The Swedish energy audit program is a publicly financed program, mainly targeting small and medium-sized firms to help them finance energy audits. By examining suggested and implemented energy ...efficiency measures from the energy audits conducted in 241 firms in the program, the aim of this paper is to examine the energy efficiency implementation gap and the cost efficiency of the program.
The audits show that the firms' average annual energy efficiency improvement potential is between 860 and 1270 MWh/year which corresponds to a total energy efficiency improvement potential of between 6980 and 11,130 MWh/firm. The implementation rate of the suggested energy efficiency improvement measures in the SEAP is 53%. The program has resulted in investments in energy efficiency improvements between €74,100and €113,000/firm.
•Auditors find an energy efficiency improvement potential of 460–660 MWh/year/firm.•The implementation rate of the suggested measures is 53%.•The total cost per MWh lie between €87 and €114/MWh.•Public costs in the SEAP are €0.7–€1.3/MWh.
The term "sustainability" has emerged as a popular catchphrase for the challenges we face in the twenty-first century, which need a radical rethinking of our economic, social, and environmental ...practices. Energy audit has evolved as a significant instrument in the search of a sustainable future, and it may be used to leverage other sustainability initiatives. Businesses may actively contribute to a more sustainable future and align operations with global environmental objectives by adopting energy practices. The purpose of this study is to do a bibliometric analysis of scholarly works that discuss energy auditing and its role in promoting sustainability. We may learn more about the major issues, trends, and contributions to green energy audit for sustainable development by reviewing the relevant academic literature.
Mosques are buildings with a unique occupancy schedule and special energy and water consumption scheme. Generally, this type of buildings lacks the application of energy efficiency solutions and ...sustainable guidelines during the conception, construction and the operation phase. Interestingly, these iconic edifices can play a key role in raising awareness for sustainability and promoting cleaner energy technologies. The first aim of this work is to present energy audit results, recommended energy savings solutions for two historical mosques in Marrakech (Morocco). A detailed discussion of the adopted solutions is presented and an economic assessment was performed. Then, a two-year energy savings evaluation was conducted for the two mosques. Conclusions about the adequacy of the proposed solutions is presented. The second part is dedicated to outline some guidelines and sustainable criteria to consider for establishing an international sustainable mosques label. The creation of a such sustainable label will encourage spreading sustainable best practices in mosques and other types of buildings. It will also help to compare sustainable performances of different mosques around the world by establishing an adapted sustainable rating system.
Energy audit of refrigerated shelving Mołczan, Tomasz; Cebulski, Damian; Piasecki, Marcin ...
Czasopismo techniczne : organ Towarzystwa Politechnicznego,
2022, Volume:
2022, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This article describes how an energy audit of equipment and the resulting design changes can have a major impact on reducing the electricity consumption of refrigeration equipment. The legal basis ...introduced by legislation forcing work on the improvement of refrigeration unit is provided. Eight points detail and describe the changes applied to the construction of cooling units. Additionally, a list of the refrigerants which are used is presented, along with the essential parameters of their work. The following analysis includes a description of the research performed along with the measured and calculated results for individual optimisations. The basic parameters that were used for comparison are: daily electricity consumption kWh/24 h and the temperature of the packages placed in the device °C. Finally, the percentage differences in energy consumption for each modernisation are summarised in a tabular form. The device used for the tests was the VARNA refrigerated rack, model 900, manufactured by P.P.H.U. JUKA Sp. z o.o. sp. k.
•Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques can be utilized to conduct envelope diagnostics for standardized energy audits.•Six NDT techniques are analyzed for their compatibility with building ...envelope auditing.•A tool was developed and is presented to identify hybrid workflows between different NDT techniques.•Hybrid workflows can be created between different NDT techniques to conduct standard envelope energy audits.
Understanding building envelope thermodynamics is an essential foundation of building sciences, mainly due to the envelope’s role as a boundary layer for exterior environments, as well as a container and regulator of internal microclimates. This paper presents a scoping literature review of select Non-destructive Testing (NDT) techniques for building envelope scanning and surveying for thermodynamic diagnostics. The investigation focuses specifically on reviewing six NDT techniques: Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)/Laser Scanning, Thermography, Ultrasound, Close-Range Photogrammetry and Through Wall Imaging Radar (TWIR). The aim is to identify knowledge gaps in terms of their use in accurately characterizing envelope compositions for further integration in Building Energy Modeling (BEM). Each technique was evaluated according to set categories imbibed from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) Standard 211P that showcase the technique’s ability to extract various relevant information. A framework is then developed to inform users on how to use hybrid NDT-based workflows applied in building envelope energy audits. The paper concludes by discussing possibilities of utilizing NDT in large-scale audit automation, BEM integration, and developing built environment policies focusing on increasing existing building performance through retrofitting design.
From a wide range of bibliography (148 publications composed by books, guidelines, scientific papers, and other documents), the study presents a critical review of the use of the infrared ...thermography (IRT) survey in the building energy audit. After explaining its historical growth, the applicability of passive and active approaches has been described, considering well-established and emerging techniques, general procedures, types of IR-camera used, technical issues, and limitations. The passive approach is the most common to detect thermally significant defects. Thus, a specific procedure for the energy audit has been reported, matching different standards, guidelines, and professional advice. Similarly, recurring energy related problems are toughly presented (i.e. thermal characterization of buildings; thermal bridging, insulation level, air leakage and moisture detection; indoor temperature and U-value measurements; human comfort assessment). Finally, advantages and potential sources of errors as well as future trends in the use of IRT for the energy audit have been described. The research aims to serve as a reference for energy auditors and thermographers, to decide upon the best procedure for detecting specific energy defects.
