Over the past decades, microwave sintering has been investigated, and the effects of microwave sintering have been demonstrated, however there is still uncertainty as to what is causing the enhancements known as the microwave effect . For a better understanding of the microwave effect , the effect of microwaves on the pore size distribution during densification has been investigated for submicron-sized zinc oxide (ZnO), which was sintered with conventional heating and varying amounts of microwave power but always maintaining exactly the same time-temperature profile. Initially, the density of the sintered samples was measured and compared; this proved that the densification of the hybrid sintered samples was increased and that the higher the level of microwaves used, the more it enhanced the densification. After this, the porosity was investigated through the use of nitrogen adsorption analysis, mercury porosimetry and Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscopy (FEGSEM). Initially, it was found that sintering with microwaves reduces pores faster than for conventional sintering as expected. However, the experiments also revealed that the mechanisms of the reduction in the porosity were not different for microwave sintering compared to conventional sintering. When the porosity was compared at equivalent densities, it was observed that there was no significant difference, either in terms of the amount of porosity or the microstructure development. Since the structural development was the same for both conventional and hybrid sintering, it was concluded that the cause for the enhancement of the densification was enhanced diffusion caused by an additional driving force induced by the microwave field. The investigation of the solid-state reaction between zinc oxide and alumina was designed to investigate whether the diffusion associated with reactions was also enhanced by the use of microwaves. Therefore, zinc oxide and alumina samples were reacted as diffusion couples using conventional and hybrid heating, the latter with varying amounts of microwave power. The analyses of the reaction layer using FEGSEM showed an increase in the reaction product layer thickness when hybrid heating was used, with a higher level of microwaves yielding more growth. These results supported the view that the enhanced reaction rates were caused by enhanced diffusion, again caused by an additional driving force induced by the microwave field. For both the densification and reaction cases, the most likely additional driving force is considered to be the ponderomotive effect.

This research addresses the challenge of optimizing hybrid heating systems (HHS) that combine heat pumps with natural gas boilers in residential buildings. Existing buildings primarily rely on high-temperature natural gas boilers, limiting the adoption of more efficient, low-temperature alternatives like heat pumps. The research aims to explore the most effective hydraulic configurations for HHS with the goal of minimize energy usage, primary energy cost and CO₂ emissions while maintaining comfort levels. A MATLAB-based simulation model was developed to compare various HHS configurations under a unified control strategy over an annual cycle. The configurations studied included a base system with only a natural gas boiler and hybrid systems with series, parallel, and buffer tank arrangements. The results indicate that all hybrid configurations substantially outperform the boiler-only system in terms of energy efficiency and emissions reduction. The series hybrid system emerged as the most efficient, reducing energy usage to 59% of the boiler-only system, with the parallel system close behind at 58%. The buffer tank system, while less efficient than the other hybrids, still achieved a 49% reduction in energy usage compared to the boiler-only setup. Cost analysis revealed a primary energy cost reductions of 17% for both the series and parallel system and 4% for the system with buffer tank. CO₂ emissions were reduced by 46% to 56% across the hybrid configurations. The study highlights the critical role of control strategies over hydraulic configurations, as the series and parallel systems showed very similar performance. However, incorporating more components, especially storage like buffer tanks, negatively impacted overall efficiency. Real-world performance may differ slightly due to unaccounted changes in boiler efficiency from flue gas condensation, but the impact is expected to be modest. This research provides valuable insights for optimizing hybrid heating technologies in residential buildings, with implications for broader applications in other building types. The significant energy and cost savings, along with substantial CO₂ emission reductions, present a compelling case for adopting hybrid heating systems in energy retrofits and new constructions. The findings support global climate action and energy efficiency goals, contributing to environmental sustainability and energy security.

