Participation and behaviour: Key issues in local energy policies

The ladder of influence by Arnstein (1969) shows steps from manipulation to citizen control. The level of interaction between citizens, authorities and institutions can be placed on this ladder. In the Netherlands new strategies for empowerment in the field of energy performance are emerging, for instance the Climate Festival, the mobile energy...

Portuguese method for buildings' Condition assessment: Analysis of the first three years of application

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the first three years of application of the Portuguese method to assess buildings condition. This method is a multi-criteria assessment methodology to determine the condition of the building and the presence of basic infrastructure in a fivepoint scale, based on a visual inspection. The method was developed...

Social participation of community living older persons: Importance, determinants and opportunities

Socio-psychological models of successful ageing emphasize life satisfaction, social participation and functioning as the keys to ageing successfully. Some studies suggest that maintaining social participation in late life has a positive influence on quality of life, psychological wellbeing, health, cognitive functioning and life expectancy....

The effect of energy performance regulations on energy consumption

Governments have developed energy performance regulations in order to lower energy consumption in the housing stock. Most of these regulations are based on the thermal quality of the buildings. In the Netherlands, the energy efficiency for new buildings is expressed as the EPC (energy performance coefficient). Studies have indicated that energy...