With public opinion shifting to a believe in climate change in the early 2000s the interest in energy efficiency has been increasing. EU Directives set the goal of deploying smart meters if cost efficient for providing more detailed energy consumption. The main goal is to better inform consumers and to give individual households the power to change possibly energy wasting behaviours. This paper evaluates through a literature review the effectiveness of intelligent electricity metering systems with a focus on the DACH region, the provision of different types of feedback and its persistence. It can be concluded that energy feedback enabled by smart meters can lead to savings in the range of 0% to 4.5% in this region. If feedback is provided continuously savings persist. However, several aspects have to be considered to ensure effectiveness of smart meter deployment.

Energy Performance Contracting is an energy saving method, when the supplier guarantees a certain minimal level of energy savings to the customer, as well as non-rising energy costs. The method was developed at the turn of 70's and 80's in the USA and has spread to dozens of countries around the world till today, although the rate of the EPC market development differs from country to country. The method is useful mostly for heating, electricity and gas cost savings by the end-users. In the Czech Republic, the method has been used since 1993. Until now, several dozens, or even hundreds of projects have been realized, mostly for public sector customers. This paper analyzes the current state of the EPC method usage around the world as well as in the Czech Republic, the key part comprises of the EPC principles description, based on data from real EPC contracts. The work is concluded by a SWOT analysis of the method and by a discussion of the following question: "Can EPC projects blockade the overall saving potential in some cases?" The key information source for most of the work were answers to questions sent to eight Czech ESCO companies representatives, as well as the outputs from guided interviews with four of them, which were taking place between January and May 2009.

Coupled with the issue of promoting energy efficiency in South Africa is the need to focus on the source of energy production. The country's excessive burning of coal resources has been linked to the global warming crisis. To address this energy crisis, taxpayers can be encouraged to play an important role in moving the country towards a position of energy stability by conserving energy or decreasing their energy consumption, or contributing towards the research and development of energy-efficient processes as well as cleaner forms of energy. This study analyses the energy-related tax incentives that are currently legislated and available to South African taxpayers and discusses the feasibility of taking advantage of these incentives. The study may provide guidance to taxpayers that have decided to invest in renewable energy sources and will discuss some of the advantages and perceived challenges facing the renewable energy industry. This study also provides a worked example that illustrates a detailed calculation of the energy tax saving incentive set out in section 12L of the Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962. A case study guides taxpayers though the practical process of applying for and calculating their energy-saving tax deduction. The case study may be used as a point of reference for taxpayers planning to implement the section 12L energy efficiency tax incentive for the first time and may highlight complexities and concerns they should consider. / Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Taxation / MCom / Unrestricted

Då klimatförändringarna runt om i världen accelererar med torka så behöver man under regnperioder ta tillvara på dag- och gråvatten istället för att släppa ut det i dagvattensystemet. I Örebro, Sverige, finns en byggnad vid namn Citypassagen, som använder sig av ett system som spolar toaletter med uppsamlat regnvatten. Att spara dagvatten och använda som spolvatten är en smart lösning på vattenbrist, det kan dock föra in risker in i byggnaden som skulle kunna smitta människor som befinner sig vid och använder toaletterna. Detta tillsammans med riskerna vid gråvattenanvändning undersöks närmare i den här rapporten, samt att det undersöks om implementering av ett sådant system som använder dag- och gråvattnet för toalettspolning kan vara energieffektivt.Rapporten kommer fram till att det främst är bakterier och patogener som skulle kunna orsaka smitta hos människor vid användning av dessa dag- och gråvattenspolande toaletter, då de kan förekomma som aerosoler medan de andra undersökta områdena inte kan förekomma som aerosoler. Det fastställs även att energibesparing kan göras med ett spolvattensystem som använder sig av regnvatten då reningen inte kommer att bli lika omfattande som vid ett traditionellt reningsverk. Slutsatsen är att risker som legionella pneumophila kan smitta som aerosoler. Andra smittorisker är E-coli, Cryptosporidium och Giardia, patogener som kan återfinnas i gråvatten. Energibesparingar kan främst göras vid reningsprocessen, då samma rigorösa reningsprocess som återfinns i reningsverk inte krävs. / With accelerating climate change bringing droughts around the world, the necessity to use urban runoff and grey water as a resource grows. In Örebro, Sweden, there is a building called Citypassagen, which uses a system of collected rainwater for flushing of toilets. To use urban runoff for toilet flushing is a smart solution to shortage of water availability, though it can also mean the exposure of health risks to people who use the toilets. These risks, accompanied by the risks of grey water usage, are examined in this report, and also if the implementation of a system that uses urban runoff and grey water for toilet flushing can be viewed as a means to energy savings.This report finds that bacteria and pathogens are the primary source of potential infection when using urban runoff or grey water flushing toilets, because of their ability to occur as aerosols, unlike the other examined risks. It is also established that energy savings can be made with a flushing system that uses rainwater, because the purification process is not as extensive compared to the process used in a traditional treatment plant. The conclusion is that risks such as legionella pneumophila can infect as an aerosol. Other risks of infection are E-coli, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, pathogens that can be traced in grey water. Energy savings can primarily be achieved in the purification process, because the same rigorous process used in traditional treatment plants is not necessary.

