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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 June 2020) | Viewed by 40595

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jukka Heinonen

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Guest Editor

Sustainable Built Environment, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
Interests: sustainable built environment; life cycle assessments; carbon footprinting; greenhouse gas mitigation; sustainable urban development; built environment; life cycle economics
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Dr. Sanna Ala-Mantila

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Guest Editor

Sustainable Urban Systems, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) & Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Interests: sustainable cities; urbanization; climate change mitigation; well-being; socioeconomic segregation
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Dr. Ortzi Akizu-Gardoki

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Guest Editor

Graphic Design and Engineering Projects Department, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Interests: energy footprint; energy transitions; input–output analysis; sustainability; well-being; life cycle assessment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world needs to change. With rapid ongoing urbanization and ever-growing harmful environmental impacts from urban areas, the focus of this required sustainability transformation is on cities. However, cities are known to create wealth and economic growth. Cities are also providing their citizens with evermore diverse consumption opportunities, making the lifestyles of city dwellers more and more consumption-oriented. This inevitably leads to increased energy demands and emissions in cities due to needed infrastructure and real estate development, the increased energy demands of users, and the increased energy embodied in the goods and services consumed within cities. Concurrently, we are facing imminent pressure to significantly reduce our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at all levels of society. This pressure behoves cities to re-establish themselves as low-energy/low-carbon urban ecosystems.

There has been an ongoing, lively academic discourse on the Issue for several years, so far without widely accepted or unanimous solutions. This Special Issue “Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow” seeks to enhance this conversation and provide a more profound understanding of the future energy requirements of urban areas and low-energy and low-carbon cities.

We welcome both conceptual and empirical study papers. Papers involving energy or greenhouse gas simulation and modeling are likewise welcomed. The following list of topics is in no way exhaustive, but is intended to inspire the authors’ writing. All topics relevant to the theme of ‘’Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow’’ are equally welcomed. Potential topics include the following:

Low-energy/low-carbon city concepts;
Energy solutions for low-carbon urban areas;
Low-energy/low-carbon urban ecosystems;
Energy-efficient urban transitions;
Sustainable urban living;
Drivers and barriers for low-energy/low-carbon solutions;
Energy system changes in urban communities.

Papers presenting research results with sound academic contributions and high societal impact potential are particularly welcomed.

Prof. Dr. Jukka Heinonen
Assistant Prof. Dr. Sanna Ala-Mantila
Dr. Ortzi Akizu-Gardoki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Low-energy/low-carbon city concepts
Energy solutions for low-carbon urban areas
Low-energy/low-carbon urban ecosystems
Energy-efficient urban transitions
Sustainable urban living
Drivers and barriers for low-energy/low-carbon solutions
Energy system changes in urban communities.

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 1680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Passenger Transport Energy Use in Ten Swedish Cities: Understanding the Differences through a Comparative Review

by Jeffrey R. Kenworthy

Energies 2020, 13(14), 3719; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13143719 - 20 Jul 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3116

Abstract

Energy conservation in the passenger transport sector of cities is an important policy matter. There is a long history of transport energy conservation, dating back to the first global oil crisis in 1973–1974, the importance and significance of which is explained briefly in this paper. Detailed empirical data on private and public passenger transport energy use are provided for Sweden’s ten largest cities in 2015 (Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, Linköping, Helsingborg, Uppsala, Jönköping, Örebro, Västerås and Umeå), as well as Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, which is a benchmark small city, well-known globally for its sustainability credentials, including mobility. These data on per capita energy use in private and public transport, as well as consumption rates per vehicle kilometer and passenger kilometer for every mode in each Swedish city and Freiburg, are compared with each other and with comprehensive earlier data on a large sample of US, Australian, Canadian, European and Asian cities. Swedish cities are found to have similar levels of per capita car use and energy use in private transport as those found in other European cities, but in the context of significantly lower densities. Possible reasons for the observed Swedish patterns are explored through detailed data on their land use, public and private transport infrastructure, and service and mobility characteristics. Relative to their comparatively low densities, Swedish cities are found to have healthy levels of public transport provision, relatively good public transport usage and very healthy levels of walking and cycling, all of which help to contribute to their moderate car use and energy use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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28 pages, 4654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesising Residential Electricity Load Profiles at the City Level Using a Weighted Proportion (Wepro) Model

