scholarly journals Analysis of the Building Smart Readiness Indicator Calculation: A Comparative Case-Study with Two Panels of Experts

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Vigna ◽  
Roberta Pernetti ◽  
Giovanni Pernigotto ◽  
Andrea Gasparella
Keyword(s):  
Energy Performance ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Subjective Evaluations ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
The Impact

The last release of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2018/844/EU stated that smart buildings will play a crucial role in the future energy systems. Consequently, the Directive introduced the Smart Readiness Indicator in order to provide a common framework to highlight the value of building smartness across Europe. The methodology for the calculation of the Smart Readiness Indicator is currently under development and therefore not yet officially adopted at the European Union level. In this context, the current research analyzed the second public release of the proposed methodology, discussing the feasibility of its implementation and the obtained results through a practical application. Specifically, the methodology was applied to a nearly zero-energy office building located in Italy, and the evaluation was carried out in parallel by two different expert groups composed by researchers and technical building systems specialists. With the aim of analyzing the impact of subjective evaluations on the calculated indicator, a two-step assessment was adopted: in a first phase the two groups worked separately, and only in a second phase they were allowed to compare results, discuss discrepancies and identify the difficulties in applying the methodology. As the main outcome of this research, a set of recommendations are presented for an effective broad implementation of the Smart Readiness Indicator, able to increase the relevance of its evaluation and effectiveness, as well as to enhance the comparability of smart readiness of buildings through the definition of benchmarks and to integrate with other measurable key indicators, especially concerning energy flexibility.

scholarly journals Decision-Making Processes in Controlling Exposure to Sunlight Supported by Simulation Tools: A Case Study in Warm Weather

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4100
Author(s):  
Mariana Huskinson ◽  
Antonio Galiano-Garrigós ◽  
Ángel Benigno González-Avilés ◽  
M. Isabel Pérez-Millán
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Building Information ◽  
The Impact

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings is one of the main strategies defined by the European Union to reduce global energy costs. Amongst the actions to be carried out in buildings to achieve this objective is working with passive measures adapted to each type of climate. To assist designers in the process of finding appropriate solutions for each building and location, different tools have been developed and since the implementation of building information modeling (BIM), it has been possible to perform an analysis of a building’s life cycle from an energy perspective and other types of analysis such as a comfort analysis. In the case of Spain, the first BIM environment tool has been implemented that deals with the global analysis of a building’s behavior and serves as an alternative to previous methods characterized by their lack of both flexibility and information offered to designers. This paper evaluates and compares the official Spanish energy performance evaluation tool (Cypetherm) released in 2018 using a case study involving the installation of sunlight control devices as part of a building refurbishment. It is intended to determine how databases and simplifications affect the designer’s decision-making. Additionally, the yielded energy results are complemented by a comfort analysis to explore the impact of these improvements from a users’ wellbeing viewpoint. At the end of the process the yielded results still confirm that the simulation remains far from reality and that simulation tools can indeed influence the decision-making process.

E pluribus unum? Language diversity and the harmonization of company law in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-690
Author(s):  
Federico M Mucciarelli
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Company Law ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Freedom Of Establishment ◽  
First Case ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

This work addresses the impact of language diversity and nation-specific doctrinal structures on harmonized company law in the EU. With this aim, two emblematic case studies will be analysed. The first case study is related to the definition of ‘merger’ adopted in the Company Law Directive 2017/1132 (originally in the Third Company Law Directive and the Cross-Border Merger Directive); by relying on the example of the SEVIC case decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), it will be shown that scholars’ and courts’ conception of the definition of ‘merger’ varies according to own domestic doctrinal structures. The second case study is related to the notion of ‘registered office’, which is key for establishing the scope of several harmonizing provisions and the freedom of establishment; this paper analyses terminological fluctuations across language versions of EU legislation and the impact of domestic taxonomies and legal debates upon the interpretation of these notions. These case studies show that company law concepts, despite their highly technical nature, are influenced by discourse constructions conducted within national interpretative communities, and by the language used to draft statutory instruments and discuss legal issues. The task of the CJEU is to counterbalance these local tendencies, and yet it is unlikely that doctrinal structures, rooted in national languages and legal cultures, will disappear.

