<p>  </p> <p>Heating and cooling (HC) energy use account for about 40% of the total annual energy consumption and cost of an average household in the U.S and it is significantly affected by residents’ energy-related behavior. This is particularly important for low-income residents in the U.S. who spend a larger portion of their income (i.e., about 16%) on home energy costs compared to average-income households (i.e., 4%). To address opportunities for reducing residential HC energy usage without requiring physical building upgrades, this thesis presents a new paradigm for smart and connected energy-aware communities that leverage smart eco-feedback devices and social games to engage residents in understanding and reducing their home energy use.</p> <p><br></p> <p>First, this Thesis presents a new modeling approach for personalized eco-feedback design integrated with a collaborative social game to assist residents to enhance their thermostat use while promoting community-level energy savings. The modeling framework is integrated into a cloud-based application, MySmartE, with visual (wall-mounted tablet) and voice (Alexa) user interfaces to facilitate behavioral changes in a user-centric approach. The platform is deployed in a multi-unit residential community in Fort Wayne, IN and the experimental data are used to investigate: (i) how occupants’ thermostat behaviors changed after using the MySmartE app; (ii) how users interacted with the app during the game; and (iii) how was users’ experience with the developed platform. Despite the heterogeneous characteristics of households, the results from the field study show the positive effect of the intervention in the thermostat-adjustment behaviors, which results in an increase in the indoor temperature during the cooling season compared to the baseline period. Findings from the user interaction analysis and post-experiment interviews also reveal the significant potential to nudge households’ energy conservation behaviors with the developed platform along with the challenges that should be tackled to derive long-term behavior changes. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Second, this Thesis introduces a sociotechnical modeling approach based on utility theory to reveal causal effects in human decision-making and infer attributes affecting households’ thermostat responses during an eco-feedback intervention. This modeling approach (i) is based on a utility model that quantifies residents’ preferences over indoor temperatures given decision attributes related to their thermal environment and eco-feedback and (ii) incorporates latent parameters that are inferred to determine the unique behavioral characteristics of each household. For parameter learning, a hierarchical Bayesian model is developed with a non-centered parameterization and calibrated to the field data. Based on the calibration results, the proposed model quantifies the impact of the eco-feedback on households’ thermostat-adjustment behaviors and serves as a foundation for analyzing resident behavior in connected residential communities with eco-feedback energy-saving programs.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Finally, this Thesis presents a modeling approach for investigating the decision trends of residents in goal-oriented collaborative social games while considering their decision preferences and goal achievement capabilities. The proposed approach involves a mechanism design method that derives optimal decisions by conducting counterfactual simulations given various scenarios of goal and reward sets. This modeling approach (i) re-defines utility functions to include decision attributes that reflect user preferences on the game status; (ii) calibrates the model to learn the decision preferences of the residents; (iii) simulates the decision-making process of residents by solving the Nash Equilibrium for a given set of game scenarios. The results revealed the decision trends of the residents given the various goals and rewards along with the potential goal achievement trends and the resulting variations in the marginal community utility.</p>

