Assessment of Reducing Pollutant Emissions in Selected Heating and Ventilation Systems in Single-Family Houses

Old and Modern Wooden Buildings in the Context of Sustainable Development

Construction is a powerful industry that is not indifferent to the environment. Neither the maintenance of buildings in a proper technical condition nor their eventual demolition is indifferent to the environment. The main threats to the environment are still the inefficient use of construction materials and energy needed for their production and installation, as well as the emission of harmful substances to the environment at the stage of operation of buildings and their demolition. This article discusses the importance of wood as a renewable material in terms of its physical and mechanical properties. The restoration of forest areas is of great importance to the global ecosystem and the sustainable development system, reducing the threat of global warming and the greenhouse effect by reducing CO2 levels. In addition, demolition wood can be reused in construction, can be safely recycled as it quickly decomposes, or can be used as a source of renewable energy. The preservation of existing timber-framed buildings in good condition contributes to a lower consumption of this raw material for repair, which already significantly reduces the energy required for their manufacture, transport, and assembly. This also reduces the amount of waste that would have to be disposed of in various ways. Both at the stage of design, execution, and then exploitation, one forgets about the physical processes taking place inside the partitions and about the external climatic influences of the environment (precipitation, water vapor, and temperature) on which the type, intensity, and extent of chemical and biological corrosion depend to a very high degree. This paper presents examples of the influence of such impacts on the operational safety of three selected objects: a feed storehouse and an officer casino building from the second half of the nineteenth century and an 18th century rural homestead building. The research carried out on wooden structures of the above-mentioned objects “in situ” was verified by means of simulation models, which presented their initial and current technical conditions in relation to the type and amount of impact they should safely absorb. Moreover, within the framework of this paper, artificial intelligence methods have been implemented to predict the biological corrosion of the structures studied. The aim of the paper was to draw attention to the timber already built into buildings, which may constitute waste even after several years of operation, requiring disposal and at the same time the production of a substitute. The purpose of the research carried out by the authors of the article was to examine the older and newer buildings in use, the structures of which, in whole or in part, were made of wood. On a global scale, there will be considerable demand for the energy required to thermally dispose of this waste or to deposit it in landfills with very limited capacity until its complete biological decomposition. These energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions can be prevented by effective diagnostics of such structures and the predictability of their behaviour over time, with respect to the conditions under which they are operated. The authors of the article, during each assessment of the technical condition of a building containing wooden elements, analysed the condition of their protection each time and predicted the period of their safe life without the need for additional reinforcements or replacement by others. As the later reality shows, it is a very effective method of saving money and energy.

Modelling of Solar Irradiance Incident on Building Envelopes in Polish Climatic Conditions: The Impact on Energy Performance Indicators of Residential Buildings

In this study, we use the data of Polish typical meteorological years and 15 transposition models to obtain global solar irradiance on sloped surfaces to calculate solar irradiance on external building partitions, solar gains, heating demands, and primary nonrenewable energy for heating and domestic hot water (EPH+W) of two typical Polish residential buildings, each for two variants in five locations. In relation to TMYs, annual solar gains were lower by −31% and −36% on average in a single and multifamily building, respectively, and the annual heating demands increased by 9% and 16%, respectively. Consequently, averaged EPH+W in relation to TMYs rose by 1.4 kWh/m2 and 4.5 kWh/m2, respectively. The mean differences between TMYs and the new method from the recently published EN-ISO 52010 standard for test Building 1 were 1.6 and 1.2 kWh/m2, for Variants 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, for test Building 2, the mean differences were 5.1 kWh/m2 and 3.9 kWh/m2, respectively. This means that the simulation model that is chosen has a visible impact on a building’s energy performance indicators and its rating without any changes in the physical structure and use of the building.

Energy Effectiveness or Economic Profitability? A Case Study of Thermal Modernization of a School Building

Thermal refurbishment of buildings results in certain energy, financial, and environmental effects. Such investments are financially supported in Poland after meeting the legally defined conditions of thermal protection and energy consumption. This paper presents a complex thermal modernization of a school building, performed by following Polish regulations. A detailed description of the studied object was given, and the calculation procedure was described. Then an optimal variant of an investment and an ex-post analysis were described. Simple payback time (SPBT) of modernization measures was from 15.8 years (insulation of the ceiling under the unheated attic) to 87 years for insulation of the wooden external wall, with 35.6 years for the whole project, which is shorter than the predicted lifespan of the whole building (50–70 years). Annual calculated heating demand decreased from 464.78 to 168.73 GJ, resulting in the primary energy consumption indicator (EP) of 484.44 and 129.46 kWh/m2, respectively. Thermal refurbishment with the replacement of an old boiler into a new wood-pellet one resulted in a significant reduction of SO2 and dust emissions from 451 to 27.5 kg and from 399 to 13 kg, respectively.

