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The distributional impact of the low-carbon transition is an increasingly important topic both for academics and policymakers. Quantifying where the costs and benefits fall can provide greater insight into the equity and cost-effectiveness of government policies, and improve our understanding of household investment decisions. This paper provides new evidence on the distribution of returns from energy efficiency measures both over time and across household-type. A range of econometric techniques are applied to a database of over four million households over an eight year period to quantify heterogeneity, persistence and how these factors impact the relative cost-effectiveness of measures. Results suggest that more deprived households experience lower energy savings, the difference persists over time, and that significantly heterogeneity may be present across levels of deprivation and income deciles that can not be explained by differences in baseline consumption. Measures have been largely cost-effective but savings are much lower than previous policy evaluations using ex-ante estimates would suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy accounts for 33 percent of the primary energy consumption across the world. Current world faces a major waste and climate change crisis. In many developing countries, over the past two and a half centuries, a variety of renewable power techniques have been actively pursued in distinct fields in the fields of research, growth, demonstration, manufacturing, and implementation. A replacement for fossil fuels using waste biomass is essential and considered as a promising strategy to meet our energy needs. At the same time, the emissions of greenhouse gas and managing municipal solid waste have to become crucial due to growing population demand. Biomass includes the energy stored in the sun and plants. It also serves as a primary energy source. Plants absorb the power of the sun during the process called photosynthesis. When biomass is combusted, chemical energy can be released into biomass as heat that can be used for domestic applications. The use of biomass results in management expenses contributes to climate changes, decrease the risk to lives and assets thereby ensure a safe and competitive energy source for the beneficial impact on the environment and the economy. This paper overviews about various applications of renewable energy sources produced from the municipal wastes and microbes. Prospects for the commercialization of bio-algal fuels, applications, and its challenges are discussed. The role of microbes (microalgae) in the energy production process and to use bioenergy as a future trend for economic development is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building performance evaluation is generally carried out through a non-automated process, where computational models are iteratively built and simulated, and their energy demand is calculated. This study presents a computational tool that automates the generation of optimal building designs in respect of their Life Cycle Carbon Footprint (LCCF) and Life Cycle Costs (LCC). This is achieved by an integration of three computational concepts: (a) A designated space-allocation generative-design application, (b) Using building geometry as a parameter in NSGA-II optimization and (c) Life Cycle performance (embodied carbon and operational carbon, through the use of thermal simulations for LCCF and LCC calculation). Examining the generation of a two-storey terrace house building, located in London, UK, the study shows that a set of building parameters combinations that resulted with a pareto front of near-optimal buildings, in terms of LCCF and LCC, could be identified by using the tool. The study shows that 80% of the optimal building's LCCF are related to the building operational stage (σ = 2), while 77% of the building's LCC is related to the initial capital investment (σ = 2). Analysis further suggests that space heating is the largest contributor to the building's emissions, while it has a relatively low impact on costs. Examining the optimal building in terms compliance requirements (the building with the best operational performance), the study demonstrated how this building performs poorly in terms of Life Cycle performance. The paper further presents an analysis of various life-cycle aspects, for example, a year-by-year performance breakdown, and an investigation into operational and embodied carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the dual goals of achieving carbon peak and carbon neutralization, it is of great practical significance to explore the impact of product information labeling on technological innovation. As an essential element in improving energy performance in consumer products, energy-efficiency labels (EEL) have played a vital role in the government's portfolio of energy-efficiency improvement, technological progress, and carbon emission mitigation. We estimate the extent of the inductive effects of varying patent types on the relationship between the EEL system and technological innovation in a panel differences-indifferences framework based on the panel data of energy-saving patents and electricity-saving patents from 1998 to 2013 in China. Results indicate that the EEL system helps firms improve the ratio of energy-saving and electricity-saving patents to water-saving patents, and the rate of energy-saving and electricity-saving patents to all patents in the region. In another word, the EEL has a significant directed technological inducing effect. As for the role of the heterogeneity of patent types, the positive effects of the EEL system on invention patents are significantly suppressed in patent-for-utility models. Thus, it is suggested to improve the existing EEL system, gradually expand the product coverage of the EEL system, and increase the protection scope of utility model patents for achieving technological progress and sustainable development of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Window opening behaviour is an important factor which affects the consumption of building energy. Finding out the driving factors and establishing an accurate model for window opening behaviour can improve the accuracy of the simulation of building energy consumption. However, the window opening behaviour is affected by various driving factors and has strong uncertainty, which brings difficulties for the dynamic simulation of building energy consumption. Residential buildings that were chosen had a similar number of residents, and indoor and outdoor environmental parameters and states of the windows were monitored for one year in Xi'an. The multi-factor variance method was used to analyse the influence of environmental factors, and logistic regression and back propagation neural network models were established for different seasons. The study found that the window opening frequency in the bedroom is higher than in the living room. The driving factors which affect window opening behaviour vary with seasons, and indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity are the dominant factors. The accuracy of the proposed BP neural network models is above 70%, and the area under curve value is all above 0.7. These models can provide theoretical support for the modelling of the residential building in Xi'an. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the paper, we examine the energy consumption efficiency of specialized container diesel trucks engaged in container transportation at a seaport terminal. Objectives: Using the container terminal at Klaipėda in Lithuania as the background for the research, we produced an improved energy consumption model for measuring the theoretical energy consumption and regeneration of diesel trucks at the terminal and provide a comparative analysis. Methods: We created a mathematical model which describes the instantaneous energy consumption of the diesel trucks, taking into account their dynamic properties and the overall geometry of their routes—"Ship-Truck-Stack-Ship"—using the superposition principle. We investigated other critical parameters relevant to the model and provide a statistical evaluation of the transportation process using data from a case study of Klaipėda port, where we collected measurements of container transportation parameters using georeferenced movement detection and logs from wireless equipment positioned on the diesel-powered container trucks. Results: The modeling results showed that an instantaneous evaluation of energy consumption can reveal areas in the container transportation process which have the highest energy loss and require the introduction of new management and process control initiatives to address the regulations which are designed to decrease harmful industrial emissions and encourage novel technologies and thereby increase the eco-friendliness of existing systems. Conclusion: Based on the research results, the article can provide a reference for the estimation of diesel truck efficiency in seaport terminal operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensor network is a collection of sensor nodes designed with different routing capabilities to operate on real-world applications. In extreme environments, real-time applications of wireless sensor network ensure exchange of data, a difficult one between the sensor nodes, when less resources are consumed. Therefore, researchers are developing a routing protocol including optimal routing procedures to increase the longevity of the networks. In this paper, an improved route extension architecture is developed in wireless sensor network environment. This Improved Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing is proposed to offer an improved transmission coverage and reduced power consumption capability. It deploys a periodic broadcast of hello message (or control messages) including the positional information between the sensor nodes. The experimental result concludes that the Improved Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing method achieves improved routing capabilities than the traditional hybrid protocols like LEACH and Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy rebound effect is a potential threat to energy-saving targets based on energy efficiency improvements. This paper employs a stochastic energy demand frontier model to analyze the energy demand and rebound effect in China's urban residential sector. Using a panel data set of 30 Chinese provincial-level regions over the period 2001-2014, for the first time, we investigate the degrees and determinants of China's urban residential energy demand and energy rebound effect. The results show that residents' income level, energy price, temperature deviation, population scale, household size, and district heating system are significant influencing factors of residential energy consumption. Regarding the energy rebound effect, we find that energy price is negatively correlated with the rebound effect, and an inverted U-shaped relationship between residents' income level and rebound-effect size exists. The magnitude of the rebound effect varies across regions, with an average of 65.4%. The main policy implication generated by this study is that it should be in urgent need of energy pricing reform to mitigate the rebound effect in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is one of the limited studies to investigate rebound effects in sectoral electricity consumption and the specific case of New Zealand. New Zealand, like other OECD economies, has aimed for energy efficiency improvements and reduced electricity consumption from 9.2 MWh per capita in 2010 to 8.6 MWh per capita in 2015. However, following a significant decline since 2010, electricity consumption in the main New Zealand sectors is increasing. Energy conservation could play an important role in meeting the growing demand for electricity but rebound effects can affect the effectiveness of conservation policies. We decompose the sectoral electricity prices to capture the asymmetric demand response to electricity price changes and estimate electricity demand elasticity during 1980 and 2015 to estimate the sectoral rebound effects. We find partial rebound effects of 54% and 23% in the industrial and commercial sectors respectively while we find no rebound effect at the aggregate level. The rebound effect is insignificant in the residential sector. These findings lead to policy recommendations for sector specific energy conservation measures and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric information is an important barrier to the adoption of energy efficient technologies. In this paper, we study supply-side implications of the associated incentive structure. We build on existing evidence that, in some settings, energy efficiency owns a credence component, whereby the supply side of the market has more information about what technology is best for consumers. The literature on credence goods markets suggests that an information advantage by expert-sellers leads to market inefficiencies, including low trade volume. We start by developing a simple framework to study supply-side incentives related to the provision of energy efficient technologies. We then document inefficiencies and potential remedies by discussing linkages between an empirical literature on credence goods and that on the market for energy efficiency. Doing so, we identify implications for the design of policies promoting the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries plan to decarbonise their energy systems by increasing energy efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy sources (RES). Such actions require significant investments in new energy infrastructures. While people are generally accepting of these infrastructures, opposition sometimes arises when these developments are sited at close proximity to people's residences. Therefore, it is important to understand what actually drives people's preferences for spatial proximity to different energy infrastructure technologies. This study examines the factors influencing people's proximity preferences to a range of different energy technologies using a cross-country econometric analysis of the stated preference data from an unprecedented survey conducted on nationally representative samples of the population in Ireland, the U.S. and Germany. The survey involved more than 4,500 participants in total. This paper presents the data and selected results from a generalised ordered logit model for each energy technology surveyed. These are; wind turbines, solar power technology, biomass power plant, coalfired power plant and natural gas power plant. The results show that, in general, German and Irish citizens are willing to accept energy infrastructures at smaller distances to their homes than their U.S. counterparts. Moreover, attitudinal factors are found to shape people's preferences more consistently than any of the socio-demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of occupants' behaviour on the thermal environment in air-conditioned rooms. Typical occupants' behaviours were determined from survey results in the hot summers and cold winters region of China. The temperature setpoint, intermittent operation and door opening were determined as influencing