Le couple zéolite/H2O, qui présente une densité énergétique importante et remplit les conditions d’innocuité requises pour un système de stockage de chaleur pour l’habitat, est mis en œuvre dans réacteur modulaire à lit fixe. Un modèle monodimensionnel de transferts couplés de masse et de chaleur dans un lit fixe de grains de zéolite parcourus par un flux d'air humide été élaboré. Ce dernier a été conçu de façon à pouvoir intégrer rapidement des données sur de nouvelles générations de matériaux et coupler le réacteur à d’autres modèles : bâtiment/sous-station/quartier. L'étape de validation expérimentale montre que le modèle permet une estimation satisfaisante de l'autonomie, la durée d'amorçage et la puissance moyenne fournie en phase de décharge ainsi que la durée de charge. Ce modèle est donc un bon outil de dimensionnement et de pilotage du réacteur. L'analyse de sensibilité a montré que l'amélioration des prévisions du modèle requiert une évaluation plus précise de la chaleur complémentaire de sorption et de la porosité du lit. Après avoir estimé les besoins de chauffage d'une maison BBC deux dimensionnements ont été proposés afin d'effacer soit l'hyper-pointe de 18h - 20h soit la semaine la plus froide. Si la première stratégie aboutit à un système de stockage plus compact, la seconde permet de réduire le nombre de cycles marche/arrêt. Pour un îlot de 50 maisons BBC, la notion de foisonnement est considérée lors de l'estimation des besoins en chauffage pendant la semaine la plus froide. La phase de charge du système de stockage se ferait par le biais de la chaleur fatale récupérée dans l'industrie. Pour des stratégies d'effacement similaires (semaine la plus froide en hiver), un volume équivalent de 544 litres par maison dans l'îlot suffit pour répondre aux besoins de chauffage à Nancy contre 580 litres pour une maison BBC seule. / Heat storage systems for residential house heating could contribute to smoothing the load curve and would help prevent the use of the most polluting power plants or electricity imports during consumption peaks. Thermochemical heat storage systems are suitable for the intended application since they have high energy densities and low thermal losses. This thesis focuses on the design of an adsorption heat storage system that would be used to shed the load curve of the heating device of a house or residential district during the winter peak consumption periods. The zeolite/H2O pair, which has interesting features such as a high energy density and meets the conditions of safety required for a heat storage system for housing, is implemented in a modular fixed bed reactor. A 1D pseudo-homogeneous model was developed in order to simulate the performance of a fixed bed of zeolite during the adsorption and desorption of water. The latter was designed so as to facilitate the integration of data on new generations of materials and model couplings. The need to obtain data on the sorption properties of the zeolite/H2O pair to have reliable simulation results has been demonstrated, particularly at low partial pressures of water vapor and under the operating conditions selected. The experimental validation phase shows that the pseudo-homogeneous model provides a satisfactory estimate of criteria such as the autonomy, the responsiveness and the average power delivered during the discharging phase and the charging time. The model is thus a good sizing and management tool of the reactor. A sensitivity analysis, with the method of Morris, showed that improved model estimates require a more accurate assessment of the additional heat of sorption and porosity of the bed. After assessing the heating needs of the LEB house with a thermal model of the latter in cold climate conditions, two heat storage reactors were sized in order to shed the heating system's load curve either between 6 and 8pm or during the coldest week of the year. While the first strategy results in a more compact storage system, the second makes it possible to reduce the number of on/off cycles. The need for predictive control for monitoring the storage system was highlighted. As for the residential district of 50 LEB houses, diversity is considered when estimating the heating needs of the latter during the coldest week in Nancy. The heat source during the charging phase of the container would be industrial waste heat. During the coldest week, two sizings are suggested. For similar load shedding strategies, the comparison of the equivalent storage volume per house in the district with the storage volume for a single house serves highlights the importance of taking into account diversity. In order to meet the heating needs in Nancy, an equivalent volume of 544 liters per house in the district is sufficient whereas 580 liters are needed for a LEB house.

