This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This paper was based on the findings of a study aimed at identifying and evaluating appropriate i... more This paper was based on the findings of a study aimed at identifying and evaluating appropriate investment strategies in the area of end of life vehicle management (ELVM), especially against the emerging policy framework, as outlined by the recent EU legislation (2000/53 EG directive). The study was carried out for OMPM SA (Organisation for the Management of Public Material), a Greek organization, with many years' involvement in the management of ELVs. The departure point of the work was the critical review of available best practices, mostly compiled by means of a considerable number of on the spot visits to diverse ELVM processing facilities in the Northern EU. These experiences and practices were critically adapted to the very different local circumstances, characterized by an underdeveloped
Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables ar... more Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables are used in each case to serve different decision support mandates. For example, in the short, daily, term building level, forecasting may serve as a performance baseline. On the other end, we have long-term, policy-oriented forecasting exercises. TIMES (an acronym for The Integrated Markal Efom System) allows us to model supply and anticipated technology shifts over a long-term horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries (Germany, the Netherlands...
Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables ar... more Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables are used in each case to serve different decision support mandates. For example, in the short, daily, term building level, forecasting may serve as a performance baseline. On the other end, we have long-term, policy-oriented forecasting exercises. TIMES (an acronym for The Integrated Markal Efom System) allows us to model supply and anticipated technology shifts over a long-term horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Various possible approaches to model the explanatory variables used are presented, discussed, and assessed as to their suitability. Our end goal extends beyond model accuracy; we also include interpretability and counterfactual concepts and analysis, aiming at the development of a modelling approach that can provide decision support for strategies aimed at influencing energy demand..
Worldwide, buildings are one of the main energy consumers and the improvement of their energy per... more Worldwide, buildings are one of the main energy consumers and the improvement of their energy performance has attracted great interest and has been typically related to the optimisation, both design and operational, of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting and DHW systems, to innovation in building materials, as well as to the integration of renewable technology in buildings. More recently, occupant behaviour has received increasing attention. Occupants' interactions with the building systems influence their energy consumption in diverse ways. Their behaviour may affect energy use just as the systems and materials may do. Researchers identified and highlighted various aspects of this occupant behaviour and were gradually led to the conclusion that its effect might be worth investigating. This study has a twofold aim. First, to present a general conceptual framework to define, monitor and eventually change user behaviour in buildings. This framework is called "event-driven"; events are distinct moments in time associated with a potentially problematic behaviour, and the framework aims at tracking, acting upon and reporting on these events. Second, we aim to demonstrate and discuss the application and the savings achieved by means of our proposed approach and in the case of such behavioural events, in the Challenger building of Bouygues, in France.
ABSTRACT This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 projec... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitled EnergyWarden (www.energywarden.net). The project broadly aims at an integrated view of energy management and renewable technology, as deployed in the building domain. EnergyWarden will deliver an integrated toolset including three distinct modules: A Simulator (EW-S), to run long and short time simulations of the renewable energy production at the hourly, daily and yearly level, a controller (EW-C) to control energy flows locally at the building or at a district level and a user information module (EW-U) to deliver a detailed profile of the building energy production and use, to provide a real time calculation of CO2 savings and to assess energy module performance, based on real time data and according to existing standards.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in buildings are faced with transmission issues, much more severe... more Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in buildings are faced with transmission issues, much more severe than those of outdoor applications. Next to the transmission effective range, battery lifetime is also of a high importance, as it can significantly affect network performance and maintenance requirements. In this paper we present an architectural concept, in fact a dynamic routing protocol, for the setup of a building WSN. Three key goals have underpinned the protocol design; ability to cost efficiently address transmission distance within buildings, acceptable battery longevity, typically up to a year, and no data loss. Experimental data have been collected over a period of several months and have demonstrated the much enhanced performance of the network, when compared to the performance before the protocol implementation.