factors in a theoretical model for maintaining thermal comfort with minimal energy consumption. The concepts of the temperature change index and characteristic temperature were introduced to predict the relationship between the indoor thermal environment and occupants' behaviour. The model was validated with empirical experiments and numerical simulations. The results indicated that continuous opening of doors and windows in air-conditioned rooms would increase the energy consumption that is needed to maintain a desirable indoor thermal environment. The average indoor temperature at 25°C setpoint heating temperature with the door open at 90° was found equal to the average indoor setpoint temperature of 22°C with the door open at 45°. The relative effects of the tested occupants' behaviours were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to understand the mutually affecting intensities in family households that occur through the use of energy for parenting, care and making home in the societal context of energy capitalism. Our work draws on sensual energy ethnographies with 13 families in regional New South Wales, Australia. We extend Deleuze and Guattarri's related concepts of molar and molecular lines and lines of flight into energy geographies to draw attention to the socio-material, subjective and affective dimensions of being and becoming a parent, providing care and making home. In doing so, we open up questions around how families use energy and how this relates to the politics of care. We consider the possibilities for lines of flight to bring about social change to escape energy capitalism and help care for humans, more-than-humans and the planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas fractionation unit is one of the main processes in refinery industries and consumes a significant portion of energy. Optimal operation of gas fractionation unit could reduce energy consumption and therefore minimize the production cost. This paper reports a real application of multi-objective optimization in a gas fractionation unit, in which energy consumption is minimized and product yield is maximized. The optimization algorithm is based on the non-dominate sorting genetic algorithm and the sequential unconstrained minimization technique. The optimization results show that the yield of product is increased and the energy consumption is reduced in the gas fractionation unit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

South China’s Guangdong Province, the Chinese largest provincial economy and the global 14th biggest economy, has been facing a huge challenge of achieving economic growth without emission growth. Developing new strategy for making economic growth compatible carbon reduction requires better understanding of the decoupling carbon emission from economic growth. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive decoupling and decomposition analysis of carbon emission from economic output in Guangdong Province from a sector perspective. We firstly calculate carbon emission in six sectors based on the energy consumption of each sector and carbon coefficient of 13 types of fuels during 2000–2014, and then quantify the decoupling status between CO2 emissions and economic growth in those six sectors by using the Tapio decoupling index, finally, investigate the influencing factors of emissions by using the decomposition techniques. The modeling results show that agricultural sector has strong decoupling, industrial, transport and others sectors are weak decoupling; construction and trade sectors are expansive negative decoupling. We also find that energy intensity and economic output are the major factors influencing carbon emission, also the effects of energy structure and emission factor among six sectors are studied. Some policy recommendations finally are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops existing work on building design through a focus on one important yet understudied form of regulation: market standards. Market standards are agreed upon definitions of ‘necessary’ provision in buildings and are fundamental in ‘formatting’ markets and determining the value of a building in the market. The paper presents a case study of the design of 10 commercial offices in London, UK, the effects of market standards on the designs and on the potential for the development of lower energy buildings. Theoretically, the paper integrates literatures on standards, institutions and markets to argue that market standards do important ‘work’ in design processes that require closer scrutiny. In particular, we show that market standards are an important form of normative and cultural regulation in the field of commercial office design; format and act as calculative devices in property markets and result in forms of knowledge diminution that break the relationship between building design and occupiers’ practices. Together, these effects result in particular designs being legitimised and valued, and lower energy designs being delegitimised, devalued and pushed to the periphery of the attention of commercial office designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to a better understanding of the effects of the European single market strategy by studying the effect of energy market integration (EMI) on foreign direct investment (FDI). Enforcing an EMI diminishes energy uncertainty and price volatility and signals stronger and credible institutions. FDI may, as a result, increase both within and outside the EMI area through two channels: first, via energy price converge and, second, via price dispersion reduction. We develop a formal model to explain how these mechanisms affect the capital invested abroad by heterogeneous firms. The Iberian Electricity Market (MIBEL) integration of 2007 is used to quantify the effect of EMI on FDI empirically. Gravity estimates on a global dataset including bilateral FDI data show that the integration of Portugal and Spain's electricity market increased both the amount of FDI's participants and the number of foreign projects. In line with our theoretical expectations, our estimates show that the increase of FDI is mainly due to the reduction in price dispersion. However, the institutional credibility signal sent by MIBEL had a greater influence than expected by the actual price reduction. Furthermore, we also observe a positive increase in FDI from neighboring countries (in this instance, France), albeit lower in magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are possible synergies between the decision to invest in energy efficiency measures and to adopt renewable energy, in the sense that the former reduces energy demand so that the latter can further cut future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and which has great potential in the residential sector. Much work has been done in the residential sector on demand for clean energy and on investment in energy efficiency, but to our knowledge there is no specific study that investigates the relationship between the two. This paper fills a gap in the literature, and first shows theoretically that there are relationships of substitution or complementarity between the two decisions depending on the threshold of the cross effect related to the environmental motivation of the consumer. Second, the paper empirically shows that the two decisions are positively interrelated due to unobserved characteristics that determine both decisions. Third, the paper provides differential impact of energy poverty, split incentive problem, dwelling characteristics, commitment and trust on the two decisions. Finally, the paper investigates household characteristics that significantly