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UID/AMB/04085/2019 ; The reduction of energy consumption and the increase in energy efficiency is currently an important cornerstone of EU policy. Energy performance certificates (EPCs) were implemented as one of the tools to promote this agenda, and are used for the energy performance assessment of buildings. In this study, the characteristics of the Portuguese dwelling stock are regionally analysed using data from approximately 523,000 Portuguese residential EPCs. Furthermore, a bottom-up building typology approach is used to assess the regional energy needs impact of retrofitting actions and to estimate the heating and cooling energy performance gaps of the whole dwelling stock, as well as the potential CO2 emissions resulting from the gaps' potential offset due to increase thermal comfort. The results show that Portuguese residential buildings have very low energy performance, with windows and roofs being identified as the most energy inefficient elements. Roof retrofitting has the highest potential for the reduction of energy needs. The estimated heating and cooling energy performance gap amount to very significant percentages, due to the poor performing building stock but also very low energy consumption levels, with probable consequences for the thermal comfort of occupants. Assuming the current energy mix, carbon emissions would be 9.8 and 20.2 times higher associated with heating and cooling, respectively, if the actual final energy consumption were to match the estimated theoretical values derived from building regulation. This study demonstrates several application cases and leverages the potential of the individual EPC, increasing the detail in the dwelling stock characterization and energy performance estimation, revealing its value for energy retrofit and climate change mitigation assessments, as well as establishing the ground for future work related to building retrofits, energy efficiency measure implementation, climate change mitigation, thermal comfort, and energy poverty studies. ; publishersversion ; published

Energy consumption is at the core of economic development, but its severe impacts on resources depletion and climate change have justified a call for its general reduction across all economic activities. Lowering households' energy demand is a key factor to achieve carbon dioxide emission reductions as it has an important energy-saving potential. Households in the European Union (EU28) countries have a significant weight (25%) in the total final energy consumption. However, a wide range of variation is observed within the residential sector from 7.6 to 37.4 GJ per capita/annum, with the lowest consumption indicator observed in Southern EU countries. Energy consumption in the residential sector is a complex issue, explained by a combination of different factors. To pinpoint how to reduce energy consumption effectively while deliver energy services, we need to look not just at technology, but also to the factors that drive how and in what extent people consume energy, including the way they interact with technology (i.e., energy efficiency). The main objective of this research is to understand the differences in energy consumption arising from different socio-demographic, technologic, behavioral and economic characteristics of residential households. This research brings to the spotlight the needs and benefits of looking deeper into residential sector energy consumption in a southern European country. Portugal and the municipality of Évora, in particular, were selected as case studies. Residential sector consumption is a moving target, which increase the complexity of adequate policies and instruments that have to address the bottleneck between increase demand for e.g. climatization due to current lack of thermal comfort and to comply with objectives of increased energy efficiency which ultimately intend to reduce energy consumption. This calls for different levels of knowledge to feed multiscale policies. This dissertation expands the understanding of energy consumption patterns at households, consumers' role in energy consumption profiles, indoor thermal comfort, and the levels of satisfaction from energy services demand. In a country potentially highly impacted by climate change, with low levels of income and significant lower energy consumption per capita compared to the EU28 average, looking into these issues gains even more importance. The work combines detailed analysis at different spatial (national, city and consumers level) and time scales (hour to annual) taking advantage of diverse methods and datasets including smart meters' data, door to door surveys and energy simulation and optimization modelling. The results identify (i) ten distinct residential sector consumer groups (e.g., under fuel poverty); (ii) daily and annual consumption patterns (W, U and flat); (iii) major energy consumption determinants such as the physical characteristics of dwellings, particularly the year of construction and floor area; climatization equipment ownership and use, and occupants' profiles (mainly number and monthly income). It is (iv) recognized that inhabitants try to actively control space heating, but without achieving indoor thermal comfort levels. The results also show (v) that technology can overweight the impact of practices and lifestyle changes for some end-uses as space heating and lighting. Nevertheless, important focus should be given to the evolution in the future of uncertain parameters related with consumer behavior, especially those on climatization, related to thermal comfort and equipment's use. Furthermore, the research work presents a (vi) bottom-up methodology to project detailed energy end-uses demand, and (vii) an integrated framework for city energy planning. This work sets the ground for the definition of tailor-made policy recommendations for targeted consumer groups (e.g., vulnerable consumers) and climatization behavior/practices to reduce peak demand, social support policies, energy efficiency instruments and measures, renewable energy sources integration, and energy systems planning.

