How Effective is Energy-Efficient Housing? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Mexico

How Effective is Energy-Efficient Housing? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Mexico PDF Author: Lucas W. Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Despite growing enthusiasm, there is little empirical evidence on how well energy efficiency investments work. Evidence is particularly lacking from low- and middle-income countries, despite a widespread view that these countries have many of the best opportunities. This paper evaluates a field experiment in Mexico in which a quasi-experimental sample of new homes was provided with insulation and other energy-efficient upgrades. A novel feature of our study is that we deploy large numbers of data loggers which allow us to measure temperature and humidity at high frequency inside homes. We find that the upgrades had no detectable impact on electricity use or thermal comfort, with essentially identical temperature and humidity levels in upgraded and non-upgraded homes. These results stand in sharp contrast to the engineering estimates that predicted up to a 26% decrease in electricity use. Part of the explanation is that air conditioner ownership is lower than expected, thus reducing the potential for reductions in energy use. In addition, we document that most households have their windows open on hot days, nullifying the thermal benefits of roof and wall insulation. Overall, we conclude that the benefits from these investments are unlikely to exceed the costs, which added $400-$500 USD to the cost of each home. Our results underscore the urgent need to fully incorporate socioeconomic conditions and human behavior into engineering models of energy use.

How Effective is Energy-Efficient Housing? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Mexico

How Effective is Energy-Efficient Housing? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Mexico PDF Author: Lucas W. Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Despite growing enthusiasm, there is little empirical evidence on how well energy efficiency investments work. Evidence is particularly lacking from low- and middle-income countries, despite a widespread view that these countries have many of the best opportunities. This paper evaluates a field experiment in Mexico in which a quasi-experimental sample of new homes was provided with insulation and other energy-efficient upgrades. A novel feature of our study is that we deploy large numbers of data loggers which allow us to measure temperature and humidity at high frequency inside homes. We find that the upgrades had no detectable impact on electricity use or thermal comfort, with essentially identical temperature and humidity levels in upgraded and non-upgraded homes. These results stand in sharp contrast to the engineering estimates that predicted up to a 26% decrease in electricity use. Part of the explanation is that air conditioner ownership is lower than expected, thus reducing the potential for reductions in energy use. In addition, we document that most households have their windows open on hot days, nullifying the thermal benefits of roof and wall insulation. Overall, we conclude that the benefits from these investments are unlikely to exceed the costs, which added $400-$500 USD to the cost of each home. Our results underscore the urgent need to fully incorporate socioeconomic conditions and human behavior into engineering models of energy use.

The Energy Path of Latin America and the Caribbean

The Energy Path of Latin America and the Caribbean PDF Author: Rigoberto Ariel Yépez-García
Publisher: Inter-American Development Bank
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 82

Get Book Here

Book Description
With rapid energy growth in the past 40 years, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region has maintained a steady increase in electricity needs above the global level. While there is no question that demand will remain strong over the next two decades, what remains to be seen is what kind of energy matrix will be used to meet that appetite and what will be the investments going into the industry. This report makes an attempt to answer these critical questions by taking a deep look into the demand and supply side of the industry. To this end, it will seek to (i) identify the amount of demand growth until 2040, (ii) project the electricity generation matrix by each energy source, and (iii) determine the investment requirements by source, based on cost efficiency criteria, for regulators and utilities’ consideration.

Energy Efficiency and Quality of Life: An Analysis of Mexico's Green Mortgage Program

Energy Efficiency and Quality of Life: An Analysis of Mexico's Green Mortgage Program PDF Author: Miriam Paloma Giottonini Badilla
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Get Book Here

