Indoor and Built Environment current issue

Low Carbon Urban Built Environments (LCUBE)

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

A Low Carbon Built Environment

Jones, P. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

Residential Location, Travel Behaviour, and Energy Use: Hangzhou Metropolitan Area Compared to Copenhagen

Naess, P. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

This paper presents the results of a study of the influence of residential locations on travelling behaviour in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Area in China. Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study shows that the location of a dwelling, relative to the centre structure of Hangzhou Metropolitan Area, can exert a considerable influence on the travelling behaviour of the respondents included in the survey. On average, people living close to downtown Hangzhou used less energy for transport. They travelled less in total and made a greater share of their journeys by bike or on foot.

The location of the dwelling relative to the closest second-order and third-order centre can also influence travelling, but not to the same extent as the location of the residence relative to the city centre of Hangzhou. The geographical differences in travelling behaviour exist independently of residential preferences and attitudes to transport and environmental issues and therefore cannot be explained by residential self-selection. Instead, a number of rationales for travel behaviour identified in the qualitative interviews showed important links in the causal mechanisms by which residential location can influence travel.

Exergy Analysis in Low Carbon Technologies -- The Case of Renewable Energy in the Building Sector

Xydis, G. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

In this paper, the availability of different Low Carbon Technologies (LCT) is examined using the method of Exergy Analysis. LCT utilization plays a significant role in the Urban Environment. In many areas, as in construction industry, in fuels and ‘‘conventional’’ energy production, in renewable energy sources (RES), and in transportation there is a focus on technologies that offer the greatest carbon-saving potential. RES offer different LCT as biomass-local electricity and heat generation, geothermal, hydro energy, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal electric (high-temperature generation), solar water-heating collectors, tidal energy, wave energy, and wind power. Continuously increased energy consumption over the last decades in all sectors indicates that a wider LCT utilization is needed. An initial analysis is presented and an availability analysis is been implemented in order to identify whether there is room for more improvement based on the plan for a cost-effective contribution to carbon saving in short and longer term. The ultimate aim of the present study is to analyze the exergy utilization of LCT in order to gain insights of their efficiency

Combining Stationary and Mobile Energy Requirements: The Importance of the Meso-level in Sustainable Urban Development

Hoyer, K. G. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

This paper addresses the superior issue of systems for the achievement of very low carbon and very low energy urban buildings. In many larger European cities contemporary major urban renewal is carried out through development of large building and housing complexes, either as separate renewal projects or as parts of more extensive urban renewal programs. This is taking place in what we may term a meso-level in urban development. Besides the importance in current large city development, the focus on large urban building and housing complexes may play crucial functions in the broader context of urban sustainability. These building complexes are major nodes for the generation of many forms of stationary as well as mobile (transport) energy use, giving a context for the development of innovative systems both for increased energy efficiency and utilization of alternative energy sources. As large energy use nodes in the urban structures, the building and housing complexes give particularly favorable conditions for development of common renewable energy systems for stationary purposes; however, also conditions favorable to the implementation of systems to substantially reduce energy use and increase alternative energies in various forms of transportation.

Environmental Comparison of the Use of Biodiesel and Gasoline for Transportation -- A Case Study for Athens

Nanaki, E. A. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

Energy usage, in the Greek transport sector, takes the form of gasoline consumption by automobiles, diesel oil for taxis, trucks, maritime transport, and railroads as well as jet fuel for aircraft. The control of CO₂ emissions constitutes a major environmental issue in most countries and many authorities seek to stabilize or decrease these emissions. During the past decade, biofuels in the form of blended gasoline and biodiesel have begun to find places in the energy economy since a sustainable transport future requires the reduction of CO₂ emissions. The Greek car market shows a remarkably low rate in the penetration of biodiesel compared to the average European Union market. In this study we try to find out the combined effects of probable changes in biodiesel and gasoline future fuel consumption in the city of Athens.

Improving Thermal Insulation of Concrete Sandwich Buildings

Munch-Andersen, J. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

Increased requirement for the thermal insulation of buildings and reduction of energy consumption in order to decrease their carbon dioxide emission means that buildings only 30 years old are of a very low standard compared to today’s requirements. Therefore, there is a strong need to improve the insulation of many existing buildings. Improving insulation can be a risky business as experience has shown that different sorts of degradation will often occur after such work. On the other hand, improvement of the insulation could contribute to making a building more attractive to tenants.

This article deals with good technical solutions for improving the insulation of concrete sandwich panel buildings from the 1960s and 1970s as well as how the savings in supplied energy can be estimated in a simple and accurate manner.