affect the joint adoption of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. This contribution can serve to define incentive policies to advance the energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of outliers is the main reason leading to ineffectiveness of advanced data-driven control methods in electric arc furnace systems. This paper proposes a hybrid method dedicated to detecting outliers in electric arc furnace systems, where process data are characterized as unlabeled, imbalanced, non-stationary and noisy. First, the raw data are divided into certain number of clusters. Then, with each cluster, a one-class classifier can be trained. So with these well-trained sub-models, new test points can be investigated. Those points that are rejected by all sub-models will be labeled as outliers. With the combination of one-class classification and clustering technique, the intricate data in electric arc furnace can be processed effectively. In addition, the detector will be updated with a specific strategy to enhance its adaptiveness. A series of experiments are carried out, and comparative results have shown the effectiveness of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the total factor productivity and the resource efficiency, this paper proposes a synthesized data envelopment analysis (DEA) model by using the DEA approach and the Malmquist index. Furthermore, this model is applied to a comprehensive empirical study of the resource efficiency evaluation in China from 2013 to 2015. By introducing some desirable and undesirable factors, we calculate and analyze the whole resource efficiency, the input redundancy ratio, and the output inefficiency ratio of China from 2013 to 2015 based on the synthesized DEA model. Then, we analyze the dynamic trends of the resource efficiency in 31 provinces of China during these three years by applying the corresponding Malmquist index. After that, some interesting conclusions are derived, which are useful for the government. At last, some practical suggestions about improving the resource efficiency of these provinces are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electric power system of the Republic of Serbia relies mostly on lignite-fired thermal power plants, with 70% of the total electricity generation. Most of these plants are over 30 years old, and investment in their modernization is necessary. The energy efficiency of the 110 MW coal-fired power plant in which the condenser is cooled by the mechanical draught wet cooling towers system is analyzed in this paper. Attention is primarily devoted to operating conditions of the cold end of the plant, i.e. to the interrelationship of the condenser and cooling towers. Most important parameters that affect the operation of the cooling towers system are ambient air temperature and relative humidity, specific mass flow rate, and temperature of cooled water. With the existing cooling system, the overall energy efficiency of the plant is low, especially in the summer months, even less than 30%, due to adverse weather conditions. By upgrading existing cooling tower system by adaptation of two additional cooling tower cells, overall energy efficiency can be increased by 1.5%. The cooling tower system rehabilitation investments payback period is estimated to be less than one year. Static method for economic and financial assessment is use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, an agreement between the key EU institutions--the Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Council--was reached after a long-lasting discourse over the 2030 EU climate and energy policy package. This paper offers a comprehensive assessment of the EU package, with its three main targets: lower greenhouse gas emissions, higher renewable share in final energy consumption, and improved energy efficiency. We find that the renewable and energy efficiency targets have been set so high that the derived emissions reduction (50 percent) exceeds the EU climate target (40 percent). Hence, there is no need for an EU climate policy, for example, to use carbon prices to reach the EU climate goals. It is, however, not cost-efficient to achieve the climate target by imposing the three EU targets. We demonstrate that a cost-efficient policy that obtains a 50 percent GHG emissions reduction would increase annual welfare (relative to the Reference scenario) by an amount corresponding to 0.6 percent of GDP in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with short-term load forecasting for energy management systems in small and middle-sized buildings. Unlike existing studies that focus on the forecasting accuracy, this study examined some candidate load forecasting methods with regard to convenience and cost-efficiency. Three-year energy use patterns of office buildings were identified according to calendar data and weather data. Simple forecasting equations were derived based on regression analyses using linear, seasonal linear, and quadratic models. The quadratic model was found most appropriate for Korea's climate with four distinct seasons. The forecasting equation derived from the energy consumption of 2017 was verified by comparing the energy consumption forecast obtained by applying the weather data of 2018 to the equation and the actual energy consumption of 2018. This study will be using our simple load forecasting system that does not need to install sensors in all the target buildings but only in some representative buildings of similar shapes and calculate energy consumption forecasts for each target building by using the least possible data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reviewed the future prospects and previous studies on anaerobic digestion technology for biogas production and highlight the solutions to problems relating to construction and maintenance of biogas digesters, which can now be accessed in a single paper. It is the aim of the review to provide insight into the use, process and application of anaerobic digestion as an appropriate technology for biogas production from peer reviewed literature. Recent studies have shown that the microbial communities and metabolic pathways involves in anaerobic digestion are influenced by temperature. Their metabolic activities increase significantly with increase in temperature. Therefore, the findings of the review reveal that temperature is a major parameter for biogas production due to its influence on metabolic activities involved in anaerobic digestion. Hence, there is the need for insulation as well as external heating to maintain temperature stability and to avoid temperature fluctuations. More also, the anaerobic digestion technology for production of biogas is a viable option that can supplement as well as reduce the usage of non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuel. The detailed information addressed in this study would increase biogas energy mix as well as mitigating climate change. Therefore, the study recommends the use of biogas as a clean energy for the purpose of power generation, cooking and heating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy consumption reduction and energy efficiency improvement are recognized as global priorities in the context of the green economy and sustainable development. In this paper, determinants of energy efficiency and energy consumption for the panel of 11 post-communist countries in the Eastern Europe during 1996-2013 are investigated. The stochastic frontier function approach and comparative analysis were used to examine long-run dynamic relations. The research results show that GDP growth is a key factor increasing both energy efficiency and energy