The building sector is one of the sectors that consume the most energy in Sweden. In order to deal with this problem Swedish government aims to reduce the energy consumption in the building sector 50% by 2050. Another ambitious goal set by the Swedish government is zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Most of the buildings in Sweden were built during 1950-1990 before the first energy regulations were voted in Europe. A high percentage of these buildings date to 1950 and the majority of them are multi family buildings. Apartments built during this period are now requiring major renovation and retrofitting measures in order to comply with the energy and indoor environment regulations. Despite the urgent need for retrofitting expressed above, the retrofitting ratio in Sweden was 0.88% in 2013, so the number of buildings that haven’t gone through any energy retrofitting is still high making it clear that the biggest opportunity for energy savings lies within the existing building stock and that the retrofitting ratio has to enhance in order to achieve the governments energy and emission goals for 2050. In this study a new patented innovative energy retrofitting method is studied within IDAICE simulation program in order to find the heat load and the energy savings after applying this method. The simulated building is a three story multi family building with building characteristics from 1950 and the simulation takes place in two different climate zones (Stockholm and Umeå). Three different insulation thicknesses were tested creating three different variant cases in order to investigate the difference in energy savings an increase of the insulation thickness will bring. This retrofitting method except installation of extra facade insulation includes roof insulation, replacement of the air handling unit with heat recovery ventilation whose pipe system runs through the insulation behind the radiators of each zone and replacement of the old windows with triple glazed low U-value windows. The results show a high reduction in heat supplied after the retrofit, 66.4% room unit heat reduction in Stockholm and 59.6% in Umeå and even higher energy reduction 68.3% in Stockholm and 68.9% in Umeå. The CO2 emission reduction was 58.4% in Stockholm and 60.9% in Umeå. The difference in room unit heat, energy consumption and CO2 emissions among the Variant cases varies between 1-2%. The explanation for such a small difference lies in the fact that the only difference among these cases is the insulation thickness of the facade. The thermal comfort was also investigated and has shown an increase in hours of dissatisfaction after the retrofitting and as the insulation increased due to overheating. However it must be stated here that the reason behind the increase in dissatisfaction is that no window shading or window opening schedules were taken into account in the simulation maximizing the solar heat gains of the building. The study concludes that the studied retrofitting method is very efficient and the studied building achieves higher energy reduction than the goal that the Swedish government has set for 2050. The results of this study bring this retrofitting method ahead of the 2050 energy reduction goals set by the Swedish government with significant reductions in CO2 emissions and heat load.

