Challenges in regional approaches: Lessons from Energy Poverty research in a small scale European member state

Energy poverty is an issue now widely recognised for its detrimental impacts and research in Europe has intensified over the last decade. Many different methodologies of examining the topic have surfaced, with a common one being based on regional-based practices. Open source data are extremely useful for such approaches, because they offer unlimited access to information. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is a framework for data collection on different geographic levels that provides different levels of statistical analysis for regions within a single country. It was set up in the 1970's by the European Union, and existing research work has already explored the valuable application of the NUTS system in certain areas. Nevertheless, the constraints of open source data (such as data based on NUTS regions), in reference to small scale member states, have not been exhaustively addressed. In this study the shortcomings of open source data are explored, by examining energy poverty in an area where the efficacy of the NUTS system is restricted. Cyprus is a member state in the European Union and is represented by a single NUTS category, for all levels of classification, unlike the majority of the rest. Data therefore exists only at the national level - something which contradicts the purpose of the different NUTS levels. In effect, for the case of Cyprus, this results in lack of differentiation among distinct climatic regions and disregarding the urban-rural dichotomy. It essentially renders this classification system inapt for Cyprus, while research activities become limited to the extent of data obtained through other means. Therefore, the study highlights the challenges researchers have to face when approaching a topic for Cyprus from a regional lens. To this end, geographical information systems software is used to observe a simplistic composite indicator of energy poverty in a medium-scale country (where NUTS is applicable), in relation to Cyprus. The effectiveness and potential impact of the outcomes in relation to public awareness, decision-making for policy makers and initiatives of local agents are examined and discussed. Ultimately, the study highlights that even when high quality indicators of energy poverty exist at the European Union level (Eurostat), under current circumstances they cannot be employed effectively to examine energy poverty regionally within Cyprus. Recommendations are proposed to overcome data access limitations in areas where popular open access databases are inadequate

The bioclimatic approach in developing smart urban isles for sustainable cities

The rapid trends of urbanization have catastrophic consequences on the ecology of our cities. The large amounts of energy consumption and the reckless exploitation of natural resources is leading to increased emissions of ozone depleting gases and carbon dioxide emissions, which are polluting our planet and enhancing the effects of global warming. This paper will present the bioclimatic approach in achieving a smart urban isle as a basic unit for the development of sustainable cities of the EU ERANET project “Smart bioclimatic low-carbon urban areas as innovative energy isles in the sustainable city” (SUI). It will outline the project and demonstrate the approach of achieving bioclimatic urban isles through the Cyprus case study. The main aim of the SUI project is to develop sustainable cities through balancing locally the energy systems. Thus, the project aspires to move forward with the urban energy and CO2 reduction. The study will focus on the bioclimatic approach, which is one of the three cornerstone procedures (Bioclimatic design, Smart Grids and Management Platform) on which the project is based. It will exemplify how the various aspects of the bioclimatic design and the utilization of the beneficial aspects of the surrounding environment are exploited and applied on defined urban isles, as a basic unit of the city

Maritime transport and regional climate change impacts in large EU islands and archipelagos

Maritime transport is a vital sector for global trade and the world economy. Particularly for islands, there is also an important social dimension of this sector, since island communities strongly rely on it for a connection with the mainland and the transportation of goods and passengers. Furthermore, islands are exceptionally vulnerable to climate change, as the rising sea level and extreme events are expected to induce severe impacts. Such hazards are anticipated to also affect the operations of the maritime transport sector by affecting either the port infrastructure or ships en route. The present study is an effort to better comprehend and assess the future risk of maritime transport disruption in six European islands and archipelagos, and it aims at supporting regional to local policy and decision-making. We employ state-of-the-art regional climate datasets and the widely used impact chain approach to identify the different components that might drive such risks. Larger islands (e.g., Corsica, Cyprus and Crete) are found to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change on maritime operations. Our findings also highlight the importance of adopting a low-emission pathway, since this will keep the risk of maritime transport disruption similar to present levels or even slightly decreased for some islands because of an enhanced adaptation capacity and advantageous demographic changes.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.This work has received funding from the European Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 776661 (SOCLIMPACT project). It was also supported by the EMME-CARE project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 856612, as well as matching co-funding by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.Peer reviewe