by Angreine Kewo, Pinrolinvic D. K. Manembu and Per Sieverts Nielsen

Energies 2020, 13(14), 3543; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13143543 - 9 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4264

Abstract

It is important to understand residential energy use as it is a large energy consumption sector and the potential for change is of great importance for global energy sustainability. A large energy-saving potential and emission reduction potential can be achieved, among others, by understanding energy consumption patterns in more detail. However, existing studies show that it requires many input parameters or disaggregated individual end-uses input data to generate the load profiles. Therefore, we have developed a simplified approach, called weighted proportion (Wepro) model, to synthesise the residential electricity load profile by proportionally matching the city’s main characteristics: Age group, labour force and gender structure with the representative households profiles provided in the load profile generator. The findings indicate that the synthetic load profiles can represent the local electricity consumption characteristics in the case city of Amsterdam based on time variation analyses. The approach is in particular advantageous to tackle the drawbacks of the existing studies and the standard load model used by the utilities. Furthermore, the model is found to be more efficient in the computational process of the residential sector’s load profiles, given the number of households in the city that is represented in the local profile. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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22 pages, 3242 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantifying the Building Energy Dynamics of Manhattan, New York City, Using an Urban Building Energy Model and Localized Weather Data

by Wenliang Li

Energies 2020, 13(12), 3244; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13123244 - 23 Jun 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3669

Abstract

Building sectors account for major energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the US. While urban building energy-use modeling has been widely applied in many studies, limited studies have been conducted for Manhattan, New York City (NYC). Since the release of the new “80-by-50” law, the NYC government has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050; indeed, the government is facing a big challenge for reducing the energy use and carbon emissions. Therefore, understanding the building energy use of NYC with a high spatial and temporal resolution is essential for the government and local citizens in managing building energy use. This study quantified the building energy use of Manhattan in NYC with consideration of the local microclimate by integrating two popular modeling platforms, the Urban Weather Generator (UWG) and Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM). The research results suggest that (1) the largest building energy use is in central Manhattan, which is composed of large numbers of commercial buildings; (2) a similar seasonal electricity-use pattern and significantly different seasonal gas-use patterns could be found in Manhattan, NYC, due to the varied seasonal cooling and heating demand; and (3) the hourly energy-use profiles suggest only one electricity-use peak in the summer and two gas-use peaks in the winter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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44 pages, 8918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Modelling as a Trigger for Energy Communities: A Joint Socio-Technical Perspective

by Viktor Bukovszki, Ábel Magyari, Marina Kristina Braun, Kitti Párdi and András Reith

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2274; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13092274 - 5 May 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5376

Abstract

Mainstreaming energy communities has been one of the main challenges in the low-carbon transition of cities. In this sense, urban building energy modelling (UBEM) has an untapped role in enabling energy communities, as simulations on urban models provide evidence-based decision support to reduce risks, engage, motivate and guide actors, assert wider policy goals and regulatory requirements. This accelerating role and the potential of UBEM is not sufficiently understood, as research into energy community focuses on its barriers and impacts, while the research of UBEM is mainly technologically oriented. This review takes a sociotechnical approach to explore whether UBEM is a technological trigger for energy communities, furthering the conceptual framework of transition management. factors influencing energy community progression in different use-cases and stages of their lifecycle are compiled to assess the affordances of distinct capabilities of prevalent UBEM tools. The study provides a guide for energy community planners to UBEM. It matches different tool capabilities to the various stages of the project lifecycle for the different use-cases, equipping them with the means to accelerate the low-carbon transition of cities from the bottom-up. Finally, the study defines a development trajectory oriented towards application in urban sustainability to a rather new UBEM field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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28 pages, 3045 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Household Sharing for Carbon and Energy Reductions: The Case of EU Countries

by Diana Ivanova and Milena Büchs

Energies 2020, 13(8), 1909; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081909 - 14 Apr 2020