In an election process, p parties compete for S seats in a parliament. After votes are cast, the electoral result may be thought of as an element x in Rp. Given x, the so-called largest remainders method determines the number ai of seats party i gets in the parliament. The electoral cell determined by (a1,.,ap) is the closure of the set of all results x that determine ai seats for party i, 1<= i<= p. The electoral cells are convex polytopes and tile a hyperplane of Rp. In this paper we give a description of the electoral cells. For a single cell we identify and classify the cell's faces, completely describe its face lattice, and determine its group of automorphisms. It turns out that each face of dimension d arises from a d-unit-cube by a co pression along a diagonal.

In this paper we present a simple technique to derive certificates of non-realizability for a combinatorial polytope. Our approach uses a variant of the classical algebraic certificates introduced by Bokowski and Sturmfels (1989), the final polynomials. More specifically we reduce the problem of finding a realization to that of finding a positive point in a variety and try to find a polynomial with positive coefficients in the generating ideal (a positive polynomial), showing that such point does not exist. Many, if not most, of the techniques for proving non-realizability developed in the last three decades can be seen as following this framework, using more or less elaborate ways of constructing such positive polynomials. Our proposal is more straightforward as we simply use linear programming to exhaustively search for such positive polynomials in the ideal restricted to some linear subspace. Somewhat surprisingly, this elementary strategy yields results that are competitive with more elaborate alternatives, and allows us to derive new examples of non-realizable combinatorial polytopes ; Gouveia was partially supported by the Centre for Mathematics of the University of Coimbra - UIDB/00324/2020 , funded by the Portuguese Government through FCT/MCTES . Macchia was supported by the Einstein Foundation Berlin under Francisco Santos grant EVF-2015-230 and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – project number 454595616 . Wiebe was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) [ PDF - 557980 - 2021 ], and by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS). The research and findings may not reflect those of the Institute.

SFRH/BD/147925/2019 SFRH/BD/146732/2019 UIDB/04085/2020 ; The UK has an extensive research base in the field of energy poverty, to the extent that other countries have based their policy approaches on the UK model. Despite this, there is no common method for measuring this condition across the UK. Additionally, sustaining meaningful reductions in UK energy poverty remains a challenge. While significant regional differences in UK energy poverty have been identified, it is not possible to draw direct comparisons between devolved countries. This paper explores the causes of these regional differences and contests that a common measurement across the UK countries would be insightful for resource allocation and policy design. The potential for applying a common multidimensional method of energy poverty assessment across the UK countries is investigated, with a strong focus on the value and viability of this process. Findings demonstrate that while there is a high level of data availability for input into a high spatial resolution index, this data is not compatible between countries and would have to undergo a process of data and metrics equivalisation before direct comparisons could be drawn. With increasing interest in the potential of multidimensional indexes to guide EU energy poverty policy, this paper provides useful insights into the practicalities of upscaling indexes between varied socio-political contexts. ; authorsversion ; published