Städer och samhällen har under det senaste seklet utvecklats och exploaterats längre norrut men med en avsaknad av ett tydligt arkitektoniskt formspråk anpassat för ett arktiskt och subarktiskt klimat. Somliga forskare hävdar att städer och byggnader i dessa klimat till stor del baseras på universella arkitektoniska och urbana principer, som egentligen är bättre lämpade i tempererade klimat. Syftet med detta ar-bete är att undersöka, identifiera, sammanställa ochvisualisera relevant forskning, kunskap och praktisk kännedom gällande arkitektonisk gestaltning i ett arktiskt och subarktiskt klimat. Att identifiera bidragandefaktorer till komfortabla och attraktiva bostäder och stadsrum med kvalitéer som reducerar uppkomsten av väderrelaterade obehag. För att således, genom ett konceptuellt gestaltningsförslag, kunna visualisera och belysa det arkitektoniska formspråket som är bäst lämpat för det arktiska och subarktiska klimatet. Inledningsvis genomförs en litteraturstudie där till- gänglig forskning studeras med avseende att tydlig-göra vad som definierar arktisk och subarktisk arki- tektur samt klimatanpassat bostadsbyggande. Vidareidentifieras avgörande klimatfaktorer och arkitekto- niska kvaliteter som kan främja ett tydligt formspråk och komfortabla miljöer i dessa krävande klimat. Efter litteraturstudien upprättas en syntes som tillsammans med metoder ur Problem Seeking och Design: pro- cess och metod sammanställer de identifierade kvali- teterna till konkreta principer och strategier. Syntesen resulterade i följande tre klimatfaktorer att ta hänsyn till: Sol, Vind och Snö. Vidare resulterade syntes i följande nio byggnadsrelaterade faktorer: Volymer, Tak, Fasad, Entré, Markplan, Innergårdar samt mer urbana delar som: Gator, Vegetation och Aktiviteter. För att applicera dessa identifierade principer ochstrategier valdes ett tillämpningsområde med klimat- förutsättningar likt de som studerats. Tillämpningsområdet blev två kvarter i Kirunas nya stadsdel, nordväst om nya centrum. En platsanalys genomfördes med hjälp av välkända analysmetoder där information tillhandahållits genom Kirunas utvecklingsplan, fördjupande översiktsplan samt det vinnande täv- lingsbidraget för den nya stadsdelen, Kiruna 4-ever. Det konceptuella gestaltningsförslaget, som är arbetets resultat, baseras på den upprättade synte- sen tillsammans med resultatet av de analyser som genomförts med avseende på tillämpningsområdet. Gestaltningsförslaget utgör två bostadskvarter i linjer med Kirunas utvecklingsplan gällande utformning ochfunktion samt det identifierade arkitektoniska principerna. En höggradig funktionsblandning, levande och inbjudande gatumiljöer, attraktiva stråk, torg och parker samt en tydlig närhet till naturen är några av de kvaliteter som framgår i förslaget. Tillsammans med de väl avvägda och anpassade kombinationerna av designprinciper för arktisk och subarktisk arkitektur. Då gestaltningsförslaget är utformat på en övergripande konceptuell nivå, där fokus legat på attapplicera de identifierade principerna, anses detinte vara en fullständig produkt. Fortsatt arbete med och utveckling av det termiska klimatet samt interiöra faktorerna föreslås, som inte nödvändigtvis bör påverka den förslagna exteriöra utformningen. Det sammanställda och identifierade principernapresenteras på sida 47 i rapporten. Medan gestaltningsförslaget i sin helhet presenteras på sida 85. / Cities and communities have moved and developed further north over the last century, but with a lack of a clear architectural design adapted to the arctic and sub-arctic climate. Some researchers argue that cities and buildings in these climates are largely based on universal architectural and urban principles, which are actually better suited in temperate climates. The purpose of this work is to investigate, identify, compile and visualize relevant research, knowledge and practical knowledge regarding architectural design in an arctic and sub-arctic climate. To identify contributing factors to comfortable and attractive homes and urban spaces with qualities that reduce the occurrence of weatherrelated discomfort. In order to, through a conceptual design proposal, be able to visualize and illuminate the architectural design that is best suited to the arctic and sub-arctic climate. Initially, a literature study is conducted in which available research is studied with regard to clarifywhat defines arctic and sub-arctic architecture and climateadapted housing construction. Furthermore, crucial climate factors and architectural qualities are identified that can promote a clear design languageand comfortable environments in these demanding climates. After the literature study, a synthesis is established which together with methods like Problem Seeking and Design: process and method compilethe identified qualities to concrete principles and strategies. The synthesis resulted in the following three climate factors to take into account: Sun, Wind and Snow. Furthermore, synthesis resulted in the fol- lowing nine building-related factors: Volumes, Roofs, Facade, Entrance, Ground plan, courtyards and urban factors such as: Streets, Vegetation and Activities. In order to apply these identified principles andstrategies, an application area with climate conditions similar to those studied was chosen. The application area became two blocks in Kiruna's new city plan, northwest of new center. A site ana- lysis was carried out using well known analysis methods where the necessary information was provided through Kiruna's development plan, indepth overview plan and the winning competition contribution for the new city plan, Kiruna 4-ever. The conceptual design proposal, which is the result of the work, is based on the established synthesis together with the result of the analyzes carried outwith respect to the field of application. The designproposal constitutes two residential blocks in lines with Kiruna's development plan regarding design andfunction and the identified architectural principles. A high quality functional mix, vibrant and inviting street environments, attractive streets, squares and parks as well as a clear connection to nature are some of the qualities that appear in the proposal. Along with the well-balanced and adapted combinations of design principles for arctic and sub-arctic architecture. Since the design proposal is designed on an overall conceptual level, where the focus has beenon applying the identified principles, it is not considered a complete product. Continued work on and development of the thermal climate and interior factors is proposed, which should not ne- cessarily affect the proposed exterior design.The crucial and identified principles are presented on page 47 of the report. While the design proposal as a whole is presented on page 85.