: In the new global economy, where value and differentiation are the essential ingredients for bu... more : In the new global economy, where value and differentiation are the essential ingredients for business success, an organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value proposition. Increasingly more companies, even in traditional, manufacturing sectors, are expanding the knowledge management concept externally: they explore new ways to put enterprise knowledge in the hands of customers, suppliers, and partners and share with them their intellectual capital. This study examines how Internet-based, networked infrastructures can support supply chain entities participation in emerging knowledge markets. WIT, a software toolset developed to facilitate knowledge sharing in the wood/furniture sector, is used as a case study.
In the new global economy organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value p... more In the new global economy organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value proposition. Increasingly more companies are expanding the knowledge management concept externally: they explore new ways to put enterprise knowledge in the hands of customers and share with them their intellectual capital. The basic orientation and findings of a European Esprit research project (WIT) aiming at the development and deployment of co -operative and Internet based tools to facilitate knowledge sharing across all business entities of the wood/ furniture sector are being presented. It is shown how technologies of this kind can serve entities of the supply chain put significant part of their intellectual capital "on-line" in the form of "knowledge products", while the strategic and operational benefits of such technologies for the knowledge market are discussed.
This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitl... more This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitled EnergyWarden (www.energywarden.net). The project broadly aims at an integrated view of energy management and renewable technology, as deployed in the building domain. EnergyWarden will deliver an integrated toolset including three distinct modules: A Simulator (EW-S), to run long and short time simulations of the renewable energy production at the hourly, daily and yearly level, a controller (EW-C) to control energy flows locally at the building or at a district level and a user information module (EW-U) to deliver a detailed profile of the building energy production and use, to provide a real time calculation of CO2 savings and to assess energy module performance, based on real time data and according to existing standards.
The significance of U values in buildings' shell energy performance is well known in the scientif... more The significance of U values in buildings' shell energy performance is well known in the scientific community as well as in the construction sector. In addition, conducting a validation of the energy performance of a building often requires the knowledge of real U value figures, since their theoretical peers may deviate considerably from the real ones. The theoretical U value of a shell element may be calculated using complex material and surface related information, while its practical validation is conducted usually by equipment that requires tedious installation and constant contact with the examined element. Aim of this paper is to introduce an easily deployed, plug and play, contact less technology, able to provide a reasonable approximation of the building element U value and its variation with external air speed as well as an accurate estimation of the U value change in case of a shell (wall or window) retrofit.
The paper presents a methodology that has been developed and implemented for the simulation of el... more The paper presents a methodology that has been developed and implemented for the simulation of electricity use (kWh) as well as electricity pricing (cD /kWh) in buildings. In the simulation, electricity pricing has been treated as dependent on electricity use as energy pricing tariffs usually discriminate between specific electricity consumption zones, time periods, etc. Pricing and electricity use, together, may then provide an estimation of the building electric energy cost (D ). The simulation runs on an hourly resolution allowing to highlight some potential wasteful and costly practices in energy use and management and providing insight to user behavior, which has been a key driver for its development.
The assessment of an energy retrofit necessarily requires an energy measurement campaign before (... more The assessment of an energy retrofit necessarily requires an energy measurement campaign before (base year energy consumption) and after (post retrofit energy consumption) the retrofit. Only in this way is it possible to reach a safe conclusion, on the true retrofit impact. In addition, a number of adjustments are necessary to secure that the retrofit impact on energy consumption is effectively isolated, i.e., which we report on the true retrofit impact and not, for example, on external variations, such as a more mild winter. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for taking account, in the retrofit impact assessment, of three external parameters: weather, indoor comfort and space occupancy. The broader strategy behind this work is to develop a comprehensive methodology that would allow a cost efficient, fast and accurate assessment of energy retrofits in buildings. This would allow insight, on the investor side, as to the prudence of his investment and, and in this way, could help the proliferation of the practice of energy retrofits. The adjustment methodology, introduced here, is a first step in this direction.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
This paper was based on the findings of a study aimed at identifying and evaluating appropriate i... more This paper was based on the findings of a study aimed at identifying and evaluating appropriate investment strategies in the area of end of life vehicle management (ELVM), especially against the emerging policy framework, as outlined by the recent EU legislation (2000/53 EG directive). The study was carried out for OMPM SA (Organisation for the Management of Public Material), a Greek organization, with many years' involvement in the management of ELVs. The departure point of the work was the critical review of available best practices, mostly compiled by means of a considerable number of on the spot visits to diverse ELVM processing facilities in the Northern EU. These experiences and practices were critically adapted to the very different local circumstances, characterized by an underdeveloped
Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables ar... more Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables are used in each case to serve different decision support mandates. For example, in the short, daily, term building level, forecasting may serve as a performance baseline. On the other end, we have long-term, policy-oriented forecasting exercises. TIMES (an acronym for The Integrated Markal Efom System) allows us to model supply and anticipated technology shifts over a long-term horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries (Germany, the Netherlands...
Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables ar... more Energy demand forecasting is practiced in several time frames; different explanatory variables are used in each case to serve different decision support mandates. For example, in the short, daily, term building level, forecasting may serve as a performance baseline. On the other end, we have long-term, policy-oriented forecasting exercises. TIMES (an acronym for The Integrated Markal Efom System) allows us to model supply and anticipated technology shifts over a long-term horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Various possible approaches to model the explanatory variables used are presented, discussed, and assessed as to their suitability. Our end goal extends beyond model accuracy; we also include interpretability and counterfactual concepts and analysis, aiming at the development of a modelling approach that can provide decision support for strategies aimed at influencing energy demand..
Worldwide, buildings are one of the main energy consumers and the improvement of their energy per... more Worldwide, buildings are one of the main energy consumers and the improvement of their energy performance has attracted great interest and has been typically related to the optimisation, both design and operational, of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), lighting and DHW systems, to innovation in building materials, as well as to the integration of renewable technology in buildings. More recently, occupant behaviour has received increasing attention. Occupants' interactions with the building systems influence their energy consumption in diverse ways. Their behaviour may affect energy use just as the systems and materials may do. Researchers identified and highlighted various aspects of this occupant behaviour and were gradually led to the conclusion that its effect might be worth investigating. This study has a twofold aim. First, to present a general conceptual framework to define, monitor and eventually change user behaviour in buildings. This framework is called "event-driven"; events are distinct moments in time associated with a potentially problematic behaviour, and the framework aims at tracking, acting upon and reporting on these events. Second, we aim to demonstrate and discuss the application and the savings achieved by means of our proposed approach and in the case of such behavioural events, in the Challenger building of Bouygues, in France.
ABSTRACT This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 projec... more ABSTRACT This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitled EnergyWarden (www.energywarden.net). The project broadly aims at an integrated view of energy management and renewable technology, as deployed in the building domain. EnergyWarden will deliver an integrated toolset including three distinct modules: A Simulator (EW-S), to run long and short time simulations of the renewable energy production at the hourly, daily and yearly level, a controller (EW-C) to control energy flows locally at the building or at a district level and a user information module (EW-U) to deliver a detailed profile of the building energy production and use, to provide a real time calculation of CO2 savings and to assess energy module performance, based on real time data and according to existing standards.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in buildings are faced with transmission issues, much more severe... more Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) in buildings are faced with transmission issues, much more severe than those of outdoor applications. Next to the transmission effective range, battery lifetime is also of a high importance, as it can significantly affect network performance and maintenance requirements. In this paper we present an architectural concept, in fact a dynamic routing protocol, for the setup of a building WSN. Three key goals have underpinned the protocol design; ability to cost efficiently address transmission distance within buildings, acceptable battery longevity, typically up to a year, and no data loss. Experimental data have been collected over a period of several months and have demonstrated the much enhanced performance of the network, when compared to the performance before the protocol implementation.
: In the new global economy, where value and differentiation are the essential ingredients for bu... more : In the new global economy, where value and differentiation are the essential ingredients for business success, an organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value proposition. Increasingly more companies, even in traditional, manufacturing sectors, are expanding the knowledge management concept externally: they explore new ways to put enterprise knowledge in the hands of customers, suppliers, and partners and share with them their intellectual capital. This study examines how Internet-based, networked infrastructures can support supply chain entities participation in emerging knowledge markets. WIT, a software toolset developed to facilitate knowledge sharing in the wood/furniture sector, is used as a case study.