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5772

Abstract

As households get smaller worldwide, the extent of sharing within households reduces, resulting in rising per capita energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This article examines for the first time the differences in household economies of scale across EU countries as a way to support reductions in energy use and GHG emissions, while considering differences in effects across consumption domains and urban-rural typology. A country-comparative analysis is important to facilitate the formulation of context-specific initiatives and policies for resource sharing. We find that one-person households are most carbon- and energy-intensive per capita with an EU average of 9.2 tCO₂eq/cap and 0.14 TJ/cap, and a total contribution of about 17% to the EU’s carbon and energy use. Two-person households contribute about 31% to the EU carbon and energy footprint, while those of five or more members add about 9%. The average carbon and energy footprints of an EU household of five or more is about half that of a one-person average household, amounting to 4.6 tCO₂eq/cap and 0.07 TJ/cap. Household economies of scale vary substantially across consumption categories, urban-rural typology and EU countries. Substantial household economies of scale are noted for home energy, real estate services and miscellaneous services such as waste treatment and water supply; yet, some of the weakest household economies of scale occur in high carbon domains such as transport. Furthermore, Northern and Central European states are more likely to report strong household economies of scale—particularly in sparsely populated areas—compared to Southern and Eastern European countries. We discuss ways in which differences in household economies of scale may be linked to social, political and climatic conditions. We also provide policy recommendations for encouraging sharing within and between households as a contribution to climate change mitigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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25 pages, 3264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

European Cities in the Energy Transition: A Preliminary Analysis of 27 Cities

by Estitxu Villamor, Ortzi Akizu-Gardoki, Olatz Azurza, Leire Urkidi, Alvaro Campos-Celador, Izaro Basurko and Iñaki Barcena Hinojal

Energies 2020, 13(6), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061315 - 12 Mar 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4843

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a wide scientific consensus about the unsustainability of the current energy system and at the same time, social awareness about climate change and the IPCC’s goals is increasing in Europe. Amongst the different pathways towards them, one alternative is the radical transition to a democratic low-carbon energy system where the local scale has a key leading role. Under this scope, this research is framed within the mPOWER project, financed by the European Commission’s H2020 programme, which promotes collaboration among different European municipalities in order to boost the transition to a renewable-based participatory energy system. This paper presents the starting point of the mPOWER project, where the main energy features of 27 selected European municipalities are collected and analysed for the year 2016. An open public tender and selection process was carried out among European cities in order to choose the candidates to participate in mPOWER project. A view of this situation will be taken by the mPOWER project as a diagnostic baseline for the following steps: a peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing process among these European municipalities, and subsequently, among a more extensive group. The first finding of the paper is that, even if those municipalities are trying to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they are highly dependent on fossil fuels, even in cases where renewable energies have significant presence. Second, their energy consumption is logarithmically related to the human development index and gross domestic product but not to the size of the cities and their climate characteristics. Finally, despite the work that these cities are making towards energy transition in general and within the mPOWER project in particular, the paper shows a high difficulty mapping their energy systems. The lack of accurate and unified data by the municipalities is a sign of disempowerment at a local and public level in the energy sphere and makes difficult any strategy to advance towards a bottom-up energy transition. Among other goals, the mPOWER project aims to reveal these kinds of difficulties and help local authorities in managing their transition paths. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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18 pages, 1889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Integrated Energy and Environmental Audit Process for Historic Buildings

by Elena Mazzola, Tiziano Dalla Mora, Fabio Peron and Piercarlo Romagnoni

Energies 2019, 12(20), 3940; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12203940 - 17 Oct 2019

