Nova Scotia has over 100 commercial greenhouses covering an area of 186,245 square meters. Heating costs have become the largest energy expenditure in greenhouses mainly due to increasing fuel prices and the use of imported fuel oils. Increasing fuel prices combined with a growing desire to stabilize energy supply has led to a renewed interest in alternative fuel options for greenhouse heating. Agricultural or herbaceous biomass has the potential to become a sustainable and cost effective heating option for the greenhouse industry. Although high inorganic content create challenges during the combustion of herbaceous biomass, these crops create an opportunity if sufficient land mass is available for greenhouse growers to meet their own fuel needs. This research will review energy use and operational practices in the greenhouse industry to identify energy saving opportunities. This study will further investigate biomass feedstocks, processing and combustion technologies suitable for heating greenhouse industry in Nova Scotia.

Master of Science / Department of Architectural Engineering / Julia Keen / Conserving energy and minimizing utility consumption are primary focuses in educational facilities because annual budgets are often limited. Consequently, building energy audits are an effective tool to assist in evaluating existing buildings and identify methods of reducing annual energy use. Therefore, this report describes what building energy audits are, how they can be performed, and how to discover energy saving measures from the results. Specifically, the research considers physical building features and building operations and evaluates them for possible modification to reduce energy use. Proposed solutions vary from no-to-low cost options to larger capital investments. The research also analyzes building components for economic viability using the net present cost and payback period as the basis of comparison, permitting recommendations. The audit procedure and the economic analyses are presented in a manner that allows individual educational facility managers to assess their own buildings.

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As energy prices increase and the effect of global warming hits the world harder, the need of reducing our energy use, and by that decreasing our environmental footprint increases. According to the International Energy Agency the energy consumption hit a new record in 2019 with 419 EJ, corresponding to 36,6 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions. The building sector accounts for 40 % of the total energy consumption. According to the International Energy Agency, energy optimizing is the main key in the transit towards a more sustainable world and energy audits, or energy mapping, is in many cases the first step towards energy optimization. Sustainable Intelligence is a company working for long term, sustainable solutions for properties all over Sweden as well as Norway, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. Property automation is the main competence of the company. Another large sector at the company is the energy sector, where energy audits, energy declarations and energy consultations are made. This report aims to analyze the energy audit process of Sustainable Intelligence and hopefully find solutions to make their work more efficient. The study includes a case study where the energy audit process of Sustainable Intelligence was implemented and analyzed. The study showed that the current method used by SI has a good structure but that there is a room for improvements.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the last century the earth has experienced an increase in the global mean temperature, with the main contributing factor being the increase in greenhouse gasses. Evidence indicates that the burning of fossil fuels, critical in the supply of energy, contributed towards three quarters of the carbon dioxide (CO2) increase. In 2008 South Africa reached electricity capacity constraints. A subsequent economic downturn experienced in the country, brought about by the worldwide economic recession, has relieved some of the strain on the electricity supply system. However, consumption levels are returning to those experienced during 2008 and no new base load power stations have been added. Short-term capacity constraints can be managed by shifting the peak demand, but the electricity shortage can only be avoided by adding additional capacity or reducing the overall electricity consumption. Supply-side solutions are both overdue and too expensive. The only solutions that can provide lasting results are demand-side solutions. During the past few years the Energy Efficiency and Demand-side Management (EEDSM) programme implemented by South Africa’s electricity supply utility, Eskom, has gained prominence. This programme relies heavily on calculating the savings incurred through any demand-side intervention. Energy audits enable the calculation of various consumption scenarios and can provide valuable insight into load operation and user behaviour. Energy audits involve a two-part procedure consisting of load surveying and an analysis. This thesis describes the development of both these procedures, combined into a single application. The application has been tested and provides an accurate and effective tool for simulating consumption and quantifying savings for various load adjustments. The results gained from the auditing application surpassed the expectations and provides the user with a sufficient base-line consumption estimate. The results do not reflect day-to-day variations, but the simulations are sufficient to quantify savings and determine whether demand-side interventions are financially viable. The application also presents a benchmark for the type of applications required to successfully implement an EEDSM programme. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die afgelope eeu het die aarde se gemiddelde temperatuur toegeneem, met die toename in kweekhuisgasse as die grootste bydraende faktor. Dit wil ook voorkom asof die verbranding van fossielbrandstowwe, wat noodsaaklik is vir die verskaffing van energie, verantwoordelik is vir driekwart van die toename in koolstofdioksied (CO2). Gedurende 2008 het Suid-Afrika elektrisiteitsbeperkings bereik. Die daaropvolgende ekonomiese afswaai wat in die land ervaar is weensdie wêreldwye ekonomiese resessie, het van die druk op die elekriese netwerk verlig. Verbruikersvlakke is egter besig om terug te keer na waar dit in 2008 was, maar geen nuwe basislas-kragstasies is gebou nie. Op die kort termyn kan die kapasiteitsbeperkings bestuur word deur die aanvraag te verskuif, maar die elektrisiteitstekort kan op die lang duur slegs vermy word deur bykomende kapasiteit by te voeg of die totale aanvraag te verminder. Toevoerkant-oplossings is beide agterstallig en te duur. Die enigste oplossings wat blywende resultate kan lewer, is dus aan die verbruikerkant. In die afgelope paar jaar het die effektiewe bestuur van energieverbruik baie aansien geniet. Die nasionale energievoorsiener, Eskom, het ook 'n program geloods om te help met die implimentering van energiebesparingmaatreëls. Die implementering van energie-oudits om met die kwantifisering van besparings te help, is van integrale belang vir die sukses van die program. Energie-oudits stel die eindverbruiker in staat om verskeie verbruiksmoontlikhede te beproef en sodoende waardevolle inligitng te verkry rakende die verbruikspatrone van die fasiliteit. Energie-oudits behels 'n tweeledige proses, bestaande uit 'n lasopname en 'n verbruiksanalise. Hierdie proefskrif beskryf die ontwikkeling van 'n stelsel wat beide die prosesse kombineer in 'n enkele applikasie. Die applikasie is getoets en bied 'n akkurate en doeltreffende instrument om verbruik te simuleer en besparings te kwantifiseer vir verskeie verbruiksmoontlikhede. v Die resultate van die oudit het die aanvanklike verwagtinge oortref en voorsien verbruikers van 'n goeie skatting van die basisverbruik van 'n fasiliteit. Die resultate weerspieël nie dagtot- dag variasies nie, maar die simulasies is voldoende om besparings te kwantifiseer en help om die finansiële lewensvatbaarheid van verbruikerskant-intervensies te bepaal. Die program bied ook 'n verwysingspunt vir applikasies wat besparingstudies wil implementeer.