Tracking of Energy Performance Indicators in Residential Building Stocks – Different Approaches and Common Results - EPISCOPE Synthesis Report No. 4

A central task of IEE EPISCOPE project was to carry out energy balance calculations and scenario analysis for national, regional or local residential building stocks against the background of energy saving and climate protection targets. The EPISCOPE Synthesis Report No. 4 documents the individual approaches of collecting information for the investigated residential building stocks as a foundation for building stock models and scenario calculations. Issues related to the availability of data and data quality are discussed, and concepts for a continuous monitoring (a regular data collection) are presented as a basis for a future tracking of energy performance in the observed building stocks

Dealing with energy poverty in Cyprus – an overview

Energy poverty is the inability of a household to maintain basic energy services in the household, such as heating and cooling, due to unaffordability. This issue has been gaining public awareness since the financial crisis of 2008. Based on European-wide indicators, Cyprus demonstrates a high percentage of households with poor energy affordability. However, an in-depth investigation on energy poverty manifestations and measures has not been carried out. This paper aims to address this gap in knowledge, by outlining current measures associated with vulnerable consumers in Cyprus. Recommendations are made for the adoption of additional and/or complimentary action to effectively address energy poverty in Cyprus. Furthermore, a web-based survey collected demographic and economic information of dwellers, as well as technical characteristics of dwellings and perception of thermal comfort. Preliminary results indicate that approximately 40% of respondents reported spending up to a quarter of their net income towards energy bills

Analysis of structural elements and energy consumption of school building stock in Cyprus: Energy simulations and upgrade scenarios of a typical school

Structural and energy consumption details from the secondary school buildings of Cyprus are presented in this paper. The study identifies the prevailing building practices in schools' construction in the three climatic zones of Cyprus, coastal, inland and mountainous. Furthermore the construction details of schools are compared with their energy consumption. In this questionnaire survey 24 schools were responded with a completed profile and represent the 15% of schools and through further interviews and in situ visits more data are collected from a percentage of 60% of the secondary schools in Cyprus. The analysis through questionnaire results conclude to significant findings which are very revealing and may be used as a preliminary study on energy upgrading of schools. Furthermore through a statistical study the construction details of the mean typical secondary school building in Cyprus are also derived. A case study with simulations for the energy performance of a representative typical school building is also developed. Variables of the building elements are examined through parametric simulations using the software iSBEMcy. This is the official governmental software used for the categorization of energy efficiency in buildings and the calculation of CO2 emissions according to the European Directive 2002/91/EC. Based on the energy categorization of the building six retrofitting scenarios are studied in simulations

Schools: Trends and perspectives

This chapter’s emphasis is on existing school buildings, with an overview of the European and, more specifically, the Mediterranean region. Following the overview of schools in the Mediterranean region, the study focuses on secondary schools in Cyprus. It identifies the prevailing building practices in school construction with specific reference to the schools in Cyprus. The construction and energy consumption details of the secondary school buildings in Cyprus are also presented. Indoor comfort and energy efficiency are analyzed through questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and simulations on specific pilot school buildings. The field studies are conducted to evaluate the indoor thermal conditions during the students’ classes. Further investigation of the energy efficiency of schools is carried out through building simulations. Existing situations, current trends and tendencies of schools provide essential information to facilitate the energy performance assessment of the building stock and to highlight the potential of energy savings and the upgrading of their indoor comfort

Thermal comfort of a typical secondary school building in Cyprus

A field study is conducted in a secondary school building in Cyprus, to assess the indoor thermal conditions during the students' lesson hours. The survey is carried out in Neapolis Gymnasium which is a typical Cypriot school located in the coastal city of Limassol. Requirements for comfort are critical especially to pupils' performance and welfare. Classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices are chosen for investigation of indoor and outdoor thermal conditions. Air temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) are monitored using indoor and outdoor sensors simultaneously throughout the four seasons of the year. Data analysis compares the results with international standards, ASHRAE Standard 55, ISO Standard 7730, etc. Thermal comfort variables are measured at the same time when students and teachers completed a questionnaire which focuses on their perception of the indoor climate. Fanger's comfort indicators are calculated (PMV, predicted mean vote and PPD, predicted percentage of dissatisfied people) and the actual people clothing and metabolic rate are estimated in order to conclude to the prevailing indoor thermal conditions of the school