Abstract This thesis includes three studies on household preferences for energy goods and services. The first study examines determinants of households’ heating system choices using a choice experiment. The choice sets include six main heating alternatives (district heating, ground heat pump, exhaust air heat pump, solid wood boiler, wood pellet boiler, and electric storage heating) that are described by five attributes (supplementary heating systems, investment costs, operating costs, comfort of use and environmental friendliness). The results imply that hybrid heating appears to be accepted among households. The results also reveal differing preferences for the main heating alternatives and show that they are affected by demographic characteristics. The studied attributes also play a significant role when heating systems are being chosen. The second study is a methodological one that extends the analysis of the first study. The second study explores the effect of perceived choice complexity on the randomness of choices in choice experiments. The study investigates how different self-evaluated factors of choice complexity affect mean scale and scale variance. The findings suggest that perceived choice complexity has a systematic impact on the parameters of econometric models of choice. However, differences exist between alternative self-evaluated complexity-related covariates. The results indicate that individuals who report that answering the choice tasks is more difficult have less deterministic choices. Perceptions of the realism of home heating choice options also affect scale and scale variance. The third study utilizes the choice experiment to analyze households’ willingness to participate in demand side flexibility. The study examines whether individuals are willing to time their electricity usage and heating; whether they are interested in dynamic pricing contracts such as real-time pricing, two-rate tariffs, or power-based tariffs; and how emissions reductions affect their choices. The results indicate that households’ sensitivity to restrictions in electricity usage is much stronger than their sensitivity to restrictions in heating. Households also require compensation to choose real-time pricing over fixed fees. The findings suggest that room may exist for new dynamic electricity distribution contracts, such as power-based tariffs, in the market. Other value-creating elements besides monetary compensation also exist that could incentivize households to offer demand side flexibility because households value power system level reductions in CO2 emissions. / Tiivistelmä Tämä väitöskirja koostuu kolmesta tutkimuksesta, joissa tarkastellaan kotitalouksien preferenssejä energiahyödykkeitä ja -palveluita kohtaan. Ensimmäinen tutkimus keskittyy kotitalouksien lämmitysjärjestelmävalintoihin ja niitä määrittäviin tekijöihin. Tämä tutkimus on tehty valintakoemenetelmällä, jonka valintatilanteet sisältävät kuusi eri päälämmitysjärjestelmävaihtoehtoa (kaukolämpö, maalämpöpumppu, puulämmitys, pellettilämmitys, varaava sähkölämmitys ja poistoilmalämpöpumppu). Päälämmitysjärjestelmiä kuvataan viiden ominaisuuden avulla, jotka ovat tukilämmitysjärjestelmä, investointikustannukset, käyttökustannukset, käyttömukavuus ja ympäristöystävällisyys. Tulosten mukaan kotitalouksien preferenssit päälämmitysjärjestelmävaihtoehtoja kohtaan ovat vaihtelevia. Valintaan vaikuttavat sekä tarkastellut ominaisuudet että kotitalouden demografiset tekijät. Tulokset myös paljastavat, että kotitaloudet suhtautuvat myönteisesti hybridilämmitykseen. Toinen tutkimus on menetelmällinen, missä hyödynnetään ensimmäisen tutkimuksen aineistoa. Tämä tutkimus keskittyy yksilöiden kokeman vastaamisen vaikeuden vaikutuksiin valintakoemenetelmässä. Vastaamisen epätarkkuus tunnistetaan valintakoemenetelmässä skaalan ja skaalavarianssin avulla. Tutkimus tarkastelee, kuinka itsearvioidut vastaamisen vaikeutta mittaavat tekijät vaikuttavat keskimääräiseen skaalaan ja skaalavarianssiin valintojen ekonometrisissa malleissa. Tulosten mukaan koettu vastaamisen vaikeus vaikuttaa systemaattisesti ekonometrisen valintamallin parametreihin. Vastaamisen vaikeutta mittaavien tekijöiden välillä on kuitenkin eroja. Tuloksien perusteella vastaajat, jotka kokevat valintatilanteisiin vastaamisen keskimääräistä vaikeampana, tekevät satunnaisempia valintoja. Myös valintatilanteiden koettu realistisuus vaikuttaa skaalaan ja skaalavarianssiin. Kolmannessa tutkimuksessa arvioidaan kotitalouksien halukkuutta osallistua energian kysyntäjoustoon valintakoemenetelmällä. Tämä tutkimus selvittää ovatko kotitaloudet halukkaitta siirtämään sähkönkulutusta ja lämmitystä, ja kuinka kiinnostuneita he ovat dynaamisista sähkön hinnoittelusopimuksista kuten pörssisähkösopimuksesta, yösähkösopimuksesta tai tehoperusteisesta sopimuksesta. Lisäksi tutkitaan vaikuttavatko järjestelmätason päästövähennykset kotitalouksien valintoihin. Tulosten perusteella kotitaloudet suhtautuvat sähkönkulutuksen rajoituksiin selvästi negatiivisemmin kuin lämmityksen rajoituksiin. Kotitaloudet myös vaativat rahallista korvausta valitakseen pörssisähkösopimuksen kiinteähintaisen sopimuksen sijaan. Tulosten mukaan markkinoilla voisi olla tilaa uudenlaisille sopimustyypeille, kuten tehoperusteiselle vaihtoehdolle. Tulokset osoittavat, että kotitaloudet arvostavat järjestelmätason hiilidioksidipäästövähennyksiä. Täten rahallisen korvauksen lisäksi on olemassa myös muita arvoa luovia tekijöitä lisätä kotitalouksien osallistumista kysyntäjoustoon.