be significantly improved. Within this paper, already existing front-runner approaches and recent and ongoing product policy-making processes were reviewed. Based on the results, an EU front-runner approach is outlined. The presented approach (i) refers to performance levels of the best products already available on the market, (ii) aggregates information in existing databases, and (iii) works semi-automated. Together, all three attributes have a high potential to facilitate and accelerate the specification of appropriate minimum requirements for products at the EU level. This way, EU policymakers can deliver on the core objectives of the Ecodesign legislative framework much better. The basic mechanism and its legal entrenchment of the approach are illustrated for the energy efficiency of energy-related products. In addition, the Front-Runner Approach can be applied to any product group in the scope of the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and to a wide range of product-related minimum requirements, such as durability, reparability, or recycled content. The study’s objective is to suggest a tailor-made and dynamic approach to keep the EU product legislation up to date using innovative technology based on the investigation of current regulations and identify the gap. Experiences from three international case studies suggest that a front-runner approach to setting energy-performance standards can drive innovation and reduce energy consumption via promoting energy-efficient products; transparency about available products is one of the key factors and can be established by a database. The EU front-runner approach comprises extending the existing energy label database (or making use of the digital product passport) and introducing a legislative procedure that triggers changes in the energy efficiency requirements in the specific EU regulations if the database shows that a certain threshold value is reached. Challenges such as limited EU staff capacities and opportunities such as increased dynamic are discussed.

This paper addresses the energy efficiency issue in household appliances, which has led to the establishment of policies at a global level in favor of setting minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), which guarantee end users are able to select more efficient equipment. The countries of the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the Community of the European Union were taken as references to review their policies and implementation strategies, in order to be compared with the Colombian panorama (at the market, technical and political levels). This allows the establishment of common aspects and differences related to the determination of energy consumption, adjusted volume, and formalization of efficiency ranges, and in the specific case of domestic refrigeration. Managing to distinguish the most relevant aspects for the successful adoption of these policies in Colombia. It is evident that the implementation of these guidelines has a positive impact on the market of the countries and communities of reference. Similarly, the MEPS are shown as a mechanism to regulate energy consumption in the residential sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the energy efficiency issue in household appliances, which has led to the establishment of policies at a global level in favor of setting minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), which guarantee end users are able to select more efficient equipment. The countries of the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and the Community of the European Union were taken as references to review their policies and implementation strategies, in order to be compared with the Colombian panorama (at the market, technical and political levels). This allows the establishment of common aspects and differences related to the determination of energy consumption, adjusted volume, and formalization of efficiency ranges, and in the specific case of domestic refrigeration. Managing to distinguish the most relevant aspects for the successful adoption of these policies in Colombia. It is evident that the implementation of these guidelines has a positive impact on the market of the countries and communities of reference. Similarly, the MEPS are shown as a mechanism to regulate energy consumption in the residential sector.

Energy labeling is performed according to the energy efficiency index (EEI) value in industrial refrigerators. In order to reduce the EEI value calculated according to the amount of energy consumed and the characteristics of the cooler, two systems were designed in this study and the energy label class of the coolers was determined according to the results obtained. Two systems were designed in this study and the energy label class of the refrigerators was determined according to the obtained results. In this study, two different refrigerators (Type 1 and Type 2) were designed, manufactured and tested. The systems are designed using R290 (propane). It is a new generation natural and environmentally friendly refrigerant with two inlet-outlet evaporators, double condensers and double compressors that provide a homogeneous refrigeration. During the experiments, temperature-pressure measurements of the cooled products and refrigeration system equipment were taken from certain points every minute and test data were recorded. In the experiments, the average air temperature and relative humidity values of the test chamber of the experiment with resistance glass in the Type 1refrigerator were measured as 25°C and 59,09%, respectively, the average air temperature and relative humidity values°f the test room of the Type 2 system experiment with antifogging film were measured as 25,231°C and 57,207%, respectively. In the experiments, defrosting process was carried°ut twice a day in the refrigerators. During the experiment, the highest and lowest average temperatures of the cooled products were measured as -16,18°C and -19,40°C. Increasing product temperatures during defrosting and stopping cooling increased the power consumption in the system. As a result of the calculations, the energy efficiency index value of the Type 1 resistance model was calculated to be 60,53 and it was seen that the energy label was class "E". In the Type 2 model in which anti-fog coating film is used, the energy efficiency index value is 49,25 and it has been observed that the energy label is class "D". