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Energy renovations of the building stock are a paramount objective of the European Union (EU) to combat climate change. A tool for renovation progress monitoring is energy performance certificate (EPC) labelling. The present study tested the effect of different EPC label classifications on a national database, which comprises ~25,000 EPC values from apartment buildings, detached houses, office buildings, and educational, commercial, and service buildings. Analysing the EPC classes labelling resulting from four different EU methods, we estimated the annual renovation rates, costs, energy savings, and CO2 emissions reduction that would affect the national building stock if each of them was adopted, to fulfil the European Climate Target Plan by the year 2033. The ISO 52003-1:2017 two-point and one-point methods determined a very uneven distribution of renovation rates, from 0.45% to ~9%. Conversely, the Directive 15% recently proposed in COM/2021/802 with uniform rates determined smaller differences and standard deviation, not pushing renovations above 3.70%, namely a rate that once fine-tuned can stimulate realistic, yet effective renovation campaigns. The major differences in renovation rates provided by the studied methods show the need for a harmonized strategy such as the Directive proposal to enable achievement of European targets. [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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of Relo grinding media (RGM, Reuleaux tetrahedron-shaped bodies) performance versus standard grinding media (balls) was made through a series of grinding tests, including a slight modification of the standard Bond test procedure. Standard Bond tests showed a reduction in the Bond ball mill work index (wi) of the mineral sample used in this study when using Relo grinding media. The modified Bond test procedure is based on using the standard Bond ball work index test but changing the circulating loads (350%, 250%, 150%, 100%). The comparative tests with RGM were carried out at the same number of revolutions as the grinding tests with balls at respective circulating load. The RGM charge yielded a 14% higher net undersize product than balls, which hints at improving energy efficiency and the potential for significant mining industry benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]