The aim of the thesis is to design and evaluate a new multipurpose apartment building in Slatina. The object, which includes a parking lot, will be used for housing and recreational/sport purposes. The thesis also deals with basic evaluation of the object from the point of view of construction physics, fire safety and structural stability. The building is designed as a detached construction with graded floors. There is one ground floor and four elevated ones. The entire object is mirror-symmetrical on a transverse axis. The ground floor is designated to include a storage area of the apartment building, mechanical rooms and sanitary facilities of the fitness centre. The fitness centre itself is located on the first floor, along with a gym, administrative area and two special-purpose apartments. The remaining floors are intended for housing purposes. Wall construction system has been chosen for the object. The ground floor is based on a foundation plate made of watertight concrete („bílá vana“) while the supporting system is constituted by reinforced concrete walls. All ceiling constructions are constituted by monolithic plates made of reinforced concrete. Peripheral and inner supporting walls of the upper floors are lined with ceramic blocks HELUZ. Inner communication network consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete staircase and an elevator shaft. Roof construction consists of a flat DUO roof and a green roof.

The assessment of the direct and indirect requirements for energy is known as embodied energy analysis. For buildings, the direct energy includes that used primarily on site, while the indirect energy includes primarily the energy required for the manufacture of building materials. This thesis is concerned with the completeness and reliability of embodied energy analysis methods. Previous methods tend to address either one of these issues, but not both at the same time. Industry-based methods are incomplete. National statistical methods, while comprehensive, are a ‘black box’ and are subject to errors. A new hybrid embodied energy analysis method is derived to optimise the benefits of previous methods while minimising their flaws. In industry-based studies, known as ‘process analyses’, the energy embodied in a product is traced laboriously upstream by examining the inputs to each preceding process towards raw materials. Process analyses can be significantly incomplete, due to increasing complexity. The other major embodied energy analysis method, ‘input-output analysis’, comprises the use of national statistics. While the input-output framework is comprehensive, many inherent assumptions make the results unreliable. Hybrid analysis methods involve the combination of the two major embodied energy analysis methods discussed above, either based on process analysis or input-output analysis. The intention in both hybrid analysis methods is to reduce errors associated with the two major methods on which they are based. However, the problems inherent to each of the original methods tend to remain, to some degree, in the associated hybrid versions. Process-based hybrid analyses tend to be incomplete, due to the exclusions associated with the process analysis framework. However, input-output-based hybrid analyses tend to be unreliable because the substitution of process analysis data into the input-output framework causes unwanted indirect effects. A key deficiency in previous input-output-based hybrid analysis methods is that the input-output model is a ‘black box’, since important flows of goods and services with respect to the embodied energy of a sector cannot be readily identified. A new input-output-based hybrid analysis method was therefore developed, requiring the decomposition of the input-output model into mutually exclusive components (ie, ‘direct energy paths’). A direct energy path represents a discrete energy requirement, possibly occurring one or more transactions upstream from the process under consideration. For example, the energy required directly to manufacture the steel used in the construction of a building would represent a direct energy path of one non-energy transaction in length. A direct energy path comprises a ‘product quantity’ (for example, the total tonnes of cement used) and a ‘direct energy intensity’ (for example, the energy required directly for cement manufacture, per tonne). The input-output model was decomposed into direct energy paths for the ‘residential building construction’ sector. It was shown that 592 direct energy paths were required to describe 90% of the overall total energy intensity for ‘residential building construction’. By extracting direct energy paths using yet smaller threshold values, they were shown to be mutually exclusive. Consequently, the modification of direct energy paths using process analysis data does not cause unwanted indirect effects. A non-standard individual residential building was then selected to demonstrate the benefits of the new input-output-based hybrid analysis method in cases where the products of a sector may not be similar. Particular direct energy paths were modified with case specific process analysis