consumption. The research results on energy efficiency relations show that CO2 emissions per capita, a fixed capital and the share of industry in the economy are other important drives. In the context of per capita energy consumption growth, the factors of structural changes determined by industry share in the national economy and innovation concerned with development and implementation of high technologies are significant. The European Union accession and participation in the European energy policy promote to energy efficiency improvements in the post-communist countries while progress in governance and enterprise restructuring as measured by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is not important for energy efficiency and per capita energy consumption in the post-communist countries. According to the research results, energy efficiency policy in the sample countries should be aimed at providing further economic growth enhancing a positive impact of other factors and implementing energy efficiency projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a stochastic frontier analysis approach is applied to estimate energy demand functions in the transport sector. This approach allows us to obtain energy efficiency measures at country level that are a robust alternative to the energy intensity indicators commonly used for international comparisons. A transitive multilateral price index is constructed for aggregating the diverse energy components employed in the sector. Due to the likely unobserved heterogeneity among countries, the use of a random parameters model is proposed to accommodate these differences and to obtain different income and price elasticities per country. The estimated model is compared with alternative approaches of addressing this issue such as latent class, true fixed effects or true random effects models. This study is the first to use a random parameters stochastic frontier approach in the estimation of energy demand functions. The proposed procedure is applied to Latin America and the Caribbean, where the transport sector represents a large share of total energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an environment input-output (EIO) model to calculate embedded carbon footprints (ECF) from a consumption perspective, based on which an analysis is conducted on the trends and spatial distribution of urban households' ECF in China. The results demonstrate that energy efficiency improvements might not definitely result in a reduction of China's ECF, which is consistent with the Jevons paradox. Survival-oriented emissions account for over 35% of China's ECF, but the percentage is declining gradually. Although development-oriented emissions only take up 15% of the total ECF, the recent years has witnessed a dramatic increase of the percentage. These findings indicate the broad scope of China's ECF. Furthermore, a significant discrepancy on the spatial distribution of ECF is observed and is attributed to the diversity of economic development stages, consumptive policies, and consumption patterns among regions. Finally, relevant policy implications are derived and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart meters, in conjunction with time-of-use (TOU) pricing, can facilitate an improvement in energy efficiency by providing consumers with enhanced infor-mation about electricity consumption and costs, and thereby encourage a shift away from consumption during peak hours. In 2009-10, the Irish Commission for Energy Regulation co-ordinated a randomised controlled trial in the Irish residential electricity market. Smart meters were introduced in approximately 5,000 households, divided into control and treatment groups, with treatment groups exposed to a variety of TOU tariffs and information stimuli. This paper analyses the response of Irish households at different times of the day to the introduction of TOU tariffs and information stimuli. We find that these measures have a significant effect in reducing electricity consumption in Ireland, particu-larly during peak hours. However, while households reduce peak demand signifi-cantly after the introduction of TOU tariffs and associated information, there is little incremental response to increasing differentials between peak and off-peak prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a common social housing archetype design was studied in order to improve the energy and cost performance. The focus is on evaluating the effects of some parameters of the design of the façade in particular: the size of the windows and the optical and thermo-physical properties of the components. The aim is to obtain cost optimal energy efficient scenarios in accordance with the Recast of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD Recast) by determining efficient thicknesses of the insulation for the exterior walls and efficient window sizes and types of glazing for each orientation, simultaneously. The parameters of the façade are optimized in order to obtain the dominant values and ranges in terms of energy and cost. There are remarkable differences in the dominant options for the thickness of the insulations, as well as the type and size of windows: they depend on whether they have a north, south and east–west orientation. The decision makers should design each façade in dependence on its orientation to determine its optimal optical and thermo-physical properties in terms of its cost and its consumption of energy. A reduction by approximately 5% in the life cycle cost and 17% in the primary energy use was achieved through the optimization of the base case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to heavy fuel dependence, the "renewable energy system" idea is an important issue in South Korea. The government of South Korea is endeavoring to convert its energy infrastructure into renewable energy generation. As such, numerous studies have evaluated the economic feasibility of various renewable energy sources in South Korea. This study differs from those studies as it is focused on a smaller scale in terms of self-supporting nanogrid and microgrid energy. The purpose of this study is to determine which type of grid is more economical. To conduct a comparative study on the economic feasibility of nanogrids and microgrids, three substations on Jeju Island were randomly selected. We then suggested two scenarios. The first scenario is , which changes each substation into a nanogrid, and the second is , which connects the three nanogrids to share electricity. This study identifies the optimal combination of hybrid energy resources using HOMER (hybrid optimization model for electric renewables) software to change the substations into an self-supporting energy nanogrid or microgrid. According to the net present cost and cost of energy results for each scenario through HOMER simulations, the scenario is more economical than the scenario. However, this study also shows that microgrids can be the better option, depending on the distance between nanogrids. Finally, implications and limitations are discussed in the last section of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an econometric analysis of curtailment costs of renewable energy sources (RES) in Germany. The study aims at explaining and quantifying the regional variability of RES curtailment, which is a measure to relieve grid overstress by temporarily disconnecting RES from the electricity grid. We apply a Heckit sample selection model, which corrects bias from non-randomly selected samples. The selection equation estimates the probability of occurrence of RES curtailment in a region. The outcome equation corrects for cross-sectional dependence and