In the new global economy organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value p... more In the new global economy organisation's knowledge is often the company's primary value proposition. Increasingly more companies are expanding the knowledge management concept externally: they explore new ways to put enterprise knowledge in the hands of customers and share with them their intellectual capital. The basic orientation and findings of a European Esprit research project (WIT) aiming at the development and deployment of co -operative and Internet based tools to facilitate knowledge sharing across all business entities of the wood/ furniture sector are being presented. It is shown how technologies of this kind can serve entities of the supply chain put significant part of their intellectual capital "on-line" in the form of "knowledge products", while the strategic and operational benefits of such technologies for the knowledge market are discussed.
This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitl... more This paper presents the objectives and current activities in the course of an FP7 project, entitled EnergyWarden (www.energywarden.net). The project broadly aims at an integrated view of energy management and renewable technology, as deployed in the building domain. EnergyWarden will deliver an integrated toolset including three distinct modules: A Simulator (EW-S), to run long and short time simulations of the renewable energy production at the hourly, daily and yearly level, a controller (EW-C) to control energy flows locally at the building or at a district level and a user information module (EW-U) to deliver a detailed profile of the building energy production and use, to provide a real time calculation of CO2 savings and to assess energy module performance, based on real time data and according to existing standards.
The significance of U values in buildings' shell energy performance is well known in the scientif... more The significance of U values in buildings' shell energy performance is well known in the scientific community as well as in the construction sector. In addition, conducting a validation of the energy performance of a building often requires the knowledge of real U value figures, since their theoretical peers may deviate considerably from the real ones. The theoretical U value of a shell element may be calculated using complex material and surface related information, while its practical validation is conducted usually by equipment that requires tedious installation and constant contact with the examined element. Aim of this paper is to introduce an easily deployed, plug and play, contact less technology, able to provide a reasonable approximation of the building element U value and its variation with external air speed as well as an accurate estimation of the U value change in case of a shell (wall or window) retrofit.
The paper presents a methodology that has been developed and implemented for the simulation of el... more The paper presents a methodology that has been developed and implemented for the simulation of electricity use (kWh) as well as electricity pricing (cD /kWh) in buildings. In the simulation, electricity pricing has been treated as dependent on electricity use as energy pricing tariffs usually discriminate between specific electricity consumption zones, time periods, etc. Pricing and electricity use, together, may then provide an estimation of the building electric energy cost (D ). The simulation runs on an hourly resolution allowing to highlight some potential wasteful and costly practices in energy use and management and providing insight to user behavior, which has been a key driver for its development.
The assessment of an energy retrofit necessarily requires an energy measurement campaign before (... more The assessment of an energy retrofit necessarily requires an energy measurement campaign before (base year energy consumption) and after (post retrofit energy consumption) the retrofit. Only in this way is it possible to reach a safe conclusion, on the true retrofit impact. In addition, a number of adjustments are necessary to secure that the retrofit impact on energy consumption is effectively isolated, i.e., which we report on the true retrofit impact and not, for example, on external variations, such as a more mild winter. This paper introduces a conceptual framework for taking account, in the retrofit impact assessment, of three external parameters: weather, indoor comfort and space occupancy. The broader strategy behind this work is to develop a comprehensive methodology that would allow a cost efficient, fast and accurate assessment of energy retrofits in buildings. This would allow insight, on the investor side, as to the prudence of his investment and, and in this way, could help the proliferation of the practice of energy retrofits. The adjustment methodology, introduced here, is a first step in this direction.
Every year the EU commits an amount of around €12 billion to fund so-called framework programmes ... more Every year the EU commits an amount of around €12 billion to fund so-called framework programmes (FPs), which aim at supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in the EU. The first question is: Do we really need this investment? My answer is a firm yes and I will shortly only argue on the rationale of publicly funded research and innovation. A second question is whether this investment yields the maximum return and, if not, what may be needed to optimise it. Answering this question is the principal aim of this book.