data. Product quantities and direct energy intensities were derived and used to modify some of the direct energy paths. The intention of this demonstration was to determine whether 90% of the total embodied energy calculated for the building could comprise the process analysis data normally collected for the building. However, it was found that only 51% of the total comprised normally collected process analysis. The integration of process analysis data with 90% of the direct energy paths by value was unsuccessful because: • typically only one of the direct energy path components was modified using process analysis data (ie, either the product quantity or the direct energy intensity); • of the complexity of the paths derived for ‘residential building construction’; and • of the lack of reliable and consistent process analysis data from industry, for both product quantities and direct energy intensities. While the input-output model used was the best available for Australia, many errors were likely to be carried through to the direct energy paths for ‘residential building construction’. Consequently, both the value and relative importance of the direct energy paths for ‘residential building construction’ were generally found to be a poor model for the demonstration building. This was expected. Nevertheless, in the absence of better data from industry, the input-output data is likely to remain the most appropriate for completing the framework of embodied energy analyses of many types of products—even in non-standard cases. ‘Residential building construction’ was one of the 22 most complex Australian economic sectors (ie, comprising those requiring between 592 and 3215 direct energy paths to describe 90% of their total energy intensities). Consequently, for the other 87 non-energy sectors of the Australian economy, the input-output-based hybrid analysis method is likely to produce more reliable results than those calculated for the demonstration building using the direct energy paths for ‘residential building construction’. For more complex sectors than ‘residential building construction’, the new input-output-based hybrid analysis method derived here allows available process analysis data to be integrated with the input-output data in a comprehensive framework. The proportion of the result comprising the more reliable process analysis data can be calculated and used as a measure of the reliability of the result for that product or part of the product being analysed (for example, a building material or component). To ensure that future applications of the new input-output-based hybrid analysis method produce reliable results, new sources of process analysis data are required, including for such processes as services (for example, ‘banking’) and processes involving the transformation of basic materials into complex products (for example, steel and copper into an electric motor). However, even considering the limitations of the demonstration described above, the new input-output-based hybrid analysis method developed achieved the aim of the thesis: to develop a new embodied energy analysis method that allows reliable process analysis data to be integrated into the comprehensive, yet unreliable, input-output framework. Plain language summary Embodied energy analysis comprises the assessment of the direct and indirect energy requirements associated with a process. For example, the construction of a building requires the manufacture of steel structural members, and thus indirectly requires the energy used directly and indirectly in their manufacture. Embodied energy is an important measure of ecological sustainability because energy is used in virtually every human activity and many of these activities are interrelated. This thesis is concerned with the relationship between the completeness of embodied energy analysis methods and their reliability. However, previous industry-based methods, while reliable, are incomplete. Previous national statistical methods, while comprehensive, are a ‘black box’ subject to errors. A new method is derived, involving the decomposition of the comprehensive national statistical model into components that can be modified discretely using the more reliable industry data, and is demonstrated for an individual building. The demonstration failed to integrate enough industry data into the national statistical model, due to the unexpected complexity of the national statistical data and the lack of available industry data regarding energy and non-energy product requirements. These unique findings highlight the flaws in previous methods. Reliable process analysis and input-output data are required, particularly for those processes that were unable to be examined in the demonstration of the new embodied energy analysis method. This includes the energy requirements of services sectors, such as banking, and processes involving the transformation of basic materials into complex products, such as refrigerators. The application of the new method to less complex products, such as individual building materials or components, is likely to be more successful than to the residential building demonstration.