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mandatory energy (calorie) labeling of alcoholic drinks is a public health measure that could be used to address both alcohol consumption and obesity. We systematically reviewed studies examining consumer knowledge of the energy content of alcoholic drinks, public support for energy labeling, and the effect of energy labeling of alcoholic drinks on consumption behavior. Eighteen studies were included. Among studies examining consumer knowledge of the energy content of alcoholic drinks (N = 8) and support for energy labeling (N = 9), there was moderate evidence that people are unaware of the energy content of alcoholic drinks (pooled estimate: 74% [95% CI: 64%–82%] of participants inaccurate) and support energy labeling (pooled estimate: 64% [95% CI: 53%–73%] of participants support policy). Six studies examined the effect of energy labeling on consumption behavior. In these studies, there was no evidence of a beneficial effect of labeling on alcohol drinking‐related outcome measures. However, the majority of studies were of low methodological quality and used proxy outcome measures, and none of the studies were conducted in real‐world settings, resulting in a very low level of evidence and high degree of uncertainty. Further research is required to determine whether energy labeling of alcoholic drinks is likely to be an effective public health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are a range of interventions designed to promote healthier food choices in full-service restaurants. However, it is unclear how these interventions affect dietary choices in people of lower and higher socioeconomic position (SEP).Methods: A total of 2091 US participants recruited online completed Study 1 (n = 1001) and Study 2 (n = 1090). Recruitment was stratified by participant highest education level, resulting in higher SEP and lower SEP groups. In a between-subjects design, participants made hypothetical food choices (main dish, plus optional sides and desserts) from six restaurants menus in the absence vs. presence of menu energy labelling and from menus with baseline (10%) vs. increased availability (50%) of lower energy main dishes. Data were collected and analysed in 2019. Two studies were conducted in order to examine replicability and generalisability of findings across different restaurant menu types.Results: Across both studies, increasing the availability of lower energy main menu options decreased the average energy content of the ordered main dish (- 129 kcal, 95% CI [- 139; - 119]) and total energy ordered (- 117 kcal, 95% CI [- 138; - 95]) in both higher and lower SEP participants. Energy labelling significantly reduced the energy content of ordered main dishes in higher SEP participants (- 41 kcal, 95% CI [- 54; - 29]), but not lower SEP participants (- 5 kcal, 95% CI [- 22; 11]). However, energy labelling reduced total energy ordered (- 83 kcal, 95% CI [- 105; - 60]) irrespective of SEP.Conclusions: In two virtual experiments, increasing the availability of lower energy restaurant main menu options impacted on main menu dish choice and decreased total energy ordered irrespective of SEP. Energy labelling had a less pronounced effect on total energy ordered and had a larger impact on the energy content of main menu dish choice in higher as opposed to lower SEP participants.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04336540 retrospectively registered (7 April, 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increased tourist activity, many cities now have a large number of hotel buildings. It is necessary to establish measures to evaluate energy use intensity to effectively manage energy consumption in this sector. This study uses a combined strategy to establish an energy benchmark for hotel buildings in Vietnam. First, a survey and analysis of actual building stock data of 50 hotels in Danang, Vietnam, was conducted. The survey-based benchmark and its related data was then used to build a reference energy model to estimate an energy benchmark for other climatic regions in Vietnam by using the energy simulation method. The results reveal that the average energy use intensity for hotels in Danang was 87.4 kWh/m2.year or 8628.6 kWh/guestroom.year. However, this study proposes that because of the differing expectations of comfort standards, hotels of different grades should have separate benchmarks. This study also proposes an energy intensity-based rating scale, including 7 grades from the least energy intensive (grade A) to the most energy intensive (grade G), which can be used to manage, label, or encourage sustainable energy use in hotel buildings. The relationship between the energy use intensity and the occupancy rate of the hotels was reported, compared, and explained. It was found that occupancy rate has no significant impact on the energy use intensity. From the survey result, some predictive models were developed to estimate annual energy consumption of hotel buildings based on their grades. The simulated benchmarks for other regions were also achieved. The results demonstrate many potential applications in the management, design and construction, and renovation of this building type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The latest revisions in April 2018 of the 2010/31/UE and 2012/27/UE Directives on Energy Efficiency and Energy Savings respectively, point out the need of the development of smart energy indexes for buildings with the aim to (i) supervise the energy consumption on the building sector -that currently represents up to one third of the total final energy consumption- and (ii) lead the appropriate actions to transform the current buildings stock to nearly Zero Energy Buildings and Positive Energy Buildings. From public managed buildings, the Health System is the first energy consumer with great difference with other government administration sectors, such as Education or General Administration. Moreover, the energy bill has great impact on the sustainability of the public health care system. However, very few real data were available to characterize the energy