Towards Nearly Zero Energy

The recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on 19 May 2010. For new buildings, the recast fixes 2020 as the deadline for all new buildings to be “nearly zero energy” (and even sooner for public buildings – by the end of 2018). This book gives practitioner an important tool to tackle the challenges of building refurbishment towards nearly zero energy. This book is welcome at this time and sets the scene for professionals whether practitioners or researchers to learn more about how we can make whether old or new buildings more efficient and effective in terms of energy performance.

Towards Nearly Zero Energy: Urban Settings in the Mediterranean Climate discusses tactics that can be used to effectively reduce energy consumption towards zero energy. With energy usage in buildings accounting for over 40% of primary energy use and 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, this remains an unavoidable objective. The book looks at the life of the systems of energy production from renewable sources amidst the exceptionally challenging global economic crisis that the Mediterranean areas and other societies are currently experiencing. By using an innovative and interdisciplinary approach of socio-oriented technological design, the book indicates tools and measures that can be developed at the public, legislative, and market levels to counterbalance the large pay-back times of energy efficiency measures. In particular, the book displays guidelines and best practices to activate new forms of economic incentives in order to attract potential investors that demonstrate that a large set of possible solutions is technically feasible to achieve nearly zero energy, even in high energy consuming circumstances and urban settings. Furthermore, by discussing and comparing the economic and energy impact of different technology options, this work offers guidelines and best practices to activate new cost-effective forms and social incentives in order to attract both potential investors and motivate the urban stakeholders toward nearly zero energy. Strategies and zero energy solutions for practitioners Policy s and economic resolutions to combat legislative barriers Examples and case studies of nearly zero energy urban environments

"Net zero energy buildings, equilibrium buildings or carbon neutral cities – depending on location and the reasons for making the calculation, the numbers are run differently. The variety of terms in use indicates that a scientific method is still lacking – which is a problem not just in regard to international communication, but also with respect to planning processes as a response to energy challenges. The clarification and meaning of the most important terms in use is extremely important for their implementation. Since October 2008, a panel of experts from an international energy agency has concerned itself with these topics as part of a project entitled “Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings”. The objective is to analyse exemplary buildings that are near a zero-energy balance in order to develop methods and tools for the planning, design and operation of such buildings. The results are documented in this publication: In addition to the presentation of selected projects, it is not just architectural showcase projects that are shown – the focus is on relaying knowledge and experience gained by planners and builders. Even if many questions remain unanswered: Project examples that have already been implemented prove on a practical basis that the objective of a zero energy balance is already possible today."

Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB): Concepts, Frameworks and Roadmap for Project Analysis and Implementation provides readers with the elements they need to understand, combine and contextualize design decisions on Net Zero Energy Buildings. The book is based on learned lessons from NZEB design, construction, operation that are integrated to bring the most relevant topics, such as multidisciplinarity, climate sensitivity, comfort requirements, carbon footprints, construction quality and evidence-based design. Chapters introduce the context of high performance buildings, present overviews of NZEB, cover the performance thresholds for efficient buildings, cover materials, micro-grid and smart grids, construction quality, performance monitoring, post occupancy evaluation, and more. Offers a roadmap for engaging in energy efficiency in high performance buildings projects Combines solid grounding in core concepts, such as energy efficiency, with a wider context that includes the technical, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions Covers key areas for decision-making Provides a logical framework to analyze projects in the context of environmental change Presents worldwide examples and cases for different climates and societies

This book addresses the main challenges in implementing the concepts that aim to replace the regular fossil-fuels based energy pattern with the novel energy pattern relying on renewable energy. As the built environment is one major energy consumer, well known and exploited by each community member, the challenges addressing the built environment has to be solved with the consistent contribution of the community inhabitants and its administration. The transition phase, which already is under implementation, is represented by the Nearly Zero Energy Communities (nZEC). From the research topics towards the large scale implementation, the nZEC concept is analyzed in this book, starting with the specific issues of the sustainable built environment, beyond the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings towards a more integrated view on the community (Chapter1) and followed by various implementation concepts for renewable heating & cooling (Chapter 2), for renewable electrical energy production at community level (Chapter 3) and for sustainable water use and reuse (Chapter 4). As the topic is still new, specific instruments supporting education and training (Chapter 5) are needed, aiming to provide the knowledge that can drive the communities in the near future and is expected to increase the acceptance towards renewable energy implemented at community level. The sub-chapters of this book are the proceedings of the 5th edition of the Conference for Sustainable Energy, during 19-21 October 2017, organized by the R&D Centre Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling, in the R&D Institute of the Transilvania University of Brasov. This event was organized under the patronage of the International Federation for the Science of Machines and Mechanisms (IFToMM) - the Technical Committee Sustainable Energy Systems, of the European Sustainable Energy Alliance (ESEIA) and of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences.

In a society that praises and promotes technological advancement, it becomes increasingly essential to review the effects of such rapid technological growth. New high-tech advances need to be examined to determine what they mean to science, society, and industry along with the benefits and challenges they present. The Handbook of Research on Industrial Advancement in Scientific Knowledge addresses the intersection of technology and science where engineering considerations, mathematical approaches, and management tools provide a better understanding and awareness of Industry 4.0, while also taking into account the impact on current society. This publication identifies methodologies and applications related to decision making, risk and uncertainty, and design and development not only on scientific and industrial topics but also on social and ethical matters. It is designed for engineers, entrepreneurs, academicians, researchers, managers, and students.

Cost optimal and nearly zero energy performance levels are principles initiated by the European Union’s (EU) Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which was recast in 2010. These will be major drivers in the construction sector in the next few years, because all new buildings in the EU from 2021 onwards are expected to be nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB). This book introduces the technical definitions, system boundaries, energy calculation methodology and input data needed to set primary energy based minimum/cost optimal and nZEB requirements in national energy frames. Worked examples are provided to illustrate the calculation of delivered, exported and primary energy, and renewable energy contribution. Five case studies of high performance nZEB office buildings across Europe are reported to show alternative technical solutions and to draw some general design rules based on completed nZEB buildings. Specific features of the nZEB design process, especially in the early stages, and architectural competitions are included. These describe important design issues in the scoping and conceptual design phase, allowing design streams to be controlled so that specified targets can be met. This book is intended for readers who need to be aware of or are working with the energy performance of buildings – for decision makers in public and private sectors, architects, engineers, construction clients, consultants, contractors, manufacturers and students. The editor of this book, Professor Jarek Kurnitski has made major contributions to the preparation of the European REHVA nZEB technical definition and has developed energy calculation frames for current Estonian and Finnish energy performance regulations. He is the leader of nZEB research at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia and Aalto University in Finland, and he has over 300 publications.