quantifies the effect of RES on curtailment costs. The results show that wind energy systems connected to the distribution grid increase RES curtailment costs by 0.7% per MW (or 0.2% per GWh) in subregions that have experienced RES curtailment over the period 2015-2017. The implication of this finding is that policymakers should set price signals for renewables that consider the regional grid overstress, in order to mitigate the cost burden on consumers due to excess generation from RES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of industrial-level energy efficiency's (EE) development is a critical research topic that has entrenched in the global battle against climate change. Under the Energy Efficiency Directives 2012/27/EU and 2018/2002/EU, European Commission sets specific industrial energy efficiency targets, rules and obligations for the 2020-2030 period aiming, among others, at specific energy intensity reduction and energy efficiency improvements. In this paper we use a balanced panel of fourteen European industries from twenty-seven countries for the period 1995-2011 under a metatechnology framework. The aim of this study is to evaluate, at a first stage, the industrial total factor energy efficiency (TFEE) at a national and European level by incorporating technological heterogeneity through a nonparametric approach. Reflecting the divergent views on the importance of desirable and undesirable outcomes in the pursuit of TFEE, we additionally estimate industrial performance by prioritizing either economic or environmental aspects. At the second stage of our analysis, econometric models are applied to investigate the main factors of industrial TFEE using sector specific and country characteristics while we further proceed with a ß and s-convergence analysis for our TFEE measures. The results of this study reveal that small-scale economies exhibit persistent high TFEE scores. At the same time, TFEE determinants suggest that path dependence phenomena have a strong presence, climatic characteristics occur while energy mix displays both linear and non-linear relationship. Either considering one desirable output or consolidating the undesirable output in the production function our results indicate a strong evidence of conditional and unconditional convergence in TFEE scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing importance of the wastewater sector in terms of energy usage, the understanding of the level of energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is useful to both the industry itself as well as policy makers. Here, based on economic foundations, we apply a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach for energy demand modelling to estimate energy efficiency in the wastewater sector. Using specific SFA models and panel data from 183 Swiss WWTPs over the period 2001 to 2015, the paper illustrates that distinguishing between persistent and transient inefficiency is essential to deduce appropriate energy efficiency diagnosis in WWTPs. In this respect, persistent energy inefficiency is found to be more severe than transient energy inefficiency. Furthermore, it is shown that the age of the equipment influences the demand for energy and the energy savings due to technological innovation are quantified. Finally, economies of output density and scale are estimated demonstrating that for plants operating below optimal scale significant energy savings can be achieved if plants would be operated at higher size. Moreover, our analysis reveals also that for plants larger than 100,000 Population Equivalent, at least from an energy efficiency point of view, it would be no more beneficial to increase their scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of smart services for indoor environments has gained extensive interest in the past decade due to the resulting increases in energy savings, user comfort and degree of automation. Occupancy detection is a critical element in automation systems due to its potential use in controlling electrical systems and devices such as lighting, air-conditioning and ventilation. It also has a high potential for improving the performance of demand-driven applications which require fine-grained occupancy information to optimize the trade-off between energy consumption and user comfort. Occupancy detection has been researched using different estimation methods and communication technologies. However, it remains challenging to procure sensory data and to model the occupancy information accurately due to the limitations of hardware deployment and underlying cost. This paper reviews existing occupancy methods and applications, along with their underlying issues. It provides a comparative analysis of the strategies from the perspectives of cost, intrusiveness and accuracy. Additionally, a new taxonomy which classifies the occupancy sensing techniques as being conventional or as alternate sensing has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest energy consumption per capita in the world, and this has undermined socioeconomic development in the region. The stationarity of energy consumption in the region has important implications for energy policy, forecasting and macroeconomic developments. This paper investigates the stationarity properties of energy consumption in 48 sub-Saharan Africa countries using the Augment Dickey–Fuller, Zivot–Andrews, Clemente–Montanes–Reyes and Lee–Strazicich LM tests. Using the Lee-Strazicich LM test as a benchmark, the study shows that energy consumption is stationary in 41 countries. This implies that energy policy makers should not be concerned about shocks in energy consumption in these countries because the shocks will be temporary and not transmitted to the macroeconomy. Also, energy policies will not have long-term effects. Policies that exert one-time temporary shocks on energy consumption would be more effective in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines the relationship between energy efficiency, CO2 emissions, foreign direct investment, exports, and real gross domestic product at both aggregate and disaggregate levels in Malaysia based on an autoregressive distributed lag approach. The annual data for the period of 1971–2013 are employed. The results indicate that energy efficiency Granger causes economic growth at the aggregate level, but not in each of the three main sectors (primary, secondary, and tertiary) of the economy. Another important finding of the study is that the export-led growth hypothesis is found to be valid in Malaysia at both the aggregate and disaggregate levels. The results of our study also confirm the fact that CO2 emissions do affect the overall economic performance and growth in all sectors, except for the primary sector. This finding implies that pollution from both secondary and tertiary sectors has led to economic growth in Malaysia. Moreover, it is also discovered that foreign direct investment does not have a significant impact on economic growth in Malaysia. The results of this study are essential for policymakers of Malaysia in designing appropriate policies in each sector that can lead to robust growth in the country. In addition to focusing on enhancing energy efficiency and promoting foreign direct investment, the policymakers should also start to look for alternative strategies to ensure long-term economic growth in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, previous studies have investigated the impact of socio-economic and physical dwelling factors on household electricity consumption; however, to date, few such studies have been conducted in the UK. A previous paper identified six studies that have accessed actual (as