scholarly journals The impact of dwelling renovation on spatial quality

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-309
Author(s):  
Fernanda Acre ◽  
Annemie Wyckmans
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Spatial Quality ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Non-technical dimensions such as spatial quality are just as relevant for energy efficiency as technical and economic dimensions in the renovation of dwellings. However, the significance of non-technical dimensions is often neglected in the energy renovation of dwellings. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the renovation of dwellings for energy efficiency influences spatial quality in the MS-1 building in the neighbourhood of Arlequin, Grenoble, France. The Arlequin case study is part of the ZenN project, nearly zero energy neighbourhoods, funded by the European 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement No. 314363). Design/methodology/approach – The impact of the renovation on spatial quality is analysed by crossing technical measures, applied in the energy renovation of dwellings with the definition of spatial quality proposed by Acre and Wyckmans (2014). The spatial quality definition results from a literature review on quality of design and urban life, wherein works of Weber (1995) and Gehl (2010, 2011) are related to the residential use in the scales of the building and block. The impact of renovation on spatial quality is further evaluated by using the spatial quality assessment developed by Acre and Wyckmans (2015). The impact on spatial quality is observed by considering all the renovation measures, instead of only considering the measures primarily related to energy performance. This emphasises the need for a cross-disciplinary approach between technical and non-technical dimensions in the energy renovation of dwellings. Findings – The results display both negative and positive impacts of the energy renovation on spatial quality in the dwellings and emphasise the potential of non-technical dimensions in promoting renovation. The impact on spatial quality is primarily negative when only measures adopted in order to improve energy efficiency are considered in the evaluation. Originality/value – This paper consists of a novel crossing of technical and non-technical dimensions in energy renovation of dwellings. The work aligns with the current European trend of nurturing energy-deep renovation to reach Europe’s 2050 energy-efficiency targets (Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) 2011).

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Microfinance - A Case of Rural Bangladesh

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Saida Parvin
Keyword(s):  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Donor Agencies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Women’s empowerment has been at the centre of research focus for many decades. Extant literature examined the process, outcome and various challenges. Some claimed substantial success, while others contradicted with evidence of failure. But the success remains a matter of debate due to lack of empirical evidence of actual empowerment of women around the world. The current study aimed to address this gap by taking a case study method. The study critically evaluates 20 cases carefully sampled to include representatives from the entire country of Bangladesh. The study demonstrates popular beliefs about microfinance often misguide even the borrowers and they start living in a fabricated feeling of empowerment, facing real challenges to achieve true empowerment in their lives. The impact of this finding is twofold; firstly there is a theoretical contribution, where the definition of women’s empowerment is proposed to be revisited considering findings from these cases. And lastly, the policy makers at governmental and non-governmental organisations, and multinational donor agencies need to revise their assessment tools for funding.

scholarly journals Energy Performance Assessment of Innovative Building Solutions Coming from Construction and Demolition Waste Materials

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1226
Author(s):  
Beatriz Fraga-De Cal ◽  
Antonio Garrido-Marijuan ◽  
Olaia Eguiarte ◽  
Beñat Arregi ◽  
Ander Romero-Amorrortu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
The Impact

Prefabricated solutions incorporating thermal insulation are increasingly adopted as an energy conservation measure for building renovation. The InnoWEE European project developed three technologies from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) materials through a manufacturing process that supports the circular economy strategy of the European Union. Two of them consisted of geopolymer panels incorporated into an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) and a ventilated façade. This study evaluates their thermal performance by means of monitoring data from three pilot case studies in Greece, Italy, and Romania, and calibrated building simulation models enabling the reliable prediction of energy savings in different climates and use scenarios. Results showed a reduction in energy demand for all demo buildings, with annual energy savings up to 25% after placing the novel insulation solutions. However, savings are highly dependent on weather conditions since the panels affect cooling and heating loads differently. Finally, a parametric assessment is performed to assess the impact of insulation thickness through an energy performance prediction and a cash flow analysis.

