Insulation or Smart Temperature Control for Domestic Heating: A Combined Analysis of the Costs, the Eco-Costs, the Customer Perceived Value, and the Rebound Effect of Energy Saving

Calculating the environmental benefits of energy saving systems in dwellings in a life cycle assessment (LCA) has two major issues, namely: how to deal with the customer behaviour and how to deal with rebound effects. Both issues are important for sustainable strategies. From a user-centred design perspective, two fundamentally different...

Finding structural parameters for energy efficient cities

Europe is going through a great social, economic and environmental period of transition. The changes the EU is currently undergoing have been causing increased awareness about sustainable development, natural resources use and energy efficiency on the agenda at the European level of policy making. However after more than forty years of the...

The Comfort Unit: Developed as part of a Climate Adaptive Skin

In what way would a façade be able to create a comfortable indoor office environment using only the indoor and outdoor environment as its energy sources? The low (average) outdoor temperatures in The Netherlands suggest that the outdoor climate is cold enough to cool the indoor climate through ventilation with fresh outdoor air without resorting...

Innovation development for highly energy-efficient housing: Opportunities and challenges related to the adoption of passive houses

In previous years we have seen a recognition of the significant potential that exists for reducing energy use through innovation in residential buildings. This study investigates innovation challenges and identifies opportunities that could lead to a rapid increase in the adoption of highly energy-efficient housing concepts, particularly that of...

Innovation development for highly energy-efficient housing: Opportunities and challenges related to the adoption of passive houses

In previous years we have seen a recognition of the significant potential that exists for reducing energy use through innovation in residential buildings. This study investigates innovation challenges and identifies opportunities that could lead to a rapid increase in the adoption of highly energy-efficient housing concepts, particularly that of...