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Reports

12 result(s) found

The international implications of national and local coordination on building energy codes: Case studies in six cities

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English
Authors:
Meredydd Evans,
Sha Yu,
Aaron Staniszewski,
Luting Jin,
Artur Denysenko

Building energy efficiency is an important strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally. In fact, 55 countries have included building energy efficiency in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. This research uses building energy code implementation in six cities across different continents as case studies to assess what it may take for countries to implement the ambitions of their energy efficiency goals.

Overview of State Policies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

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English
Authors:
Yu Wang

This paper introduces the major state-level regulations and policies for improving energy efficiency in buildings. The purpose of the review is to discuss the challenges and issues in policy implementation and the latest trend in adopting innovative instruments. The implementation of customer efficiency programs increasingly incorporates non-price instruments to encourage participation and deep savings. States pay attention to not only code adoption and update but also compliance and evaluation.

Focused acceleration: A strategic approach to climate action in cities to 2030

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English
Authors:
Desiree Bernhard,
Michele Bertoncello,
Alex Brotschi,
Lia Cairone,
Ricardo Cepeda-Márquez,
Robert Cervero,
Flavio Coppola,
David Craven,
Andrea Fernandez,
David Frankel,
Bhavin Gandhi,
Anna Gressel-Bacharan,
Clare Healy,
Max Jamieson,
Laura Jay,
Sean Kane,
Kate Laing,
Nicholas Laverty,
Julia Lipton,
Timo Möller,
Eric Morden,
Jesse Noffsinger,
Dickon Pinner,
Angelos Platanias,
Matt Rogers,
Josh Rosenfield,
Caterina Sarfatti,
Lucila Spotorno,
Zachary Tofias,
Andreas Tschiesner,
Helga Vanthournout,
Amy Wagner,
Caroline Watson,
Jonathan Woetzel,
Katherine Wolosz,
and Hong Xia

There is now widespread recognition in the international community that the commitments made by national governments under the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 cannot be achieved without concerted action by cities. Fortunately, many mayors have shown strong commitment to tackling climate change and a willingness to collaborate to achieve this goal.

Boosting building renovation: An overview of good practices

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English
Authors:
Bogdan Atanasiu,
Ilektra Kouloumpi,
Marine Faber,
Cosmina Marian,
Ingeborg Nolte,
Oliver Rapf,
Dan Staniaszek

The main aim of this report is to contribute to the exchange of good practices and to support EU MS by providing potential ideas for the elaboration of long-term renovation plans. The report compiles renovation requirements as well as financial instruments, support programmes and market mechanisms for building renovation in a number of countries and regions. While the main focus of the report is on selected EU MS, a few global examples are also presented.

Evaluating policy instruments to foster energy efficiency for the sustainable transformation of buildings

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English
Authors:
Benigna Boza-Kiss,
Sergi Moles-Grueso,
Diana Urge-Vorsatz

Energy efficiency policies have the unique capacity to contribute to a more sustainable energy future at an economic net benefit even when co-benefits are not included in the evaluations. The purpose of this paper is to present quantitative and comparative information on the societal cost-effectiveness and the lifetime energy savings of all light eight building energy efficiency policy instruments.

Building regulations are a barrier to affordable housing in Indian cities: the case of Ahmedabad

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English
Authors:
Bimal Patel,
Sweta Byahut,
Brijesh Bhatha

Cities in developing countries seldom consider the cost increases that regulations impose on development. To build legal housing, developers must meet a high minimum cost threshold established by mandatory standards. Many standards impose costs on building construction, make them less affordable to low-income households, deprive them access to legally built housing, and fuel the formation of slums.

How affordable housing becomes more sustainable? A stakeholder study

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English
Authors:
Xiaolong Gan,
Jian Zuo,
Peng Wu,
Jun Wang,
Ruidong Chang,
Tao Wen

Rapid urbanization poses a significant challenge of accommodating the poor, particularly in developing countries such as China where affordable housing has only been initiated a few years ago and will continue to be developed in the coming years. Two major considerations in affordable housing programs are cost and time, as the ability to meet the needs of low-income households is the main target of these programs. However, it is not a common strategy to address affordable housing shortage by means of incorporating sustainability features.

Adoption of innovative energy systems in social housing: Lessons from eight large-scale renovation projects in The Netherlands

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English
Authors:
Thomas Hoppe

Thanks to new insights on the impacts that dwellings have throughout their life cycles, there has been increased attention to retrofitting innovative energy systems (IES) in existing housing. This paper uses an explorative case study design to gain more knowledge about the governance aspects of this under-researched topic. The central research question is: Which factors influence the adoption of innovative energy systems in social housing sites during renovation projects? To answer this question, eight large-scale renovation projects in The Netherlands were investigated.

The path towards buildings energy efficiency in South American countries

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English
Authors:
Fabiana Silvero,
Fernanda Rodrigues,
Sergio Montelpare,
Enrico Spacone,
Humberto Varum

Nowadays, energy efficiency (EE) is presented as a reliable strategy towards sustainable development, but its application has not been developed equitably worldwide, since most EE policies have been implemented in industrialised nations, and developing countries are still in the process of improving their EE levels.

NATIONAL ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY PLAN: ANNUAL REPORT

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English
Authors:
Australian Government

This Annual Report covers the second in a 15-year plan and shows that the NEPP has continued to progress well. Throughout 2017, measures across the work plan have advanced and many have achieved significant outcomes. There has also been wider progress in energy policy and jurisdictional measures which will contribute strongly to energy productivity and NEPP objectives. This document highlights key outcomes, their expected impacts and links to broader reforms.

Mind the gap: A social sciences review of energy efficiency

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English
Authors:
Tessa Dunlop

Energy efficiency is a complex concept which is represented in diverse fields including engineering, economics, energy, computer sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics and physics. The social sciences literature on energy efficiency, however, remains significantly underrepresented, comprising just 2.6% of the total energy efficiency literature found in this study. Energy efficiency is an important energy policy strategy globally to reduce energy consumption, secure energy supply, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Thermally Comfortable Affordable Housing: A Study on Residential Building Code In India

Journal article
Authors:
Sneha Asrani,
Rajan Rawal,
Yash Shah,
Peter Graham,
Priyanka Bhanushali,
Arjun Desai

On an average, India has more than 3000 Cooling Degree Days (CDD). The multifamily public housing being constructed under India’s Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) is aimed at providing formal housing to the society’s Economic Weaker Section (EWS). It is essential that this housing delivers thermally comfortable in-doors to the occupants. This study mapped the design and construction practices followed under PMAY Urban (PMAY-U) against India’s Residential Energy Building Code, Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS). The metric prescribed in ENS is Residential Envelope Transmittance Value (RETV).

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