There are many daily decisions we make on the basis of reason and accumulated knowledge. There ar... more There are many daily decisions we make on the basis of reason and accumulated knowledge. There are also a lot of other arrangements that we opt for with recourse to market instruments and cost benefit considerations. Disregarding the importance of rationalism or contesting the efficiency of the markets has historically resulted in poverty, oppression and multi-fold other disasters. However, both these strands of decisions represent only a limited set of the whole set of our resolutions. The vast majority remaining are made on the basis of purely subjective criteria, personal preferences, individual tastes.
Individualism is our claim to these many preferences, to our ability to practice them, fully and freely, with no authorization from any third party, on only one condition: that they are non-aggressive. Individualism claims that such differences are natural and welcome, and that the resulting diversity is a key condition for social progress.
Collectivism, stemming from big, inflated and utterly irrational ideas, about some fake national, religious, racial or class supremacy, has throughout history been the fiercest opponent of individualism. Collectives, however, besides having nurtured various versions of murderous collectivism, carry also great positive value for their members. It is for this reason that few people would ever consider living outside them. Yet, regulating the relationship between our individualism and our free collective membership is not an obvious or a frictionless process.
My point in this book is that for all who love individualism but also do not consider living in isolation, outside society, there is one tool that carries the best potential to moderate this subtle balance between individualism and citizenship.
Its name is democracy. And there are several reasons, which I here try to investigate, to rediscover it and make the most out of it. Even more so, as I identify as a European, one who fervently subscribes to the unfolding EU project.
===
Democracy again! is a cross fertilization of thoughts, knowledge and experiences accumulated in interaction with people all over Europe and beyond. Despite being inspired by the recent misfortunes of Greece, I confess that it was mainly the EU present and future that I predominantly had in mind when compiling this book. I remain with the hope that readers will also see and appreciate the relevance.
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Papers by Nikos Sakkas
horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries
(Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Various possible approaches to model the explanatory variables used are presented, discussed, and assessed as to their suitability.
Our end goal extends beyond model accuracy; we also include interpretability and counterfactual concepts and analysis, aiming at the development of a modelling approach that can provide decision
support for strategies aimed at influencing energy demand..
horizon, often extending as far away in time as 2100. Between these two time frames, we also have a mid-term forecasting time frame, that of a few years ahead. Investigations here are aimed at policy support, although in a more mid-term horizon, we address issues such as investment planning and pricing. In this paper, we develop and evaluate statistical and neural network approaches for this mid-term forecasting of final energy and electricity for the residential sector in six EU countries
(Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Greece). Various possible approaches to model the explanatory variables used are presented, discussed, and assessed as to their suitability.
Our end goal extends beyond model accuracy; we also include interpretability and counterfactual concepts and analysis, aiming at the development of a modelling approach that can provide decision
support for strategies aimed at influencing energy demand..
Individualism is our claim to these many preferences, to our ability to practice them, fully and freely, with no authorization from any third party, on only one condition: that they are non-aggressive. Individualism claims that such differences are natural and welcome, and that the resulting diversity is a key condition for social progress.
Collectivism, stemming from big, inflated and utterly irrational ideas, about some fake national, religious, racial or class supremacy, has throughout history been the fiercest opponent of individualism. Collectives, however, besides having nurtured various versions of murderous collectivism, carry also great positive value for their members. It is for this reason that few people would ever consider living outside them. Yet, regulating the relationship between our individualism and our free collective membership is not an obvious or a frictionless process.
My point in this book is that for all who love individualism but also do not consider living in isolation, outside society, there is one tool that carries the best potential to moderate this subtle balance between individualism and citizenship.
Its name is democracy. And there are several reasons, which I here try to investigate, to rediscover it and make the most out of it. Even more so, as I identify as a European, one who fervently subscribes to the unfolding EU project.
===
Democracy again! is a cross fertilization of thoughts, knowledge and experiences accumulated in interaction with people all over Europe and beyond. Despite being inspired by the recent misfortunes of Greece, I confess that it was mainly the EU present and future that I predominantly had in mind when compiling this book. I remain with the hope that readers will also see and appreciate the relevance.
The book is available in Amazon