This paper provides a method to identify drivers, barriers and synergies (DBS) related to the deployment of a CO 2 pipeline network. The method was demonstrated for the West Mediterranean region (WMR) (i.e. Spain, Portugal and Morocco). The method comprises a literature review, analysis of embedded pipeline trajectories, interviews with experts, and workshops with stakeholders. Subsequently, the collected information was used to identify route specific DBS in several CO 2 pipeline network deployment scenarios that were modeled for the WMR. Most identified DBS apply to CO 2 pipeline transport in general. The barriers (e.g. technical knowledge gaps, outstanding legislative issues, lack of financial incentive) can in principle be tackled to make the design, construction and operation of a CO 2 pipeline network possible, but could sometimes lead to somewhat higher costs. Furthermore, there are also facilitating processes (e.g. experience with CO 2 pipeline transport for EOR). Cost benefits due to pipeline oversizing were identified as a route specific driver, whereas crossings of mountains, water and nature areas are route specific barriers. Installing CO 2 pipelines along natural gas pipelines could be either a route specific synergy or barrier, depending on site conditions. Finally, several key measures were proposed to enable CO 2 pipeline networks in the future.

ENGAGER 2017–2021, CA16232 ; Energy poverty, a condition whereby people cannot secure adequate home energy services, is gaining prominence in public discourse and on political and policy agendas. As its measurement is operationalised, metrical developments are being socially shaped. A European Union mandate for biennial reporting on energy poverty presents an opportunity to institutionalise new metrics and thus privilege certain measurements as standards. While combining indicators at multiple scales is desirable to measure multi-dimensional aspects, it entails challenges such as database availability, coverage and limited disaggregated resolution. This article converges scholarship on metrics e which problematises the act of measurement e and on energy poverty e which apprehends socio-political and techno-economic particulars. Scholarship on metrics suggests that any basket of indicators risks silencing significant but hard to measure aspects, or unwarrantedly privileging others. State-of-the-art energy poverty scholarship calls for indicators that represent contextualised energy use issues, including energy access and quality, expenditure in relation to income, built environment related aspects and thermal comfort levels, while retaining simplicity and comparability for policy traction. We frame energy poverty metrology as the socially shaped measurement of a varied, multi-dimensional phenomenon within historically bureaucratic and publicly distant energy sectors, and assess the risks and opportunities that must be negotiated. To generate actionable knowledge, we propose an analytical framework with five dimensions of energy poverty metrology, and illustrate it using multi-scalar cases from three European countries. Dimensions include historical trajectories, data flattening, contextualised identification, new representation and policy uptake. We argue that the measurement of energy poverty must be informed by the politics of data and scale in order to institutionalise emerging metrics, while safeguarding ...

Energy poverty, a condition whereby people cannot secure adequate home energy services, is gaining prominence in public discourse and on political and policy agendas. As its measurement is operationalised, metrical developments are being socially shaped. A European Union mandate for biennial reporting on energy poverty presents an opportunity to institutionalise new metrics and thus privilege certain measurements as standards. While combining indicators at multiple scales is desirable to measure multi-dimensional aspects, it entails challenges such as database availability, coverage and limited disaggregated resolution. This article converges scholarship on metrics – which problematises the act of measurement – and on energy poverty – which apprehends socio-political and techno-economic particulars. Scholarship on metrics suggests that any basket of indicators risks silencing significant but hard to measure aspects, or unwarrantedly privileging others. State-of-the-art energy poverty scholarship calls for indicators that represent contextualised energy use issues, including energy access and quality, expenditure in relation to income, built environment related aspects and thermal comfort levels, while retaining simplicity and comparability for policy traction. We frame energy poverty metrology as the socially shaped measurement of a varied, multi-dimensional phenomenon within historically bureaucratic and publicly distant energy sectors, and assess the risks and opportunities that must be negotiated. To generate actionable knowledge, we propose an analytical framework with five dimensions of energy poverty metrology, and illustrate it using multi-scalar cases from three European countries. Dimensions include historical trajectories, data flattening, contextualised identification, new representation and policy uptake. We argue that the measurement of energy poverty must be informed by the politics of data and scale in order to institutionalise emerging metrics, while safeguarding against their co-optation for purposes other than the deep and rapid alleviation of energy poverty. This 'dimensioned' understanding of metrology can provide leverage to push for decisive action to address the structural underpinnings of domestic energy deprivation.

