Energy efficient and economic renovation of residential buildings with low-temperature heating and air heat recovery

With the building sector accounting for around 40% of the total energy consumption in the EU, energy efficiency in buildings is and continues to be an important issue. Great progress has been made in reducing the energy consumption in new buildings, but the large stock of existing buildings with poor energy performance is probably an even more crucial area of focus. This thesis deals with energy efficiency measures that can be suitable for renovation of existing houses, particularly low-temperature heating systems and ventilation systems with heat recovery. The energy performance, environmental impact and costs are evaluated for a range of system combinations, for small and large houses with various heating demands and for different climates in Europe. The results were derived through simulation with energy calculation tools. Low-temperature heating and air heat recovery were both found to be promising with regard to increasing energy efficiency in European houses. These solutions proved particularly effective in Northern Europe as low-temperature heating and air heat recovery have a greater impact in cold climates and on houses with high heating demands. The performance of heat pumps, both with outdoor air and exhaust air, was seen to improve with low-temperature heating. The choice between an exhaust air heat pump and a ventilation system with heat recovery is likely to depend on case specific conditions, but both choices are more cost-effective and have a lower environmental impact than systems without heat recovery. The advantage of the heat pump is that it can be used all year round, given that it produces DHW. Economic and environmental aspects of energy efficiency measures do not always harmonize. On the one hand, lower costs can sometimes mean larger environmental impact; on the other hand there can be divergence between different environmental aspects. This makes it difficult to define financial subsidies to promote energy efficiency measures.

Comparison of two HVAC renovation solutions : A case study

Within the aging building stock of Europe, there is great potential of saving energy through renovation and upgrading to modern standards, and to thereby approach the internationally set goals of lower energy use. This paper concerns the planned renovation of the building envelope and HVAC systems in a multi-family house in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Five systemic HVAC solutions were compared, with special focus on two systems: A) Balanced ventilation with HRC + Micro heat pump, and B) Forced exhaust ventilation + Heat pump with exhaust air HRC + Ventilation radiators. Given the predicted heating demand and ventilation rate of the house after renovation, the performance of the two systems was compared, alongside three common systems for reference. Calculations were made using TMF Energi, a tool developed by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden.    Both systems A and B were found to have the lowest electrical energy use together with the ground source heat pump system for the assumed conditions. For other assumptions, including different climate and degree of insulation, some differences between these three systems were noted. Most significant is the increased electrical use of system B for higher heating loads due to limitations in the power available from the heat source, exhaust air, which is dependent on the ventilation rate.

Energy performance comparison of three innovative HVAC systems for renovation through dynamic simulation

In this paper, dynamic simulation was used to compare the energy performance of three innovativeHVAC systems: (A) mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) and micro heat pump, (B) exhaustventilation with exhaust air-to-water heat pump and ventilation radiators, and (C) exhaust ventilationwith air-to-water heat pump and ventilation radiators, to a reference system: (D) exhaust ventilation withair-to-water heat pump and panel radiators. System A was modelled in MATLAB Simulink and systems Band C in TRNSYS 17. The reference system was modelled in both tools, for comparison between the two.All systems were tested with a model of a renovated single family house for varying U-values, climates,infiltration and ventilation rates.It was found that A was the best system for lower heating demand, while for higher heating demandsystem B would be preferable. System C was better than the reference system, but not as good as A or B.The difference in energy consumption of the reference system was less than 2 kWh/(m2a) betweenSimulink and TRNSYS. This could be explained by the different ways of handling solar gains, but also bythe fact that the TRNSYS systems supplied slightly more than the ideal heating demand.

Naturlig familjeplanering : Kvinnor och mäns upplevenser samt sjuksköterskans kunskap och användningsområden

Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur kvinnor och män upplevde naturlig familjeplanering (NFP) samt vilken kunskap sjuksköterskan hade om NFP och när hon kunde använda sig av den i sin profession. Artiklar valdes ut från databaserna Elin, Pub Med och Blackwell synergy. De sökord som användes var NFP, Catholic, Satisfaction, Awareness, Odeblad, Billing, Billings, Nurse, Pregnancy, Birthcontrol, Family, Mucus, Family planning, Natural family planning och Ovulation. Sammanlagt valdes 18 artiklar ut varav 14 användes i resultatet. Två artiklar till resultatet söktes manuellt och beställdes. Artiklarna kom från Nigeria, USA, Ungern, Peru, Filippinerna, Sri Lanka, Brasilien, Nya Zeeland, Tyskland, Canada och Iran. Några artiklar från Sverige eller de nordiska länderna hittades inte under sökningen. Resultatet visade att många var nöjda med NFP som metod. Det som var bland det mest positiva var att metoden inte gav några bieffekter och att kvinnorna lärde känna sin kropp. Det negativt med metoden var att användarna tyckte att det var svårt att avhålla sig från samlag under den fertila perioden samt att det fanns brister i metodens säkerhet. Många av dem som använde sig av metoden var katoliker. Många sjusköterskor var dåligt pålästa om metoden och skulle inte rekommendera den. Sjuksköterskan skulle kunna använda sig av metoden då kvinnan ville bli gravid, i fattiga länder och där religion sätter stopp för traditionella preventivmedel.

