| 1. |
- Heinonen, Jukka, et al.
(författare)
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An Empirical Inquiry on the Effect of Cleaner Local Energy Production on Consumer Carbon Footprint
- 2012
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Ingår i: Design for Innovative Value Towards a Sustainable Society. - Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands. - 9789400730106 ; , s. 160-164
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study analyzes the effect of cleaner local energy production on the consumer carbon footprint. The results in consumption based carbon footprint assessments have traditionally indicated that a significant change in consumption patterns or lifestyles would be needed to achieve the often aspired, ambitious 50- 80% cutoffs in the carbon emissions on a community level. However, it is also known that a majority of the emissions related to all goods and services derives from energy. Thus cleaner local energy would not affect only the emissions from housing in the consumer carbon footprint but also the carbon load from the consumption of goods and services produced with the same energy.
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| 2. |
- Heinonen, Jukka, et al.
(författare)
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City level carbon mitigation strategies : What are their true impacts?
- 2012
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Ingår i: International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development. - 2093-761X. ; 3:1, s. 54-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper addresses the problems associated with ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cut-off targets set for cities in recent years. Even though many cities have adopted an active approach to sustainability issues and climate change mitigation, they often lack appropriate and effective tools for achieving the cut-off targets. The primary purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utilisation of a consumption based GHG emission assessment model in city level carbon management. The demonstration is executed by an evaluation of four different scenarios for city level carbon mitigation, including the construction of low-emission buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy sources, restricting urban sprawl and reducing private driving together with an increase in the share of public transportation. The study shows that a life cycle assessment (LCA) model like the one utilised here can be operated effectively in city level carbon management. Furthermore, the comprehensive, consumption based assessment model, even though used locally, provides a global view on a global issue. The results of the assessment suggest that the only way to significantly reduce the carbon emissions, within a short time period, on a city level is to change the carbon intensity of the local energy production. Other mitigation strategies might be of importance too, but the limitations and dimensions of the impacts should be understood.
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| 3. |
- Heinonen, Jukka, et al.
(författare)
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Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption : A case study of Helsinki
- 2011
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 6:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hindering urban sprawl is one of the main goals for contemporary urban planning. Urban density is considered crucial in climate change mitigation since it reduces automobile dependence and decreases unit sizes, for example. This letter analyzes the effect of density in a city context. In the study the Finnish capital Helsinki is divided into two areas of different urban densities: the high density downtown area and the more scarcely populated suburbs. The study is a continuation of a recently published study on the implications of urban structure on carbon emissions, and analyzes further the main finding of the first study - that higher urban density might have negligible or even reverse effect on the per capita carbon emissions. Similarly to the previous study, a consumption based tiered hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is employed in order to produce a comprehensive assessment, free of territorial boundaries and system cutoffs typical of traditional LCAs. Based on the findings of the previous study, it is hypothesized that when assessing city level carbon dioxide emissions from a wider, consumer oriented LCA perspective, increased urban density may not necessarily reduce carbon emissions. Surprisingly, the study finds that carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions are substantially higher in the dense downtown area than in the surrounding suburbs, which is suggested to imply that the increased consumption due to the higher standard of living increases emissions more than the higher density is able to reduce them. The results demonstrate that, while increasing urban density can be justified from a number of ecological, social and economic viewpoints, density is not necessarily a key parameter in the particular case of climate change. In cities like Helsinki, where wealth is concentrated in the downtown area, climate policies should give higher priority to the energy consumption of buildings, to alternative energy production and distribution modes, as well as to low carbon consumption within the city.
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| 4. |
- Kyrö, Riikka, et al.
(författare)
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Occupants have little influence on the overall energy consumption in district heated apartment buildings
- 2011
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Ingår i: Energy and Buildings. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7788. ; 43:12, s. 3484-3490
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this research is twofold: first, to evaluate how occupant behavior in a neutral environment influences the overall greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of multi-family apartment buildings, and second: to establish which activities associated with housing companies produce the most greenhouse gas emissions. The research comprised of a multiple cases of housing companies dating from the late 1960s and located in the Finnish capital Helsinki. The studied housing companies represent the least energy efficient third of the Finnish residential building stock, approaching obligatory large scale refurbishments. The analysis is conducted in two phases with a so called hybrid life-cycle assessment (LCA) technique. Using the technique, both economic and metric consumption data are analyzed to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions generated by activities associated with housing. In line with previous research, the study identifies heating energy as the single most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The results also show that the carbon load associated with housing activities makes up one third of an individual resident's overall carbon footprint. Contrary to often stated belief, the study indicates that occupant behavior has only limited effect on the energy consumption and, consequently, carbon emissions derived from housing, particularly when multi-family housing connected to district heating is concerned. However, apartment size seems to have a two-way impact, the smallest and the largest being the least energy efficient.
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| 5. |
- Mangold, Mikael
(författare)
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Challenges of renovating the Gothenburg multi-family building stock - An analysis of comprehensive building-specific information, including energy performance, ownership and affordability
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In Sweden and many European countries, the building stock increased at a rapid pace during the period of 1950-1975. This aging building stock is in need of renovation which is a challenge and an opportunity in reaching the energy performance targets as well as decreasing societal inequities. The contribution of this thesis is to demonstrate how economic, social and resource usage challenges of renovating the building stock can be analyzed and described using comprehensive building-specific data. In this thesis, building ownership types, area socio-economic characteristics, building energy performance, and investments in renovation, are analyzed for the Gothenburg multi-family dwelling stock. Measured energy usage from the Swedish Energy Performance Certificate was used in the analysis. The data quality of the Energy Performance Certificate was assessed for the purpose of analyzing the building stock. The Energy Performance Certificates were matched with official building information from the Swedish Land Survey and area socio-economic information from Statistics Sweden. Using this dataset, rent increases due to renovations are estimated and compared. To broaden the analysis, a case study in a renovation project of multi-family dwellings in an economically disadvantaged area is also presented. In the case study renovation, the implemented energy usage reducing measure of volumetric billing of water was found to increase rents. The case study is used to exemplify how energy usage reducing renovation projects, with little consideration for social city development targets, can aggravate economic segregation. There is positive progress towards the 2020 targets of greenhouse gas emission reduction and improved energy efficiency in the Swedish housing sector; while there is little progress toward the Gothenburg city target to reduce segregation. The Swedish housing sector is rather part of the economic and geographic segregation process in Gothenburg. Renovation will be needed to reduce differences in living standards. The upcoming renovation need is a challenge, for mainly municipally owned companies, in reaching greenhouse gas and energy usage reduction without raising rent and increasing economic segregation.
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| 6. |
- Ottelin, Juudit, et al.
(författare)
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Household carbon footprint patterns by the degree of urbanisation in Europe
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9318 .- 1748-9326. ; 14:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urbanisation increases household carbon footprints in developing economies. However, the results from developed countries have varied, particularly in Europe. This study provides a coherent comparison of the impact of the degree of urbanisation on income, expenditure and carbon footprints in Europe. On average, carbon footprints are 7% lower in cities than in rural areas when income and household characteristics are controlled. However, this is compensated by the 6% higher average income in cities. The patterns are not uniform in all countries. In Eastern Europe, the pattern is similar to other developing regions. In some Western European countries, both the income level and the carbon footprints are lower in urban areas than in rural areas. In the rest of Europe, the differences in income level between rural and urban areas are small, but they still largely compensate for the efficiency benefits of urban areas. We call for more systemic emissions accounting and climate strategies.
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