demand on public buildings, which are usually the most intensive energy consumers, and efficiency indexes were usually obtained from simulation results. Nevertheless, thanks to the deployment of Smart Metering systems in the last years, it is possible to access to the true energy demand profiles of hundreds of these buildings. In this paper, with three years historical monthly electrical energy consumption data from the health system of the region of Castilla y León in Spain -including hospitals, outpatient facilities, clinics and other medical institutions- and the application of data mining techniques, an end-use electrical energy analysis was conducted to cluster the building housing according to the energy consumption into several energy use intensity clusters and, then, an average value and a Reference Building Energy Index for each cluster is proposed. Thus, a true energy labeling of these buildings based on their distance to the Reference Building Energy Index is done and presented in georeferenced maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the degree of food environment policies that have been implemented and supported by the Malaysian Government, in comparison to international best practice, and to establish prioritised recommendations for the government based on the identified implementation gaps.Design: The Healthy Food-Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) comprises forty-seven indicators of government policy practice. Local evidence of each indicator was compiled from government institutions and verified by related government stakeholders. The extent of implementation of the policies was rated by experts against international best practices. Rating results were used to identify and propose policy actions which were subsequently prioritised by the experts based on 'importance' and 'achievability' criteria. The policy actions with relatively higher 'achievability' and 'importance' were set as priority recommendations for government action.Setting: Malaysia.Subjects: Twenty-six local experts.Results: Majority (62 %) of indicators was rated 'low' implementation with no indicator rated as either 'high' or 'very little, if any' in terms of implementation. The top five recommendations were (i) restrict unhealthy food marketing in children's settings and (ii) on broadcast media; (iii) mandatory nutrition labelling for added sugars; (iv) designation of priority research areas related to obesity prevention and diet-related non-communicable diseases; and (v) introduce energy labelling on menu boards for fast-food outlets.Conclusions: This first policy study conducted in Malaysia identified a number of gaps in implementation of key policies to promote healthy food environments, compared with international best practices. Study findings could strengthen civil society advocacies for government accountability to create a healthier food environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a series of experimental tasks this study investigates two questions about the federal labeling program for home appliances: (1) the likely impact of the labels on consumers; and (2) the relative effect of alternative information formats. Results indicate that the labels can communicate useful information, but, by themselves, do not produce significant behavioral change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study examined two components of consumer understanding of food energy information: understanding the concept of energy and its quantity. Using this new framework, we investigated whether activity-equivalent labels facilitated interpretations of food energy compared with calorie labels and whether an image format would strengthen this facilitative effect compared with text.Design: We assessed the effect of energy representation and format in a 2 (activity v. calories)×2 (image v. text) between-subjects design. Conceptual understanding of energy was measured in terms of level of understanding and personal engagement. Quantitative understanding was measured in terms of participants' estimations of a food's contribution to their recommended daily intake and perceptions of energy values as precise or single-bound interval estimates.Setting: The experiment was conducted online through Qualtrics.Subjects: Eight hundred and twelve participants (55 % female, age range 18-74 years) were recruited through a national survey panel in the UK.Results: Participants were twice more likely to have a stronger conceptual understanding of energy and four times more likely to personally engage with activity labels v. calorie labels. Participants did not differ across labels in their estimations of energy quantities; however, they inferred quantities to mean exactly the stated number of calories, but at least the stated activity duration. There were no added benefits in presenting an image over the text format.Conclusions: Activity labels can facilitate conceptual understanding of energy, but may be subject to quantitative misinterpretations. Nutrition communication should consider what people infer from quantities represented on labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • New analytical method to find the optimal insulation thickness in refrigerators. • The method is suitable for both single and dual compartment configurations. • The method can provide the optimal configuration for a given energy efficiency index. • Vacuum insulation panels can be easily included in the optimization strategy. • Method extended considering the ventilation channel clearance behind the unit. Abstract Determination of the optimal insulation thickness is of great relevance in many thermal engineering applications. In this paper, a simple optimization strategy based on the Lagrange multipliers is presented. The optimal set of thicknesses is analytically found for different constraints and objective functions of interest for the refrigeration industry. Namely, the minimization of heat losses in a single compartment with fixed internal and external volumes and the optimal configuration for a prescribed energy efficiency index. Then, these two basic problems are extended for configurations with two compartments, e.g. domestic refrigerators–freezers, and for configurations with vacuum insulation panels. Optimization problems