Factors Shaping A/W Heat Pumps CO₂ Emissions—Evidence from Poland

Heating and cooling sectors contribute to approximately 50% of energy consumption in the European Union. Considering the fact that heating is mostly based on fossil fuels, it is then evident that its decarbonization is one of the crucial tasks for achieving climate change prevention goals. At the same time, electricity sectors across the globe are undergoing a rapid transformation in order to accommodate the growing capacities of non-dispatchable solar and wind generators. One of the proposed solutions to achieve heating sector decarbonization and non-dispatchable generators power system integration is sector coupling, where heat pumps are perceived as a perfect fit. Air source heat pumps enable a rapid improvement in local air quality by replacing conventional heating sources, but at the same time, they put additional stress on the power system. The emissions associated with heat pump operation are a combination of power system energy mix, weather conditions and heat pump technology. Taking the above into consideration, this paper presents an approach to estimate which of the mentioned factors has the highest impact on heat pump emissions. Due to low air quality during the heating season, undergoing a power system transformation (with a relatively low share of renewables) in a case study located in Poland is considered. The results of the conducted analysis revealed that for a scenario where an air-to-water (A/W) heat pump is supposed to cover space and domestic hot water load, its CO2 emissions are shaped by country-specific energy mix (55.2%), heat pump technology (coefficient of performance) (33.9%) and, to a lesser extent, by changing climate (10.9%). The outcome of this paper can be used by policy makers in designing decarbonization strategies and funding distribution.

Annual Energy Performance of an Air Handling Unit with a Cross-Flow Heat Exchanger

Heat recovery from ventilation air is proven technology resulting in significant energy savings in modern buildings. The article presents an energy analysis of an air handling unit with a cross-flow heat exchanger in an office building in Poland. Measurements were taken during one year of operation, from 1 August 15 to 31 July 16, covering both heating and cooling periods. Calculated annual temperature efficiency of heat and cold recovery amounted to 65.2% and 64.6%, respectively, compared to the value of 59.5% quoted by the manufacturer. Monthly efficiency of heat recovery was from 37.6% in August to 68.7% in November, with 63.9% on average compared to 59.5% declared by the manufacturer. Cold recovery was from 63.3% in April to 72.8% in September, with 68.1% annually. Calculated recovered heat and cold amounted 25.6 MWh and 0.26 MWh, respectively. Net energy savings varied from −0.46 kWh/m2 in August, when consumption by fans exceeded savings, to 5.60 kWh/m2 in January.

Differentiation of the Level of Sustainable Development of Energy Markets in the European Union Countries

The economic development of the EU’s countries depends on stable and permanent access to various energy sources. The integration of European energy markets is a long-term process. Each member country has a different energy balance, energy resources and electricity generation technologies. Therefore, comparing Member States with one another is a complex task. The article deals with organizing the set of objects in multidimensional spaces of variables from the point of view of a certain characteristics that cannot be measured in a simple way, i.e., the relative level of the development of energy markets. The following diagnostic variables were adopted for the analysis: consumption of electric energy generated from renewables per capita (TWH/person), hard coal consumption (million tons/person), greenhouse gas emissions per capita, available for final consumption gigawatt-hour per person, final energy consumption thousand tons of oil equivalent (TOE) per person, petroleum available for final consumption (gigawatt-hour), natural gas (terajoule gross calorific value-GCV) per person, energy intensity of GDP (kilograms of oil equivalent (KGOE) per thousand euro, import dependency %. The article draws upon the cluster analysis, which uses the methods and techniques that enable to extract such objects (countries) from the data set, which would be similar to each other and combine them into groups. The purpose of the article is to examine and discus the diversity of Member States on the level of development of energy markets taking into account the specific situation of Poland. The presented model has the potential to be used at the level of enterprises from various industries to evaluate the level of sustainable development. The algorithm modification will only require the selection of available diagnostic variables describing the given enterprise.