opposed to modelled) energy consumption or expenditure data and analysed these against sets of technical and socio-economic factors. This paper presents the results of a seventh UK study, representing the first in Scotland, the first to span urban and rural households, and the first to concentrate on households in the lower income deciles. The dataset, which includes records of household expenditure on gas used for space and water heating matched with records of dwelling and household information, is drawn from sources accessed through Renfrewshire Council and analysed using a range of standard statistical techniques. The results uncover evidence for previously unreported geographies of fuel poverty, and in so doing challenges commonly used assumptions, metrics, and approaches to policy making. Key findings include figures showing low income rural households in Scotland are spending significantly more on energy than their urban equivalents, and evidence showing that rural households on lower incomes may be spending more on heating than those on higher incomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, electricity distribution networks in many countries have been subject to incentive regulation. The sector regulators aim to identify the best performing utilities as frontier firms to determine the relative efficiency of firms. This paper develops a nested latent class (NLC) model approach where unobserved differences in firm performance are modelled using two 'zero inefficiency stochastic frontier' (ZISF) models nested in a 'latent class stochastic frontier' (LCSF) model. This captures the unobserved differences due to technology or environmental conditions. A Monte Carlo simulation suggests that the proposed model does not suffer from identification problems. We illustrate the proposed model with an application to Norwegian distribution network utilities for the period 2004-2011. We find that the efficiency scores in both LCSF and ZISF models are biased, and some firms in the ZISF model are wrongly labelled as inefficient. Conversely, inefficient firms may be wrongly labelled as being fully efficient by the ZISF model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysia's electricity consumption is increasing exponentially as it gears towards becoming a developed nation by year 2020. This paper is aimed at policy development in terms of energy efficiency and building design as Malaysia has yet to establish any mandatory energy efficiency or energy performance building code. The focus on public low-cost housing projects is important as it is administered by government agencies and provides possible streamlining of proposed energy policies for the housing sector. Presented in this paper are findings from fieldwork conducted to investigate the energy performance and green house gas (GHG) emissions from the building operation of two public low-cost housing projects in Kuala Lumpur. The baseline calculations use UNEP-SBCI's Common Carbon Metric tool to provide project-specific calculations of energy and emissions intensity with its bottom-up approach, while presenting a national-scale projection using its top-down approach. Findings from bottom-up analysis suggest that Malaysian public low-cost housing households consume more than benchmarks set by the World Energy Council and the International Energy Agency, in terms of Building Energy Index (BEI) of kwh/m²/year. This is a reflection of the absence of building energy efficiency legislation in Malaysia, both for residential and non-residential buildings. The importance of this research lies in its focus on a developing country experiencing rapid urbanisation and climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In tropical climates like India, solar radiation is the major source of heat gain through roofs as they are exposed to the sun throughout the day. As the ambient conditions are dynamic, it is important to look at periodic variation of heat flow through roofs. In this context, apart from U-values that the Energy Conservation Building Code of India (ECBC-2007) prescribes for envelopes, more specific performance indicators should be considered for designing energy efficient buildings. The study presented in this paper evaluates thermal performance of Cement Tile as roofing material and compares it with the performance of two other typical roof insulation materials monitored in hot and dry climate of India. The results are supported with physical structures using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images and energy simulations. Despite having higher overall U-value (over six times), Model 1 (with Cement Tile) shows better thermal performance and negligible energy savings than Model 2 (with extruded polystyrene as insulation material) and Model 3 (with POP false ceiling). Therefore, the overall U-values calculated from the layer wise thermal conductivity along with Discomfort Degree Hour, Building Index, and Average heat flux would provide a better understanding of thermal performance of the roof as was demonstrated by our experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing need to tackle climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions has led to strong interest in renewable energy sources and the setting of specific renewable energy sources targets in countries and regions within Europe. Recent political discussions have mainly revolved around the question of the most effective and efficient renewable energy sources target and how to achieve it. In this context, European and national policy makers have to address difficult issues: On the one hand, how to support the successful achievement of renewable energy targets in the short and medium term and in a time horizon up to 2030, and, on the other hand, how to share the efforts required among individual entities such as single European Member States or groups of European Member States. This paper presents a multi-criteria approach based on an extension of the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution for group decision support in order to evaluate alternative policy scenarios for achieving the 2030 renewable energy target. Different effort-sharing arrangements among Member States are evaluated to determine the optimal burden sharing of the common renewable energy target among countries. The results and conclusions obtained can help to reduce uncertainty in the field of energy and climate policy, and aid policy makers in designing effective policies based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the 2030 energy and climate objectives of the European Union, there is a need to evaluate the different options to shape the future framework for renewable energy sources (RES) policies and targets. The Special Issue focuses in seven papers on the following dimension of this future framework: (i) interactions between support for RES in the electricity sector and other climate and energy instruments in the European Union, (ii) challenges related to renewable energy technologies that have achieved a certain level of maturity, (iii) assessment of renewable and energy efficiency policies on natural gas markets and supply security, (iv) contribution of increasing district heating based on renewables to the renewable target achievements of Central and Eastern European, (v) how to support the successful achievement of renewable energy targets in the short and medium term and in a time horizon up to 2030, and how to share the efforts required among individual countries or groups of European Member States, (vi) influence of the rapidly increasing shares of variable renewable on the price on electricity markets as well as flexibility requirements