for realistic configurations show the great potential of the proposed methodology for industrial refrigeration applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: I study how consumers respond to competing pieces of information that differ in their degree of complexity and informativeness. In particular, I study the choice of refrigerators in the United States, where a mandatory disclosure labelling program provides detailed information about energy cost, and a certification labelling program provides a simple binary‐star rating related to energy use. I find that the coarse certification may help some consumers to pay attention to energy information, but for others, it may crowd out efforts to process more accurate, but complex, energy information. The effect of the certification on overall energy use is thus ambiguous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy labels are a key element of energy efficiency policies. They provide information on appliances' energy consumption and aim at increasing consumers' attention to this characteristic. A well-known example is the EU Energy Label, which is required by law to be displayed on most energy-using durables in the EU as well as in Switzerland. In cooperation with a large online retailer in Switzerland we assess the impact of the EU Energy Label and of a newly designed monetary lifetime-oriented energy label in the field. We analyze private purchases of household appliances, especially freezers, vacuum cleaners and tumble dryers. We find that the display of any of the two energy labels increases the sales proportion of energy-efficient appliances compared to the absence of any energy label. At the same time, we observe a volume-effect for freezers: The average size of purchased freezers is larger when any of the two energy labels is displayed compared to the absence of any energy label. The influence of the two different energy labels is similar except for vacuum cleaners, for which monetary information might have an adverse effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work investigates the suitability of a new method for the calculation of the performance indicators of domestic solar water heating systems, within the framework of the European Directive implementation for energy labeling of water heating devices. The various methodology approaches suggested by the directives for the calculation of the expected energy yield from the solar thermal products are being analyzed. The presence of significant issues of reliability and objectivity is being brought out, particularly with regard to the SOLCAL method, which is used for the estimation of the expected energy yield of a thermal energy system, by means of the characteristics of each individual component which the system consists of. A detailed documentation and experimental validation of a new method for the estimation of the expected energy yield of a solar only water heater is outlined. The performance of the proposed method is assessed based on an extensive experimental investigation, whereby discrepancies of the order of 7% or less were obtained for the daily energy yield. From the comparison of performance of the new method against that of the SOLCAL method it is inferred that the former constitutes a reliable alternative choice in the context of energy labeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Directives set regulations on the energy efficiency, environmental, and information requirements of energy related products entering the EU market. Each individual product regulation stipulates that the EU Commission must undertake a review after a certain number of years. This review stage is crucial to improve the effectiveness and ambition of regulations, and also presents an opportunity to include new resource efficiency aspects. The strength of a review depends on the review process, which has followed various approaches in each reviewed product group so far. This article aims to summarise and discuss these varying review processes and identify their differences and shortcomings. The analysis is based on comparing the review processes to the standard Methodology for Ecodesign of Energy related Products (MEErP) used in preparatory studies to develop new Ecodesign regulations. Analysis questions were discussed with a small number of experts to gain deeper insights on opportunities and difficulties; suggestions are made for improving future review processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy labels are a powerful instrument to influence the electricity consumption of appliances and lighting devices in households. However, the real consumption data depend on a number of different factors, including marketing policies, purchase preferences, technology development, and last but not least behavioural habits. While white appliance consumption trends tend to change over a longer period, the use of entertainment devices changes quickly. A number of different devices (digital versatile disc (DVD) player, decoder, game console, home theater, video recorder) are normally connected to the main television set, and these devices change rapidly, and, at the same time, new behaviors are emerging. There is an increasing gap between, on one hand, the higher consumption of televisions and connected devices and the number of regulations developed for their regulation, and, on the other hand, the lack of knowledge on the real onsite consumption. In order to fill this gap, in 2017, a measurement campaign was promoted and developed in some households in northern Italy. The consumption of 28 main televisions and 14 entertainment systems was measured on a daily basis for at least two weeks. Standby consumptions were measured as well. On the basis of outcomes evaluated, it results that these devices are responsible for 9.3% of total electricity consumption as an average of 5.6% for televisions and 3.7% of the attached devices. Standby consumption is still considerably high (3.6% of the total electricity consumption), especially for satellite decoders. Some interesting correlations were studied highlighting the effect of the introduction of the energy labels or the increasing size of the TV over time. The main results obtained were compared to those of previous monitoring campaigns launched in Italy.