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3679

Abstract

The valorization and sustainable management of historic centers is a topic relevant to the cultural identity and heritage of European cities. A rational strategy to preserve the centers must consider both energy and environmental retrofitting, even if this is a complex issue requiring interdisciplinary approaches, dedicated diagnostic procedures, and specific tools. Within this context, this paper proposes an integrated method for energy and environmental analysis specifically devoted to historical building retrofit. Attention is focused on cases in which building management is not interested in renovation or in a deep conservation project, but instead in green management and maintenance overhaul. The basis of the procedure is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M) rating protocol. The global goal was the definition of an intervention strategy indicating the principal direction of action. The first step is identifying critical issues in the operation of the building through energy diagnosis and dynamic thermophysical simulations. The second step is defining a panel of appropriate retrofit measures. The third step is choosing between alternatives to increase the sustainability performance following an environmental assessment scheme. Ca’ Rezzonico in Venice (Italy), a 17th-century palace, nowadays the seat of a museum, was used as a case study to apply the proposed methodology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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19 pages, 828 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Analysis of House Owners in Need of Energy Efficiency Measures but with Different Intentions

by Robert Baumhof, Thomas Decker and Klaus Menrad

Energies 2019, 12(12), 2267; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12122267 - 13 Jun 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3599

Abstract

Existing private homes in Germany and throughout Europe often are in need of energy efficient refurbishment measures (EERMs). However, these EERMs are not realized on the required level in order to achieve environment-related political targets. Therefore we investigate, based on an online survey of 1085 German owner-occupiers, the factors that differentiate two groups of single- and two-family house owners in need of EERM. Using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior as a research framework, the performed logistic regression analysis shows that e.g., behavioral beliefs are significant factors for differentiating “Future-Refurbishers” from “Non-Refurbishers”. Based on our results we suggest an enhancement of practice-orientated initiatives, e.g., refurbishment workshops or best-practice presentations. By presenting the aesthetic appearance of refurbished buildings or providing knowledge, other owner-occupiers could be motivated to engage in EERM. In addition to funding programs, initiatives like this can be used to increase the general energy efficiency of buildings and specifically of those in cities and urban districts, where a high share of the mentioned houses is located and greenhouse gas emissions are caused to a great extent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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29 pages, 7871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Geographical Distribution and Correlates of Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in an Urban Region

by Áróra Árnadóttir, Michał Czepkiewicz and Jukka Heinonen

Energies 2019, 12(8), 1540; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12081540 - 24 Apr 2019

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5462

Abstract

A lot of emphasis has been put on the densification of urban form to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. However, many recent studies have found that central urban dwellers, even though their carbon footprints of daily transportation may be lower, might be responsible for higher total emissions than those that reside in suburban areas. Similarly, as with the urban form, higher environmental concern is often considered as an indicator of lower emissions, but several studies have found that pro-environmental attitude (PEA) does not always correlate with less energy intensive behavior. This study analyzes how urban zones, PEA, and several sociodemographic variables are associated with annual travel emissions and pro-environmental behaviors (PEB), using a dataset collected with a map-based online survey (softGIS) survey, contributed by 841 participants from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA), Finland. Although PEA can affect PEBs related to household energy consumption (β = 0.282, p < 0.001), clothing (β = 0.447, p < 0.001) and produce purchases (β = 0.449, p < 0.0001), their relationship with emissions from local (β = −0.067), national (β = −0.019) and international (β = −0.016) travel was not significant. Clusters of low emissions from local travel and high international travel emissions were found in pedestrian-oriented urban zones and residents of car-oriented zones were more likely to conserve household energy (β = 0.102, p < 0.05). These results might help broaden the current perspective of city planners, as well as identify opportunities for more effective mitigation policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficient Cities of Today and Tomorrow)

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