New Strategies for the Reduction of Shopping Centers Generated Car Trips -- Theory and Experiences

Husler, W., Urbani, L. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

The relation between urban life and commerce has always been ambivalent. Technical norms and guidelines of the 1970s and 1980s provided an indication of the minimum number of parking places that need to be provided in connection with the construction of a new commercial center. Later on it became clear that it was not sufficient just to provide cars with a place to park, it was also necessary to provide them with adequate facilities to arrive and to leave. In recent years interesting programs to try and resolve the problems have been started in the city of Zurich. The innovative ‘‘trip model’’ moves the focus to the factors that are directly responsible for the disturbing emissions and binds building licenses to a certain number of emission generating car trips per year rather than to a determined number of parking lots.

Patterns and Implications of User Control Actions in Buildings

Mahdavi, A. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

The control actions by the inhabitants of buildings can significantly affect the energy performance of buildings and their environmental impact. However, relatively few studies have investigated such actions in detail and on a long-term basis. In most buildings, occupants operate control devices such as windows, shades, luminaries, radiators, and fans to bring about desirable indoor environmental conditions. Knowledge of such user actions is crucial for accurate prediction of building performance (energy use, indoor climate) and effective operation of building service systems. The present contribution describes an effort to observe control-oriented occupant behavior in office buildings in Austria over a period of 1 year. Thereby, user control actions as related to one or more of the building systems for ambient lighting, shading, window ventilation, and heating were monitored together with indoor and outdoor environmental parameters. The collected data has been analyzed to explore relationships between the kinds and frequency of the control actions and the magnitude and dynamism of indoor and outdoor environmental changes. Moreover, implications of user actions for energy use are studied.

Elements and Strategies for Sustainable Intervention in the Residential Building Sector: a Case Study

Albatici, R. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

This paper deals with research carried out at the Laboratory of Building Design, University of Trento, Italy to define possible design actions to improve energy efficiency and indoor comfort conditions in residential buildings. The paper presents retrofitting interventions both in wintertime and summertime, through the use of passive solar elements and of natural materials typical of the local building tradition. There were five stages of research: (1) critical analysis and classification of sustainable buildings in the Italian Alpine region; (2) recording data of the temporal courses of specific indoor environmental parameters in some rooms of selected existing buildings during real life conditions; (3) setting up of a virtual model of the buildings in dynamic state conditions; (4) a critical calibration of the model in order to take into account the real behaviour of the inhabitants and their use of the building components; (5) modification of some features on the model (materials, shape and so on) in order to achieve better performances concerning users’ comfort conditions and energy saving issues. In consequence, it is now possible to evaluate the real effectiveness of bioclimatic design procedures and to propose guidelines concerning the design of sustainable wooden buildings. Finally, some specific recommendations are given based on the critical analysis of the simulation results.

ZEITMOP Concept -- A Polygeneration System for Municipal Energy Demands

Gorski, J., Yantovski, E. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:42 PDT

The reduction of greenhouse gases (to which CO₂ contributes over 60%) to stop global warming is now a major priority for governments around the world. One approach, described in this paper, concerns the ‘‘clean energy’’ or ‘‘zero-emission’’ technologies. An original concept of a semi-closed zero emission ion transport membrane oxygen power (ZEITMOP) cycle is being developed. It can be compared to other research initiatives such as clean energy systems and zero-emission natural gas, as a response to the well-recognised challenges. As an answer to the crucial question of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions we propose new zero-emission fuel-fired power plants and boiler houses (‘‘ZEITMOP Boiler & Air Cooler’’ and ‘‘Zero Emission Membrane Smokeless Heating’’). Zero-emission co-generation of power and heat allows such plants to be located in densely populated areas close to the consumer.

The Energy and Cost Implications of the Renewable Energy Scheme at the Integrated Home for Older People, Plas y Mor, Llanelli, Wales

Roberts, P. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:11:43 PDT

Plas y Môr is a ground-breaking project in the social housing sector in Wales. Completed in 2003, it provides 38 flats as well as care and a wide range of other facilities for the elderly. The building combines a number of renewable energy technologies within a highly insulated timber-frame, including passive and active solar technologies and biomass wood pellet fuelled boilers servicing a communal heating scheme. This paper briefly describes how the building works, and examines its performance to date. It compares predicted energy use against actual data from available utility bills over the period of operation of the scheme. Comparison with similarly sized, residential scheme show that Plas y Môr is performing well, despite a few initial setbacks.