This paper uses the survey data on household electricity demand from five districts of Vientiane, Lao PDR, for the demand projection up to 2030 using the end-use model. The scenario analysis is used to verify the potential of an energy-saving program by alternating selected appliances with more energy-efficient ones following the labelling standard of Thailand. The demographic structure of electrified households and the energy efficiency of electric appliances are considered as the dominant factors affecting electricity demand. Under the base-case scenario, the total electricity demand of Vientiane increased from 593 GWh in 2013 to 965 GWh in 2030. In the energy efficiency scenario, it is revealed that the appliance standard enhancement program can save total electricity demand in 2030 by 147 GWh (−15.2%), where 117 GWh (−12.1%) of which is contributed by the air conditioner and 30 GWh (−3.1%) by the lighting equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased electricity consumption and environmental impacts of Information Communication Technology (ICT) have been subjects of research since the 1990s. This paper focuses on consumer electronics in households, in particular TVs, computers and their peripherals. ICT accounts for almost 15% of global domestic electricity use, including waste energy from devices left on standby which is estimated in the EU-27 to contribute 6% of residential energy demand. In Europe, the household electricity consumption from small electronic appliances, including ICT, increased by 2.5 times in 2011 compared to 1990. Similarly, in the UK, energy demand from electronic devices accounted for 23% of total household electricity use in 2012, compared to 12% in 1990. This is an outcome of the market saturation of new, cheaper ICT entertainment devices, facilitated by marketing strategies which identify new needs for consumers, as charted by the review of market growth in this paper. New increasingly portable laptops, smart phones and tablets with wireless connectivity allow householders to perform a wider range of activities in a wider range of locations throughout the home, such as social networking while the television is active. We suggest that policies which consider how to increase the energy efficiency of ICT devices alone are unlikely to be successful since effective strategies need to address how the drivers which have developed around the use of ICT can be adapted in order to conserve electricity in households. A range of policy solutions are discussed, including feedback, public information campaigns, environmental education, energy labelling, bans of, or taxation on the least efficient products as well as the use of a TV as central hub to perform the existing functions of multiple devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses the consequences of recent European Regulations concerning the integration of water and/or space heating systems within the framework of the European Directives for Energy Labelling and Ecodesign. This development undoubtedly creates a completely new environment for the production and commercial distribution of solar thermal products, for the benefit of both producers and distributors of heating-energy handling appliances, as well as for the end users of those devices. This paper will first outline the requirements of the relevant regulations and highlight the critical parameters affecting the classification of products in energy classes. Specific failures, ambiguities and deficiencies related to the proposed procedures are indicated and discussed, noting that these factors can potentially undermine the objectivity, impartiality and effectiveness of the products' evaluation. It will conclude by proposing specific corrective measures which could be considered through the periodic revision anticipated in the Regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developing novel multi-level benchmarks. • Identifying benchmarks for electricity and thermal energy for office buildings. • Presentation a base for short/long-term energy efficiency plans. • Analyzing energy efficiency and consumption in details. • Creating a dataset, including building and energy information. Energy benchmarking is an accurate tool to measure, monitor, and reduce end-use energy consumption in the building sector using comparison scenarios. Various studies have applied Bottom-Up energy consumption assessment to compare the energy performance of a group of buildings with a benchmark. The Bottom-Up method mostly relies on simulating an ideal building to develop a benchmark. However, this study has developed a Top-Down energy benchmarking methodology based on the actual energy consumption within a cluster of governmental office buildings. The method presents multi-level benchmarks to provide a detailed policy for improving the energy efficiency of buildings in the short or long-term. In an exploratory study, 26 office buildings in a cold climate region were investigated to identify the multi-level benchmarks. Four general benchmark levels were developed, including the 'Best Practice, 'Good Practice', 'Benchmark', and 'Poor Practice'. In addition, 15 energy efficiency classes were also introduced and applied as a base for developing the 'Energy Performance Certificate' method. The results indicate that the benchmark values for electricity and natural gas are 40 and 252 kWh/m2/yr, respectively, while the total energy benchmark is 292 kWh/m2/yr. According to the benchmarking results, 69% of the case studies were inefficient, 23% were labeled 'C', and no cases were labeled 'A' or 'B'. The multi-level benchmarking system can provide quick and clear guidance for building designers, operators, and government regulation/enforcement agencies; thus, it can apply at local, regional, and international levels. These benchmark levels establish reference points for measuring and rewarding good performance, on the other hand, it recognizes poor-performance buildings and prioritizes them for energy efficiency improvement. The method can be replicated in various climates and urban scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of valuable data are being collected in the energy performance certificate (EPC) schemes. These data offer a huge potential, in terms of enabling researches to study energy demand in buildings and related causalities. However, revisions of the national schemes and calculation methods necessitate a standardization of the results from the various schemes. The primary focus of this research is on checking the consistency of converting labels with a given classification from an old scheme directly into that of a newer scheme. Furthermore, a general check is carried out, to review the consistency within each scheme, since the collected data are handled by several stakeholders which use different calculation tools. In the study, several instances were found, where a simple conversion of a building's energy label classification did not agree with the classification calculated anew, according to the present scheme. The number of inconsistent records was found to vary from scheme to scheme; most of the inconsistent classifications were found in the early schemes however. Fortunately, most information is stored at a disaggregated level, which means that classifications can easily be recalculated. In addition to the inconsistent EPC classifications, a number of corrupt records were observed, in which the energy frame did not seem to agree with the calculated energy demand for heating and electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses quality and impact issues concerning Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) by means of a dataset based upon the Swedish EPCs for single-family houses. Assuming that the quality of the certificates plays an important role for their impact, we examine to what extent various characteristics of the firms and experts issuing the certificates are influencing their assessments of energy consumption and energy conservation. Exploiting the information on biased assessments, we also investigate the relationship between the transaction price of a house and its EPC label. Doing so, we distinguish the attributes that can be observed by visiting the house and those that a buyer only can inform herself about through the EPC. Applying regression analyses we find that firm and expert characteristics matter quite a lot implying that the EPC-quality could be improved considerably by increasing the inter-rater reliability. The results also show that the price impact of the energy label is related to information that the buyers can obtain by visiting the house rather than to information uniquely provided by the EPCs. Hence, the EPCs per se are unlikely to stimulate energy conservation through the price mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past days, many consumers could simply unplug their appliances and go on holidays, assuming that their electricitymeter would just stop. Standby power is a power consumed by an appliance when switched off or not performing its primaryfunctions. Standby power consumption provides good oppourtunity for reducing both energy consumption and green housegas emissions. Through co-operation among governments, industry and consumers and the co-ordination of internationalpolicies, standby modes can be made more efficient, thereby reducing the overall demand for power.In this paper, standby power consumption of various domestic appliances was determined using an energy cost meter. Theexperimental results shows that the standby power of various house hold electrical appliances is consuming more electricityduring standby mode.