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•Provide a three-phased energy audit of a large-scale dairy farm.•Experimentally determine the direct energy-use share and intensity of dairy farms.•Suggesting energy-related ...retrofits to annually save about 25,118 kWh of electricity.•Provide four renewable-based alternative energy systems to cover load.•Cover cooling, heating, and power demand while reducing 3920 tCO2eq GHG emissions.
The current study was undertaken to identify ways of reducing excessive energy consumption and the total greenhouse gas emissions in the large-scale dairy farm. Retrofitting was proposed as a potential solution for dairy farms. Principally, a thorough experimental energy audit approach was employed in a case study to assess the direct energy use share and intensity of real-time operating dairy farms. After determining the load profile and implementing energy efficiency retrofits, according to the comprehensive simulation, four different alternative energy systems were presented to yield the maximum output of renewable energy resources, including solar and bioenergy. As a cost-effective solution, using solar photovoltaic and thermal panels is the most cost-effective method of mitigating energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions challenges. The second alternative includes biogas energy, which shifts farm energy demands and yields 1223 MWh of power to the grid, however, 249 MWh of heat is required. According to the third scenario, the demand for the cooling system will also be covered; 972 MWh of electrical power is injected into the grid, and 349 MWh of heat is needed. By the combination of photovoltaic and thermal panels with the CCHP system, which is the most expensive one, the system can supply the cooling, heating, and electrical demand for the facility. It can also inject 2.9 GWh of electricity into the grid. The remaining 399 MWh of heat is required, with a 3.5-year payback. Grid failures can be compensated most effectively by using the alternatives proposed in the current study. Also, the burden of heavy loads on the grid was impressively decreased. Efforts were made to minimize the facility's carbon footprint and reduce annual GHG emissions by up to 3920 tCO2eq.
The objective of this work is the energy characterisation and evaluation of the energy efficiency potential of the rubber manufacturing industry in Italy, exploiting the detailed data included in ...energy audits by large and energy-intensive companies. This sector is divided into two sub-activities: the manufacture of rubber products and the production of tyres. Existing studies are focused mainly on tyre production, and there is a lack of quantitative evaluation of energy indicators that can provide guidance for improving process efficiency. In this work, updated global and specific energy performance indicators (EnPIs) related to the production process and to the auxiliary and general services are defined and evaluated. At the same time, targeted actions and interventions to improve the energy efficiency of the sector are analysed, showing the role of different intervention areas and their cost-effectiveness. The analysis is based on 100 Italian mandatory energy audits of the sector collected according to Art.8 EU Directive 27/2012. The applied methodology made it possible to calculate specific energy performance indicators by considering the overall and sub-process energy consumption of different production sites. Based on a detailed database containing real data from recent energy audits, this study provides an up-to-date and reliable benchmark for the rubber industry sector. In addition, the analysis of energy audits allows the identification of the most effective energy efficiency interventions for the rubber industry in terms of cost-effectiveness and payback time.
•Energy audit and management of an industrial site (SME) in Egypt are investigated.•Installating VSDs would save 48.477 MWh and mitigate 21 t of CO2 annually.•Thermal insulation of the mold assembly ...saves nearly 319 MWh per year.•PV system expansion would satisfy about 50.95 % of the factory’s annual consumption.•Energy savings of 535.97 MWh and 232 tons of CO2 mitigations are expected annually.
This study presents an energy audit and management for an industrial site in Borg El-Arab City, Egypt. Notably, the investigated industrial site falls in the category of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are characterized by a high share of final energy use and possess a significant untapped energy-efficiency potential. In this work, potential sources of energy wastage in the facility have been investigated following a unique energy audit and analysis road map. Furthermore, tailored energy efficiency recommendations and effective energy management practices have been proffered for the various industrial equipment available for the first time. Besides, the proposed action plans are economically evaluated using the payback method and their environmental benefits are assessed accordingly. The results show that a proposed expansion of the PV system would produce 676.62 MWh/year and satisfy about 50.95 % of the factory’s annual electricity consumption. The renewable energy system presents an investment cost of $124,115 with an attractive payback period of about 3 years alongside curbing 293 tons of CO2 emissions annually. In addition, the installation of variable speed drives in the motor systems would save about 48.477 MWh/year with a payback period of 1.73 years and mitigate about 21 t of CO2 annually. Nevertheless, thermal insulation of the mold assembly using thermal boards and incorporating an air gap in the mold assembly design results in energy savings of about 319 MWh per year. The energy management of fans, compressors, and lights demonstrates annual energy savings of 121.461 MWh, 14.88 MWh, and 32.154 MWh, respectively. Notwithstanding, replacing fossil fuel-based forklifts with electric forklifts leads to an investment cost of $32,220 with an associated payback period of 5.74 years. Noteworthy, the energy audit and management herein present energy savings and CO2 emissions mitigations of 535.971 MWh and 232 t annually, respectively. Evidently, the energy audit and management performed will act as a guide for relevant decision-makers towards energy efficiency improvements, consequently achieving economic savings and limiting the carbon footprint.
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