The Swedish energy power system is in the middle of a paradigm shift where the increased share of intermittent energy sources place higher demand on the ability to regulate and balance the generation and consumption of electricity. Demand flexibility, which means that consumers can adjust their energy consumption, is a promising solution to manage the imbalance in the power system. Electric heat pumps in residential buildings are recognized to have potential to serve as a flexible load. In this thesis, an aggregated multi-family residential building model is developed to generate heat load profiles for a larger number of buildings which facilitate an assessment of the heat pump flexibility. The flexibility assessment is performed for a local distribution grid area with 174 buildings and an electricity price region in Sweden with 10 146 buildings with heat pumps. The flexibility assessment analyses the heat pump load deviation between a base load case and a case where the heat pumps receive an off-signal. The assessment takes into consideration seven flexibility parameters and is conducted for ambient temperatures between -20°C and 15°C. The thermal inertia of multi-family residential buildings facilitates a load shift with a duration of 4.4 to 9.8 hours depending on the ambient temperature. The maximal average power reduction for one hour of 10 MW in a distribution grid and 169 MW in an electricity price region illustrates the potential of using heat pumps as a demand flexibility solution in the electricity grid.

The subject of master’s thesis is technological project of residential building in Prague. The thesis is focused on feasibility of the object. An implementation study is elaborated with a detailed solution of the construction process in terms of time and financial. A technology prescription, control and test plan is designed. Construction drawings are processed.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to describe the building-technological project for the construction of a residential building in Hradec Králové. The apartment building is five-storey and has 33 residential units. The work is systematically divided into smaller logical units. First, the project is described in a technical report, followed by studies of the realization of the main building. After the description of the project, an indicative time and financial plan is prepared, which is refined by the schedule and budget itemization of the main building. An integral part of the design is mechanical engineering, staff balance and site construction equipment. To ensure the maximum quality of the work carried out, the technical regulations contain the control and test plans. In order to determine the supply possibilities of the construction it was necessary to carry out an assessment of the wider transport relations around the building.

The aim of the thesis is to design and evaluate a new multipurpose apartment building in Slatina. The object, which includes a parking lot, will be used for housing and recreational/sport purposes. The thesis also deals with basic evaluation of the object from the point of view of construction physics, fire safety and structural stability. The building is designed as a detached construction with graded floors. There is one ground floor and four elevated ones. The entire object is mirror-symmetrical on a transverse axis. The ground floor is designated to include a storage area of the apartment building, mechanical rooms and sanitary facilities of the fitness centre. The fitness centre itself is located on the first floor, along with a gym, administrative area and two special-purpose apartments. The remaining floors are intended for housing purposes. Wall construction system has been chosen for the object. The ground floor is based on a foundation plate made of watertight concrete („bílá vana“) while the supporting system is constituted by reinforced concrete walls. All ceiling constructions are constituted by monolithic plates made of reinforced concrete. Peripheral and inner supporting walls of the upper floors are lined with ceramic blocks HELUZ. Inner communication network consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete staircase and an elevator shaft. Roof construction consists of a flat DUO roof and a green roof.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to evaluate the energy assessment and elaboration of energy performance certificates of the building. The building is an apartment building in Vítkov. The theoretical part deals with centralized heat supply. The calculation part contains a more detailed description of individual relationships and calculation procedures that are used to process energy performance certificates of the building. Furthermore, proposals for measures to improve the energy performance of buildings. In this part there is also a proposal of individual equipment of the new boiler room and thermographic measurement. In the project part there is an energy assessment assessing the building in two variants with individual heat sources. The evaluation is carried out from an energy, economic and environmental aspect.