One of the alternatives to reduce building energy consumption recognized and used internationally is establishing standards for the evaluation and classification of buildings in terms of energy performance. In developed countries, the introduction of energy efficiency codes for residential and non-residential buildings started around the time of the first oil crisis in the mid-70s. Ten years later, Brazil has started implemented measures aimed at the conservation and rational use of energy. Initiatives in this regard began with the implementation of the Brazilian Labeling Program, where consumers are provided with information on the energy efficiency of appliances. However, the first energy efficiency law stimulated the most notable improvement in energy efficiency in 2001 after national energy crisis. As a result, the Regulation for Energy Efficiency Labeling of Commercial, Service and Public Buildings (RTQ-C) was released in February 2009 and the Regulation for Energy Efficiency Labeling of Residential Buildings (RTQ-R) was released in November 2010. Nowadays, the labeling of residential, commercial and service buildings is voluntary and the labeling of federal public buildings is mandatory since 2014. This paper presents a review of the building energy efficiency codes and labeling schemes all over the world, an overview of the Brazilian regulations on energy efficiency and discusses the labeling scheme for residential buildings adopted in Brazil. The process of its implementation, strengths and weaknesses in the present labeling scheme and the similarities and differences in relation to international experiences are described. The results obtained to date indicate that a revision is required in order to achieve a more flexible and economically viable process that will enable the program to be established as compulsory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers in many countries are developing surrogate models to estimate the energy performance of the building stock. In Brazil, the building energy labelling system can be performed using a simplified method which is based on a basic surrogate model using multiple linear regressions. Based on the limitations associated with this model the aim of this study was to develop a more accurate surrogate model to predict the annual cooling energy demand of commercial buildings. The combination of all possible variations of the properties and their values resulted in more than 2.5 quadrillion cases. One million cases sampled by Latin Hypercube method were considered. Several statistical modelling techniques were tested to generate the surrogate model: multiple linear regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines, support vector machines, the Gaussian process, random forests and artificial neural networks. The surrogate model was applied into a medium office to observe the difference between building energy simulation results. The results showed that the artificial neural network method presented the best performance, with a NRMSE below 1%. The validation procedure indicates that the novel surrogate model is able to describe the relation between inputs data and cooling energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-situ estimation of the thermal resistance (Rc-value) of walls in buildings is of major significance to determine their energy performance. The exact construction of walls is generally unknown, especially in older buildings, making the estimation of the Rc-value inaccurate. In-situ measurement is generally not being performed because, for the current standard method (ISO 9869), generally a measurement period of more than ten days is required. In the present paper, a new transient in-situ measurement method (Excitation Pulse Method, EPM) based on the theory of response factors is derived, applied experimentally on three walls, showing that it is possible to measure the Rc-value within less than 2 h. The results are compared to the ones obtained by ISO 9869 method, showing a good agreement. Additionnally, EPM measurement technique can provide the average Volumetric Heat Capacity and thermal conductivity. It is also shown that the ISO 9869 method can be easily improved by using an additional heat flux meter. EPM is believed to make a significant contribution to the quick and accurate estimation of the thermal resistance in unknown constructions and therefore to the accuracy of the prediction of energy consumption in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Menu energy labelling at point of purchase is gaining traction worldwide, yet the potential impact for different socioeconomic groups is unclear. We aimed to summarise evidence on the effectiveness of menu energy labelling by socioeconomic position (SEP).Methods: A systematic search for papers published to September 2015 was conducted using terms for labelling, food outlets, and SEP. Quality of studies was assessed. Results were summarised across stages of an intervention logic pathway.Results: Eighteen papers were identified. Of twelve studies reporting the effect of menu energy labelling in low SEP populations, six reported on purchase outcomes. All but one of these reported no positive effect of the policy for this population. Two of the five studies that compared purchase outcomes of menu labelling across SEP groups reported that the policy was effective overall. These two studies reported either a significant decline in fast food calories purchased from consumers in high (but not low) SEP neighbourhoods or a significantly greater decline in calories purchased among consumers visiting stores in higher SEP neighbourhoods post policy implementation. None of the included papers reached the highest quality score.Conclusions: The current evidence describing the impact of menu energy labelling within or across SEP is limited in quantity and quality. Of the two studies that reported a positive benefit of menu energy labelling overall, both identified a greater effect on fast food purchases among consumers visiting stores in high compared to low SEP neighbourhoods. It is difficult to know whether the absence of effectiveness