scholarly journals Defining and Quantifying Intermittency in the Power Sector

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3366
Author(s):  
Daniel Suchet ◽  
Adrien Jeantet ◽  
Thomas Elghozi ◽  
Zacharie Jehl
Keyword(s):  
Power Source ◽  
Production Data ◽  
Power Sector ◽  
Predictive Capacity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Current State ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Quantitative Definition ◽  
The Impact

The lack of a systematic definition of intermittency in the power sector blurs the use of this term in the public debate: the same power source can be described as stable or intermittent, depending on the standpoint of the authors. This work tackles a quantitative definition of intermittency adapted to the power sector, linked to the nature of the source, and not to the current state of the energy mix or the production predictive capacity. A quantitative indicator is devised, discussed and graphically depicted. A case study is illustrated by the analysis of the 2018 production data in France and then developed further to evaluate the impact of two methods often considered to reduce intermittency: aggregation and complementarity between wind and solar productions.

scholarly journals Physicochemical indicators of the influence of a lined municipal landfill on groundwater quality: a case study from Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Przydatek ◽  
Włodzimierz Kanownik
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Soil Medium ◽  
Detailed Statistical Analysis ◽  
Pollutant Migration ◽  
Leachate Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

AbstractThe paper aims to determine the most significant physicochemical indicators of the effects that a lined landfill in southern Poland has had on groundwater quality. The results of the tests of groundwater and leachate water from the landfill for the period 2009 to 2016 were subjected to a detailed statistical analysis based on the 10 physicochemical parameters. A factor analysis was conducted considering the European Union and national requirements for landfills using analytical and statistical tools. The leachate contamination indicators from a landfill were analysed to reveal their interaction with the groundwater. The assessment indicated that there was an elevated and statistically significantly higher electrical conductivity and copper and total organic carbon concentrations in groundwater hydraulically downgradient of the landfill. The assessment also indicated that there were significant differences in the correlations between chemical parameters downgradient of the landfill and that there was a trend of increasing concentrations of some chemical constituents in groundwater. The adverse effects of the landfill were due to the deposited amount of waste exceeding 10 Mg per day. The impact was noticeable despite low and decreasing concentrations of heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) in the leachate. The deterioration of the chemical state of the groundwater in the landfill vicinity could result in the extended time of pollutant migration or mass transport in the irrigated soil medium due to the limited efficiency of the leachate intake system or sealing screen after more than 20 years of landfill operation.

"What God hath joined ...": Religious perspectives on marriage and divorce in late Victorian Canada

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-25
Author(s):  
Marguerite Van Die
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Community Networks ◽  
Lived Religion ◽  
Property Law ◽  
Religious Perspectives ◽  
Recent Debate ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Folk Tradition

Prompted by recent debate and legislation in Canada about the definition of "marriage," this article explores the impact of socio-economic change and stress upon marriage as an institution among the middle class in Victorian Canada. It does this through the lens of "lived religion" as defined by Robert Orsi and others, taking the form of a case study of a marital scandal involving a respected Presbyterian minister in Brantford, Ontario in 1883. This is placed within the wider context of competing definitions of marriage as found in folk tradition and community networks, in various ecclesiastical marriage liturgies, and in marriage, divorce and property law. In its final section it examines the contradictions, tensions and anxieties that surrounded these definitions in late Victorian Canada as a result of changes in people's experience of space and time. It concludes by briefly drawing attention to the nature of "lived religion" and its implications in redefining marriage within a society that today has become highly urbanized, secular and pluralistic.

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