Electric pumps are extensively used in many industrial and commercial applications worldwide and account for about twenty percent of the world’s electrical energy demand. The useful energy consumed by the pumps is less than what they demand due to inefficiency caused by a number of reasons including the mismatch between the rated operating conditions and their actual operating conditions. Some studies including those done by the US Department of Energy, show that as much as 30-50% of energy consumed by pumping systems could be saved through equipment and control changes in the pumping systems.   Zambia, like many countries, faces an electricity shortage. Improving energy efficiency in pumping related operations can help save electricity costs and thus promote sustainable development and ultimately reduce global warming. This document discusses various methods of reducing pumping related electricity costs which can be categorised under either mechanical or electrical methods.  Preliminary energy audits on some pumping infrastructure for three water utility companies in Zambia were carried out and results showed various opportunities for saving electricity costs. Detailed study on selected pumping infrastructure revealed that as much as fifty four (54%) electricity cost savings could result at one pump station by correcting the operating points of pumps such that the Best Efficiency Points (BEP) on the pump characteristic curves matched the pumping system head requirements. / <p>Interactive presentation was done via Skype</p>

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Wastewater treatment facilities around the world use significant amount of energy which contributes to large quantities of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the U.S.EPA, nearly 3% of the USA's energy is used to treat wastewater. This consumption is increasing at faster rates with increase in population and regulations. Wastewater facilities use large number of pumps in their transfer stations, treatment plants, and effluent pump stations. All these pumps consume considerable amounts of energy. This study presents a preliminary energy inspection of two facilities from Louisiana. This audit provides an inventory of the energy consumed for various activities like pumping, treatment, and discharge. This analysis helps the operators to identify the potential power consuming areas and optimize by adopting several energy conservation measures (ECMs). This study also involves the quantification of GHG emissions based on the energy consumption. The benefits of the study include minimizing energy and GHG emission.