reported in low SEP populations represents a true lack of effectiveness or is a result of a more general lack of policy effectiveness or the limited quality of the reviewed studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household failure to minimize the total costs of energy-consuming investments has become known as the 'energy efficiency gap.' This paper explores if this is partly the result of imperfect information related to future energy costs. We test this hypothesis by adding 5-year consumption cost labels to the tumble dryer lineup of four outlets of an Irish electrical retailer. Although we observe a reduction in the average energy consumption of dryer sales, our analysis does not show a statistically significant effect. However, we highlight a number of experimental limitations in our trial which potentially undermine this treatment effect. In addition, mixed findings from previous research suggest that further trials should be conducted before 'lifetime' energy cost labelling is removed from potential policy options to increase the energy efficiency of household appliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Washing machines in Europe have to comply with regulations fixed in the Energy Label and Ecodesign legislation. They require declaration of the specific consumption and performance values which are deduced as average values from tests on three different treatments. Detailed data about the individual tests are normally not available to the public but just kept in the technical documentation of the manufacturer. Within the ATLETE II project 62 washing machines were measured to verify their compliance with the declared value. As this was an EU funded project all data are now also publicly available. This set of detailed measured data was used first to get a deeper inside into the performances and consumption values of the specific parameters and second to see how different the approaches are between manufacturers to achieve the same or similar declaration values. Additionally it could be shown that there are significant differences between those programmes used for the declaration and those offered as "normal" programmes to the consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Windows are a valuable source of daylight, on the other hand they influence to a large extent the heating/cooling demand of buildings. Reduction of the energy consumption is one of the key elements of the strategy of the European Union member states. New low-energy buildings should be built using advanced technology and design techniques while the energy-related products used for their construction should be labeled for their energy efficiency. There are several windows energy labeling systems in Europe; however, these systems concentrate on the heating and/or cooling purposes and do not take into account the energy impact of windows on lighting demand. In this article analysis of possibilities and limitations of energy performance of windows evaluation is presented. The study includes various factors that affect energy characteristic of windows as well as their impact on the energy demand for heating, cooling and lighting of a building in different operating conditions. The results indicate the importance of the daylighting in the energy performance assessment of windows as well as a need to develop an appropriate set of reference data for a given location or main operational parameters of the building. Windows energy certification system can provide accuracy and easy to use information for customers. It may also improve the quality of products available on the market. However it may lead to abuses and promotion of solutions beneficial for specific groups of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented study investigated the long-term effects of four different gilt development strategies on sow lifetime performance and longevity. Five hundred Norwegian Landrace x Yorkshire animals were offered two dietary energy levels during rearing: 13.2–29.0 MJ NE/d (High) or 10.6–22.9 MJ NE/d (Norm), and two dietary energy levels during mid-gestation (day 42–94); 27.3 MJ NE/d (High) or 22.3 MJ NE/d (Norm). Dietary treatments were only imposed in parity one. While no clear long-term effect was found on lifetime weight and backfat development, the survivability in lower parities was higher among sows offered the highest dietary energy levels during parity one. These sows also had the numerically highest number of produced piglets per sow lifetime. This study provides insight into how different gilt development strategies influence development and lifetime performance of a modern genotype sow, in a commercial setting. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Saving energy is an important pillar for the mitigation of climate change. Electric devices (e.g., freezer and television) are an important player in the residential sector in the final demand for energy. Consumers’ purchase decisions are therefore crucial to successfully reach the energy-efficiency goals. Putting energy labels on products is often considered an adequate way of empowering consumers to make informed purchase decisions. Consequently, this approach should contribute to reducing overall energy consumption. The effectiveness of its measurement depends on consumers’ use and interpretation of the information provided. Despite advances in energy efficiency and a mandatory labeling policy, final energy consumption per capita is in many countries still increasing. This paper provides a systematic analysis of consumers’ reactions to one of the most widely used eco-labels, the European Union (EU) energy label, by using eye-tracking methodology as an objective measurement. The study’s results partially support the EU’s mandatory policy, showing that the energy label triggers attention toward energy information in general. However, the energy label’s effect on consumers’ actual product choices seems to be rather low. The study’s results show that the currently used presentation format on the label is insufficient. The findings suggest that it does not facilitate the integration of energy-related