Energy efficiency, advanced controls and renewable energy systems for operating industrial, residential and tertiary sector buildings designed to be Near-Zero Energy are investigated to explore the performance gap. The analysis involves a comparison of energy dynamic and quasi-dynamic models with data from smart monitoring systems, indoor and outdoor environment measurements, power consumption and production data. Specific issues and conclusions have been drawn as the basis for addressing the performance gap between energy efficiency prediction in the design phase and measurements' evaluation in operational phase.
Near-surface ozone is enhanced under particular chemical reactions and physical processes. This study showed the seasonal variation of near-surface ozone in Nicosia, Cyprus and focused in summers when the highest ozone levels were noted using a seven year hourly dataset from 2007 to 2014. The originality of this study is that it examines how ozone levels changed under heatwave conditions (defined as 4 consecutive days with daily maximum temperature over 39 °C) with emphasis on specific air quality and meteorological parameters with respect to non-heatwave summer conditions. The influencing parameters had a medium-strong positive correlation of ozone with temperature, UVA and UVB at daytime which increased by about 35% under heatwave conditions. The analysis of the wind pattern showed a small decrease of wind speed during heatwaves leading to stagnant weather conditions, but also revealed a steady diurnal cycle of wind speed reaching a peak at noon, when the highest ozone levels were noted. The negative correlation of NOx budget with ozone was further increased under heatwave conditions leading to steeper lows of ozone in the morning. In summary, this research encourages further analysis into the persistent weather conditions prevalent during HWs stimulating ozone formation for higher temperatures.
Extreme temperatures impose thermal stress on human health, resulting in increased hospitalizations and mortality rate. We investigated the circulatory and respiratory causes of death for the years 2007 to 2014 inclusive for the urban and rural areas of Nicosia, Cyprus under urban heatwave and non-heatwave conditions. Heatwaves were defined as four or more consecutive days with mean urban daily temperature over the 90th percentile threshold temperature of the eight investigated years. Lag period of adverse health effects was found to be up to three days following the occurrence of high temperatures. The relative risk (RR) for mortality rate under heatwave and non-heatwave conditions was found taking in consideration the lag period. The results showed the increase of mortality risk particularly for men of ages 65–69 (RR = 2.38) and women of ages 65–74 (around RR = 2.54) in the urban area, showing that women were more vulnerable to heat extremities. High temperatures were also associated with high ozone concentrations, but they did not impose an excess risk factor, as they did not reach extreme values. This analysis highlights the importance of preparing for potential heat related health impacts even in Cyprus, which is an island with frequent heatwaves.
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