An Analysis of the Telecommunications Business in China by Linear Regression

In this paper, we study the influence of the National Telecom Business Volume by the data in 2008 that have been published in China Statistical Yearbook of Statistics. We illustrate the procedure of modeling “National Telecom Business Volume” on the following eight variables, GDP, Consumption Levels, Retail Sales of Social Consumer Goods Total Renovation Investment, the Local Telephone Exchange Capacity, Mobile Telephone Exchange Capacity, Mobile Phone End Users, and the Local Telephone End Users. The testing of heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity for model evaluation is included. We also consider AIC and BIC criterion to select independent variables, and conclude the result of the factors which are the optimal regression model for the amount of telecommunications business and the relation between independent variables and dependent variable. Based on the final results, we propose several recommendations about how to improve telecommunication services and promote the economic development.

La carne recordada : un análisis de la atemporalidad mítica y la subversión religiosa en Pedro Páramo

The aim of the present study is to analyze the representation of the mythic timelessness and the religious subversion in the novel Pedro Páramo (1953) by the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo. The novel is analyzed from a narratological perspective based on the concept of focalization proposed by the French theoretician Gérard Genette. According to Genette it is possible to identify different levels of focalization depending on the position of the narrative voices.The key question in this investigation is if any salvation is possible in the universe of Pedro Páramo and how the mythic timelessness and the religious subversion are represented in the textual intentionality through the narrative voices. The main conclusion is that there is no possible salvation in the fictional universe of Pedro Páramo. The collective sin is so vast that the intermediation between God and the inhabitants of Comala does not work anymore. Thus, the only possible ”salvation” consists in the separation of the soul from the body the people of Comala experience after death. In Pedro Páramo the dead body is liberated from remorses, but - contrary to the Catholic concepts - becomes a conscious materia sentenced to remember eternally.Keywords: Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo, narratological analysis, Gérard Genette, textual intentionality, focalization, mythic timelessness, religious subversion, narrative voices.

Solcellsdrivet FTX-system för miljonprogramshus : Tjärna Ängar, Borlänge

Projektet omfattade undersökning och framtagande av ett solcellssystem med förmåga att försörja ett FTX-system i ett flerbostadshus från miljonprogrammet med el. För att kunna bedöma storlek och utformning av komponenter har information tagits genom: Informationssökning via databaser, kurslitteratur och intervjuer Simuleringar av solceller i datorprogrammet PVSYST Modulering av ventilationskanaler i datorprogrammet MagiCAD Syftet var främst att undersöka om det gick att få fram ett teoretiskt fungerande system med avseende på både solceller och ventilation. Beroende på vad resultatet blev skulle även ekonomin i projektet undersökas. Undersökningen visade att det teoretiskt ska gå att installera solceller för elframställning som klarar av att täcka FTX-systemets elbehov på årsbasis. Solcellerna bedöms även producera tillräckligt med el för viss övrig elkrävande utrustning under stora delar av året. Det visade sig även att det skulle gå att få solcellerna ekonomiskt lönsamma om en kalkyltid på 14 år används. Metoden som använts för dessa resultat är noga beskriven och är med små förändringar tillämpbar för ett stort antal byggnader i det svenska byggnadsbeståndet. En viktig slutsats är att om fastighetsägarna kan se 15 år fram i tiden för en investering i solenergi, skulle det innebära inte bara miljömässiga utan även ekonomiska vinster. Det finns redan idag kunnande, teknik och produkter för att utvinna en stor del av fastigheternas elbehov genom solens energi.

"¡Cáncer es una mujer pegada como una sanguijuela sesenta años succionándole el alma!" : Un examen de los rasgos misóginos en la novela El desbarrancadero de Fernando Vallejo

El desbarrancadero, published in 2001 by Colombian author Fernando Vallejo is foremost a moving story about brotherly love, but it is also a highly critical novel that lashes out on a number of phenomena such as the catholic church, the Pope and the very idea of religion. It also addresses the poverty of Colombia, its corrupt politicians, the drug trade, viral diseases and animal abuse to mention a few more subjects. This essay however, does not aim to explore any of the above mentioned matters but rather examine how women are portrayed in this novel. The objective of this investigation, based on feminist theories, is to establish the very clear presence of misogyny attitudes.