information. Furthermore, the current format can attract consumers to focus more on energy-efficiency information, leading them to disregard information about actual energy consumption. As a result, the final energy consumption may increase because excellent ratings on energy efficiency (e.g., A++) do not automatically imply little consumption. Finally, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors evaluate the potential of green marketing and its limitations in solving society’s environmental problems. The streams of research in the green marketing area are reviewed and their assumptions andefficaciesare discussed. While green marketing has some positive societal outcomes, on its own it is an insufficient solution to societal environmental problems in general and to humanity’s existential threat from climate change in particular. The authors analyze and discuss the roles and responsibilities of business, citizen-consumers, and government in contributing environmental solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union energy label informs consumers at the point of sale about the energy efficiency and electricity consumption of various electric goods. The label should enable consumers to purchase energy-friendly products (i.e., products with low energy consumption), thereby making a significant contribution to the reduction of overall energy consumption. This paper offers a systematic analysis of consumers' interpretation of the energy label. The results of a set of experimental studies revealed that consumers tend to base their estimates of a product's energy consumption mainly on the energy efficiency class (e.g., A) communicated on the energy label and largely ignore information about annual electricity consumption (e.g., 120 kWh/year). Thereby, consumers potentially overestimate the energy friendliness of a product assigned a high energy efficiency rating. This also holds true when consumers directly compare two products in terms of energy friendliness. Thus, participants chose a higher-consuming product because it had a high energy efficiency rating. High energy efficiency ratings (e.g., A +++ ) can distort consumers' perceptions of product categories that consume excessively (e.g., freezers). Participants were seduced into thinking that a high energy efficiency rating (e.g., A ++ ) means the energy consumption of energy hogs is no longer problematic. This paper provides evidence that the energy label could have a contrary effect than the one intended due to people's susceptibility to an energy efficiency fallacy. This misinterpretation of the energy label could further explain why overall energy demand is increasing despite enhanced energy efficiency. Finally, implications for policy makers and further research for enhancement of the energy label are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union stresses the accent on the need of energy consumption and expenditure data related to housing stock (EP, 2010). Most of housing and living conditions databases of Member States investigate the housing status of a concerned region through a survey to be submitted to the sampled households. The assessment of energy performance then requires a simplified energy performance certification method, based on qualitative variables. In this paper the French Enquête Nationale Logements (ENL) is considered. A conversion algorithm is elaborated to refer each of the ENL housing units to a reference building and a reference HVAC system of the European Typology Approach for Building Stock Energy Assessment database (TABULA–EPISCOPE, 2013) for France. The ENL housing stock is better specified in its technical and energetic features through a typological data crossing. As a result, an energy label and an energy performance index expressed in [(kWh, ep)/(m 2 year)] are issued for every single ENL row. The calculation outcomes are assessed through a sensitivity analysis and compared to other national statistics; finally the distribution of energy labels is discussed. Many purposes of results exploitations are cited, concerning in particular the fuel poverty evaluation and the energy expenditure per household estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new procedure for 'automatic' dishwasher programmes is developed and tested under laboratory conditions in comparison to the standard test programme (called Eco programme) to increase the comparative aspect of dishwasher testing and the consumer relevance of current dishwasher test standard EN 50242/EN 60436. It is assessed if the sensors in the 'automatic' programme are able to detect the current usage conditions and react adequately with varying amounts of load and soil. Due to the fact that consumers tend to underestimate the loading capacity of their dishwasher and that the amount of soil found in dishwashers at home is lower than in the standard, the new approach focuses on lower amounts of dishware and soil to be cleaned in a dishwasher using the 'automatic' programme. Five different scenarios with one to three repetitions are tested and, while the highest level is a test with 100 % of the rated loading capacity and soil, the amount is lowered until the machine is tested completely empty. The comparison between the Eco and the 'automatic' programmes reveals big differences in the average consumption values and also concerning the capability of the machine to adapt the programme course depending on the conditions applied. The results of the tests emphasise the importance of extending the test portfolio of household dishwashers and including the results of the 'automatic' programme test scenario onto the energy label. This would enhance the up to now limited information on dishwasher performance and consumption values due to testing only one programme with maximum load and soil. It is of great importance that the combination of low consumption and high performance values, which is essential for most consumers, is not only considered in the Eco programme but also in the second most used 'automatic' programme under different consumer-relevant load and soil levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]