Suchergebnisse

Malta, or more specifically the Maltese Archipelago, comprises the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, together with a few uninhabited islands, collectively termed as Malta. As an entity, Malta, after its independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, and after becoming a democratic republic in 1974, joined the European Union in 2004. It is concurrently part of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. It is an independent Island State and has had its own self government since 1964. As a hierarchical system of governance, Malta has a President, as head of state, the Prime Minister, Parliament, and finally Local Councils (equivalent to Municipalities — albeit on a town- scale). ; peer-reviewed

Considering the high energy bill paid by developed countries when it comes to energy, especially that related with the built environment, it is not surprising that improving energy-efficiency in buildings is high on both the national and international political agenda. Unfortunately improving the energy- efficiency of buildings through applications such as installing double g or roof insulation or renewable energy devices such as solar water heaters or photovoltaic panels comes at a premium. ; peer-reviewed

Research has amply shown that by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, the European Union (EU) could reduce its total energy consumption and associated carbon emissions by a considerable amount. To address this aspect, the EU in 2002 issued Directive 2002/91/EC (later repealed by Directive 2010/31/EC), primarily requiring Member States to set up a system where buildings would be certified for their energy efficiency. In this context, each Member State was required to develop and institute its own methodology for the certification of buildings. Most countries achieved this through the creation of a dedicated software tool conforming to this calculation methodology. In Malta, the national calculation tool developed is the 'Energy Performance Rating of Dwellings in Malta' (EPRDM). Although available since 2009, very little feedback is available on how the software has so far performed in terms of providing a useful platform for the issue of energy performance certificates of buildings. To address this aspect, the research presented in this paper explores and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of EPRDM, by gauging the experience of EPB Assessors in using this particular tool. Finally a number of preliminary recommendations on possible changes and improvements are presented. ; Bajada New Energy, Bitmac ltd., Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering. ; peer-reviewed

The domestic sector in Malta widely utilises electric boilers to heat water. With the introduction of fuel surcharge on electricity and water bills, the cost of heating water has risen dramatically. The National Census of 2005 showed that only 5,010 solar heaters were installed in homes, covering a mere 3.6% of Maltese households. Government incentives to give capital grants of up to 25%, has increased the uptake of solar heaters to some extent and is now estimated to have reached 12,000 units. ; N/A