in the electricity system, (vii) principal design features and context factors which increase or reduce the effectiveness and efficiency of RES-E auctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the implementation of new technologies in network industries through the development of a suitable regulatory scheme. The analysis focuses on Smart Grid (SG) technologies which, among others benefits, could save operational costs and reduce the need for further conventional investments in the grid. In spite of the benefits that may result from their implementation, the adoption of SGs by network operators can be hampered by the uncertainties surrounding actual performances. A decision model has been developed to assess the firms' incentives to invest in "smart" technologies under different regulatory schemes. The model also enables testing the impact of uncertainties on the reduction of operational costs, and of conventional investments. Under certain circumstances, it may be justified to support the development and early deployment of emerging innovations that have a high potential to ameliorate the efficiency of the electricity system, but whose adoption faces many uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new comprehensive evaluation method for assessing the sustainability credential of central air-conditioning systems is proposed in this paper. The method is based on the relative coefficient index (K) of costs and benefits of the air-conditioning system. The paper introduces the concept and defined the parameters of costs (energy consumption costs, economic running costs and environmental impact) and benefits (indoor air quality and thermal comfort) and the mathematical principles for the determination and evaluation of these parameters. The parameters are then ranked with an index value for each component that make up the air-conditioning system, and the total index value would be used for the overall evaluation of the costs and benefits to determine the overall index, K. The feasibility of the method is illustrated by three case studies included in this paper. The evaluation index can identify shortcomings of components in the air-conditioning system and to identify the relative environmental impacts and costs as well as the performance in using the system. The evaluation index would thus allow designers and building managers to target performance improvements and guide designers to optimize functions in terms of costs and benefits to minimize environmental impacts. The index method would provide a rating classification of air-conditioning systems for standard specification and selection in terms of cost effectiveness for appropriate building service required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface of a long-standing movement for sustainability at the urban scale and the imperatives of the carbon-reduction agenda are driving change in urban energy systems. This paper seeks to address the nature of that change and, in particular, to consider how different pathways of change are emerging. To do this it draws on the coevolution and pathways literatures to interrogate a database of current urban energy initiatives within the UK. This analysis reveals the multiple pathways of change though which new modes of energy production and consumption are being developed to deliver carbon reductions through the reconfiguring of urban energy systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these changes for urban governance and for carbon reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The considerable literature on domestic energy consumption practices has tended to focus on either the (re)production and contestation of normative imaginaries, or the links between escalating standards and energy use. Far less has been written which links these related areas together. Accordingly, this paper is positioned at the intersection of debates on domestic consumption, energy use, and home cultures. Through a qualitative study of laptop use in the home, we illustrate how energy-intensive practices, such as 'always-on-ness', and changing computer ecologies and infrastructures, are intimately bound up with the reproduction of particular domestic imaginaries of family and home. A key insight in this paper is that a purely physiological conception of comfort would fail to explain fully why practices such as always-on-ness emerge, and thus we theorise comfort as an accomplishment comprised of inseparable temporal, bodily, spatial, and material elements. Ultimately, we argue here that comfort needs to be understood as a multivalent imaginary that is itself bound up in broader idealised notions of family and home in order to comprehend shifting practices, computing ecologies, and rising energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using academic, journalistic and statistical sources, this paper situates energy innovation in historical context before describing the current sclerosis of Western energy R&D. It explores how rising energy prices denote weak innovation, and how society's emphasis on green technologies, green subsidies and green jobs has effectively supplanted a rounded programme of innovation. The paper refuses to prefer one source of energy to another, suggesting that this is to ignore the potential for technological change. It treats the rebound effect as positive, delves into the limitations of energy efficiency, and gives even shorter shrift to energy conservation. The paper shows how energy innovation has become synonymous with risk, reviews failure in energy innovation, and attacks innovations around smart meters and the behaviour of energy users. We conclude by briefly inspecting the relationship between finance and energy innovation, and, throughout, suggest elements of a new political approach to the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a widely cited series of papers, Hassett and Metcalf argue that the slow diffusion of energy saving technology may be due to a high option value to waiting. While the authors clarify that this is relevant for yes/no decisions (such as whether to add insulation to a home), this argument has been widely cited even in investment decisions that involve a choice over multiple appliances or vehicles. In this note we consider how uncertainty and irreversibility would impact a consumer's decision about when to buy which new product. We show that, a priori, applying an option value framework is as likely to lead to slow diffusion of inefficient products as to slow diffusion of efficient products. This casts some doubt on the idea that an option value framework is the primary driver of the slow diffusion of energy efficient technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning methods are widely studied and applied to predict building energy consumption. Since the factors associated with building energy behaviors are quite abundant and complex, this paper investigates for the first time how the selection of subsets of features influence the model performance when statistical learning method is adopted to derive the model. In this paper the optimal features are selected based on the feasibility of obtaining them and on the scores they provide under the evaluation of some filter methods. The selected subset is then evaluated on three data sets by support vector regression involving two kernel functions: radial basis function and polynomial function. Experimental results confirm the validity of the selected subset and show that the proposed feature selection method can guarantee the prediction accuracy and reduces the computational time for data analyzing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]