Book Description
Mexico's Green Mortgage Program (GMP) is the largest and fastest growing effort to increase residential energy-efficiency in low-income households in the world. Since its implementation in 2011, it has delivered more than three million dwellings with energy-efficient appliances to the low-income sector in Mexico. In this dissertation, the GMP serves as a case study to analyze energy efficiency as an instrument to improve quality of life of low-income neighborhoods. Using a multiple benefits framework, I explore the outcomes of the GMP beyond the reduction of electricity consumption. This is the first study that evaluates the effects of energy policy as an instrument to promote energy efficiency and an improvement of living conditions of the largest and fastest growing sector of the population of developing countries. This dissertation is divided into two major sections: The first part tests the hypothesis that dwellings built through the GMP use less electricity than traditional households. I use bi-monthly utility bills to compare energy consumption between two GMP and two traditional neighborhoods. I find no statistically significant difference between neighborhoods, suggesting that the GMP is not delivering the expected results. The second part explores how the GMP has improved the living conditions of people participating in the program. I compare different participation levels among members of the GMP and the traditional households in three main activities: recreation, skill-building, and additional educational activities. The hypothesis is that a reduction in electricity usage will reduce utility payment, allowing households to access new capacity-building opportunities. The analysis of survey responses shows no statistically significant difference between the living conditions of both groups, demonstrating that the GMP has had no effect on the living conditions of its inhabitants. I conclude that the GMP requires a considerable review and transformation so it can deliver the expected results, or participation in the program must become optional. Additionally, governments of developing countries must reconsider the overall effects of climate change related policies, particularly those oriented at the lower-income sector of society.

The Economics of Energy Efficiency

The Economics of Energy Efficiency PDF Author: Steve Sorrell
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book examines energy management practices within a wide range of public and private sector organisations.

Building America Case Study

Building America Case Study PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description


Integrated Air Quality Management

Integrated Air Quality Management PDF Author: Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439862265
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 413

Get Book Here

Book Description
The steady growth in the number of vehicles on the road, heavy reliance on coal, use of dirty fuels for residential combustion, and extensive open burning are some of the major factors leading to the progressive deterioration of air quality in developing countries in Asia. And despite efforts to establish and implement air quality measurement syste

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is the premier public resource on scientific and technological developments that impact global security. Founded by Manhattan Project Scientists, the Bulletin's iconic "Doomsday Clock" stimulates solutions for a safer world.

The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning

The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning PDF Author: Peter Barrett
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464813787
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 71

Get Book Here

Book Description
'The Impact of School Infrastructure on Learning: A Synthesis of the Evidence provides an excellent literature review of the resources that explore the areas of focus for improved student learning, particularly the aspiration for “accessible, well-built, child-centered, synergetic and fully realized learning environments.†? Written in a style which is both clear and accessible, it is a practical reference for senior government officials and professionals involved in the planning and design of educational facilities, as well as for educators and school leaders. --Yuri Belfali, Head of Division, Early Childhood and Schools, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills This is an important and welcome addition to the surprisingly small, evidence base on the impacts of school infrastructure given the capital investment involved. It will provide policy makers, practitioners, and those who are about to commission a new build with an important and comprehensive point of reference. The emphasis on safe and healthy spaces for teaching and learning is particularly welcome. --Harry Daniels, Professor of Education, Department of Education, Oxford University, UK This report offers a useful library of recent research to support the, connection between facility quality and student outcomes. At the same time, it also points to the unmet need for research to provide verifiable and reliable information on this connection. With such evidence, decisionmakers will be better positioned to accurately balance the allocation of limited resources among the multiple competing dimensions of school policy, including the construction and maintenance of the school facility. --David Lever, K-12 Facility Planner, Former Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on School Construction, Maryland Many planners and designers are seeking a succinct body of research defining both the issues surrounding the global planning of facilities as well as the educational outcomes based on the quality of the space provided. The authors have finally brought that body of evidence together in this well-structured report. The case for better educational facilities is clearly defined and resources are succinctly identified to stimulate the dialogue to come. We should all join this conversation to further the process of globally enhancing learning-environment quality! --David Schrader, AIA, Educational Facility Planner and Designer, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, Association for Learning Environments (A4LE)

Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic

Pain Management and the Opioid Epidemic PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309459575
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 483

Get Book Here

Book Description
Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.

Popular Science

Popular Science PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Get Book Here

Book Description
Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.