Energy poverty seriously affects living conditions and health. In spite of its mild climate, Portugal has been pointed out as one of the most vulnerable countries in the European Union. Due to the multidimensionality of energy poverty, attention needs to be paid to specific factors contributing to it in different contexts. This paper contributes to a better understanding of energy poverty by providing results from a study combining the use of an energy poverty vulnerability index and mapping - based on a detailed quantitative analysis of all 3092 civil parishes -, with interviews conducted with 100 households in ten hotspots across the country. The sample of interviewees includes both rural and urban dwellers, several family types, and individuals of different ages, social and economic status, and living in different types of buildings. Results show the extent, but also variability, of vulnerability to energy poverty throughout the country. Findings also show that households may consider normal and acceptable to feel both cold and hot at home, either in winter or in summer. This can hinder the social recognition of the energy poverty problem and the need to tackle its negative consequences on the well-being and health of the population. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The APC was funded by the COST Action 'European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation' (ENGAGER 2017-2021, CA16232) funded by European Cooperation in Science and Technology-www.cost.eu"(accessed 5 December 2020), and the EPIU-Energy poverty intelligence unit (Funded by UE-European Regional Development Fund, UIA04-212 (EPIU)-https://hogaressaludables.getafe.es/(accessed 5 December 2020). ; The intensity and duration of hot weather and the number of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, are increasing, leading to a growing need for space cooling energy demand. Together with the building stock's low energy performance, this phenomenon may also increase households' energy consumption. On the other hand, the low level of ownership of cooling equip-ment can cause low energy consumption, leading to a lack of indoor thermal comfort and several health-related problems, yet increasing the risk of energy poverty in summer. Understanding future temperature variations and the associated impacts on building cooling demand will allow mitigat-ing future issues related to a warmer climate. In this respect, this paper analyses the effects of change in temperatures in the residential sector cooling demand in 2050 for a case study of nineteen cities across seven countries: Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain, by estimating cooling degree days and hours (CDD and CDH). CDD and CDH are calculated using both fixed and adaptive thermal comfort temperature thresholds for 2020 and 2050, understanding their strengths and weaknesses to assess the effects of warmer temperatures. Results suggest a noticeable average increase in CDD and CDH values, up to double, by using both thresholds for 2050, with a particular interest in northern countries where structural modifications in the building stock and occupants' behavior should be anticipated. Furthermore, the use of the adaptive thermal comfort threshold shows that the projected temperature increases for 2050 might affect people's capability to adapt their comfort band (i.e., indoor habitability) as temperatures would be higher than the maximum admissible values for people's comfort and health. ; publishersversion ; published

Loss in the supply chain of small ruminants owing to condemnations of carcasses in the abattoirs and slaughterhouses is common in northeastern Brazil. This study aims to identify bacterial agents, including Mycobacterium spp., in the abscesses found in the postmortem analysis of the carcasses of sheep and goats bred in northeastern Brazil. Our analysis involved 679 goats and 1,838 sheep carcasses. Abscess samples were extracted and inoculated on blood agar and Lowenstein Jensen with pyruvate or glycerol for bacterial isolation. We then performed polymerase chain reaction of the hps 65 gene; samples positive for Mycobacterium spp. were subjected to DNA sequencing. Relative frequencies of abscesses in goats and sheep were 5.44 and 3.26%, respectively. Microbiological analysis revealed 87.7% bacterial growth in the inoculated samples. Among these, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis represented 67.7% of the isolates. We observed 1.9% mycobacteria growth in the abscess samples inoculated on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. PCR of DNA extracted from abscesses samples showed amplification of 0.9% of samples. After sequencing, Mycobacterium spp. isolate was identified as M. novocastrense. C. pseudotuberculosis was the main agent responsible for the formation of abscesses in the examined animals, and we did not identify any species of the M. tuberculosis complex in the examined small ruminants.