Paketering av energisparåtgärder i småhus

Ska energimålen med halvering av energianvändningen kunna nås i länet måste småhusägare och ägare av mindre flerbostadshus övertygas om nyttan och möjligheter med att energieffektivisera i egna byggnader. Genom att använda en metod för paketering av energisparåtgärder kan byggnader energirenoveras på ett effektivt sätt och energianvändningen kan på så sätt minimeras. BELOK Totalprojekt är en metod för energieffektivisering i kommersiella byggnader genom renovering med åtgärdspaket. Metoden har även använts för flerbostadshus och uppgiften i den här rapporten är att undersöka ifall samma metod kan vara lämplig att använda även för småhus. Resultaten visar att metoden mycket väl kan användas även för småhus, men att vissa anpassningar är nödvändiga för att småhusägare ska kunna relatera till resultatet. Vid renovering i småhus kan många olika aktörer vara inblandade beroende på hur småhusägaren väljer att utföra en renovering. Om småhusägaren själv gör huvuddelen av arbetet är det lämpligt att Energikalkylen eller motsvarande kan användas för att göra en förenklad energianalys av byggnaden för att sedan föra över data till BELOK Totalverktyg, där det ekonomiska utfallet för renoveringspaket illustreras. Uppföljningen efter slutförd renovering är något som till exempel energibolag skulle kunna erbjuda tjänster för. Om småhusägaren väljer att anlita en energikonsult för den initiala analysen av byggnaden kan BELOK Totalprojekt användas mer i sin helhet men detta innebär förstås en högre kostnad för småhusägaren. För att öppna upp för fler möjligheter för småhusägare att totalrenovera är det viktigt att även involvera banksektorn för att diskutera ett upplägg för lån till energieffektivisering. Här kan även styrmedel av karaktären statliga lånegarantier eller ROT-avdrag för energieffektivisering vara aktuella att ta upp till diskussion. Slutligen är kommunikation med småhusägarna väldigt viktig och här är aktörer som redan idag har kontakt med småhusägare centrala. Två sådana aktörer är energibolag samt Villaägarnas Riksförbund.

Passive solar options for reducing heating demand and maintain indoor climate in a multifamily house in Sweden

This research was carried out by studying possible renovation of a two-storey detached multifamily building by using passive solar design options in a cold climate in Borlänge, Sweden where the heating Degree Days are 4451 (base 20°C). Borlänge`s housing company, Tunabyggen, plans to renovate the project house located inthe multicultural district, Jakobsgårdarna. The goal of the thesis was to suggest a redesign of the current building, decrease the heating energy use, by applying passive solar design and control strategies, in a most reasonable way. In addition ensure a better thermal comfort for the tenants in the dwellings. Literatures have been studied, from which can be inferred that passive design should be abasic design consideration for all housing constructions, because it has advantages to ensure thermal comfort, and reduce the energy use. In addition further savings can be achieved applying different types of control strategies, from which the house will be more personalized, and better adapted to the user’s needs.The proposed method is based on simulations by using TRNSYS software. First a proper building model was set up, which represents the current state of the project building. Then the thermal insulation and the windows were upgraded, based on today's building regulations. The developments of the passive solar options were accomplished in two steps. First of all the relevant basic passive design elements were considered, then those advantages were compared to the advantages of applying new conventional thermostat, and shading control strategies.The results show that there is significant potential with the different types of passive solar design; their usage depends primarily on the location of the site as well as the orientation of the project building. Applying the control strategies, such as thermostat, and shading control, along the thermal insulation upgrade, may lead to significant energy savings (around 40 %), by comparison to the reference building without any upgrade.

The discourses on induced abortion in Ugandan daily newspapers : a discourse analysis

Background: Ugandan law prohibits abortion under all circumstances except where there is a risk for the woman's life. However, it has been estimated that over 250 000 illegal abortions are being performed in the country yearly. Many of these abortions are carried out under unsafe conditions, being one of the most common reasons behind the nearly 5000 maternal deaths per year in Uganda. Little research has been conducted in relation to societal views on abortion within the Ugandan society. This study aims to analyze the discourse on abortion as expressed in the two main daily Ugandan newspapers. Method: The conceptual content of 59 articles on abortion between years 2006-2012, from the two main daily English-speaking newspapers in Uganda, was studied using principles from critical discourse analysis. Results: A religious discourse and a human rights discourse, together with medical and legal sub discourses frame the subject of abortion in Uganda, with consequences for who is portrayed as a victim and who is to blame for abortions taking place. It shows the strong presence of the Catholic Church within the medial debate on abortion. The results also demonstrate the absence of medial statements related to abortion made by political stakeholders. Conclusions: The Catholic Church has a strong position within the Ugandan society and their stance on abortion tends to have great influence on the way other actors and their activities are presented within the media, as well as how stakeholders choose to convey their message, or choose not to publicly debate the issue in question at all. To decrease the number of maternal deaths, we highlight the need for a more inclusive and varied debate that problematizes the current situation, especially from a gender perspective.