This thesis summarises the outcomes of a Big Data analysis, performed on a set of hourly district heating energy consumption data from 2012 for nearly 15 000 buildings in the City of Stockholm. The aim of the study was to find patterns and inefficiencies in the consumption data using KNIME, a big data analysis tool, and to initiate a retrofitting plan for the city to counteract these inefficiencies. By defining a number of energy saving scenarios, the potential for increased efficiency is estimated and the resulting methodology can be used by other (smart) cities and policy makers to estimate savings potential elsewhere. In addition, the influence of weather circumstances, building location and building types is studied. In the introduction, a concise overview of the concepts Smart City and Big Data is given, together with their relevance for the energy challenges of the 21st century. Thereafter, a summary of the previous studies at the foundation of this research and a brief theory review of less common methods used in this thesis are presented. The method of this thesis consisted of first understanding and describing the dataset using descriptive statistics, studying the annual fluctuations in energy consumption and clustering all consumer groups per building class according to total consumption, consumption intensity and time of consumption. After these descriptive steps, a more analytical part starts with the definition of a number of energy saving scenarios. They are used to estimate the maximal potential for energy savings, regardless of actual measures, financial or temporal aspects. This hypothetical simulation is supplemented with a more realistic retrofitting plan that explores the feasibility of Stockholm’s Climate Action Plan for 2012-2015, using a limited set of energy efficiency measures and a fixed investment horizon. The analytical part is concluded with a spatial regression that sets out to determine the influence of wind velocity and temperature in different parts of Stockholm. The conclusions of this thesis are that the potential for energy savings in the studied data set can go up to 59% or 4.6 TWh. The financially justified savings are estimated at ca. 6% using favourable investment parameters. However, these savings quickly diminish because of a high sensitivity on the input parameters. The clustering analysis has not yielded the anticipated results, but they can be used as a tool to target investments towards groups of buildings that have a high return on investment.

In the developed world, the existing stock of houses will provide shelter to the majority of population in the upcoming years. Houses are physical objects that consume material and energy and need to be maintained, repaired and restructured from time to time. In order to fulfill the requirements of the Kyoto protocol and be comfortable for their inhabitants, the existing stock needs to be renovated. Strong disagreement between different parts of the scientific community and overlapping and contradictory concepts make the definition of sustainable renovation confusing. In this Thesis, therefore, an approach of renovation and operation for higher energy efficiency and lower climate impact has been the main focus. Based on a systems analysis approach, the aim of this work is to develop a manual to stimulate house owners to become role models in sustainable renovation and operation of family houses, the Thesis providing recommendations to reducing the energy consumption of their houses by evaluating cost and benefits of possible actions and choosing the most energy and cost effective approach of a series of alternatives. With the results of this analysis, a sustainable renovation and operation staircase is proposed. The work found that it is possible develop a staircase manual for sustainable renovation and operation of family houses that follows a logical step-by-step approach and could result in considerable life cycle reductions in both costs and climate impact. The work also suggests that it is possible for academic experts to develop material in a simpler form and language to reach the public in a more understandable form.

The thesis "Who saves or does not save the energy: Uncovering the reasons for practicing energy-saving activities in households" identifies the segments which tend to (not) perform selected household energy saving activities and discover the reasons behind the (non) practicing these activities. The author uses both quantitative and qualitative approach. By quantitative approach, the author analyzes data from pilot project PURGE in order to identify segments which are more likely to do selected activities. Emphasis is placed on class position. The author's own qualitative survey by semi-structured interviews identifies the reasons behind this activities. Generally, the author discovered that the upper classes practice energy- saving activities more often than the lower classes which is consistent with findings that lower classes tend to perform habitual behavior and rely on technology and upper classes tend to calculate and study the effect of these activities. Among lowest educational category are (compared with other educational groups) more people who leave always or often turned on the television or radio, even when no one is watching. Women state more likely than men that they never turn down heating when leaving home for more than four hours, what corresponds to findings that arise from...

Sustainable efficient lighting has become as one of the most important issues in the office environment In Sweden, energy demand for lighting corresponds to 20% of the total electricity used in office buildings (1), while It has been estimated that lighting accounts for about 20% of the total power generation of the world (2). This thesis investigates how to make lighting in offices more sustainable and focuses on energy efficiency, to save energy through creating guidelines related to light source technologies, lighting control systems and the user preferences. Then those guidelines are applied to an existing office through suggesting a new lighting design. The existing office in this case is the ÅF company 10th office floor located in Stockholm, Sweden. This investigation methodology consists of two main parts literature review and Project (case) study. In the first part, methods used are a combination of literature review related to saving energy through sustainability in lighting and how light source technology, lighting control systems and the effect of user behavior could help to create more energy efficient lighting systems. In the second part, the methods are qualitative such as surveys, quantitative methods and personal observations. The used methods helped to create guidelines for the new suggested lighting design for ÅF 10 th office floor part. The Results shows that the new suggested lighting design saves energy up to 31.96% more than the current lighting situation.

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