Optimal Energy Solutions for Buildings - Local Production and Use of Heat and Power.

The project will be divided in four work packages (WP), involving 2 Ph.D. candidates: * WP 1: Admin. * WP 2 Energy use: There is a very significant untapped potential for energy conservation in buildings in terms of demand-control of the building services (HVAC, lighting, etc.). Particular emphasis will be put on studying the application of strategies for demand-control of ventilation, especially in the context of increasing urbanization, accounting for temporal and spatial variations of use in each dwell ing, and the stochastic pattern of use in multi-dwelling buildings. Control strategies have to be simple, cheap, robust and effective. This WP will also look at the confluence of two developing energy technologies in Nordic countries, namely (a) low-energ y housing (or passive houses), and (b) small-scale local district heating. Both are gaining political appeal and interest in the construction industry. The WP will consist of a doctoral thesis, and will participate in IEA ECBCS Annex 42. * WP 3 Energy pro duction: will focus on optimisation of appropriate combinations of CHP units, solar energy, heat pumps, and boilers. The optimisation will address both design and operations by combining dynamic process modelling, building construction, and climatic varia tions. Dynamic process modelling of energy efficient production systems in buildings will have the goal to bring about low housing investments and feasible decentralized energy production units. The building model will bring about important information th at can expose the future choices of energy production units and its operations. This research task will be a doctoral thesis and will participate in the IEA ECBCS Annex 42. * WP 4 Integrated solutions: will consist of two projects; active participation in IEA ECBCS Annex 42; collate experiences from a 500 dwelling estate of apartment buildings; and evaluate of the costs and environmental consequences regarding local energy production.