Search Results (247)

The problem of choosing an electric generator in order to increase the reliability and continuity of energy supply to households in Ukraine was considered. It was shown that this choice is made under conditions of uncertainty. The methods of choosing alternatives to technical systems under conditions of uncertainty, based on axiomatic, heuristic and verbal decision-making methods described in the sources, were analyzed, and the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) was selected to develop a model for choosing an electric generator. The technical, economic, operational and ergonomic criteria for choosing an electric generator were justified. The novelty of the article lies in the use of the developed structural hierarchical model for choosing an electric generator for a household, and the selection of the appropriate generator option for a household was carried out using the AHP. The selected F3001 generator model is characterized by the highest value of the generalized weighting factor due to the impact of estimates based on economic and operational criteria. The use of the cogeneration unit in an agricultural biogas plant was also indicated—as an alternative to household energy supply. Full article

Traditional energy conservation policies have primarily relied on economic incentives and informational campaigns. However, recent insights from behavioral and social sciences indicate that subtle behavioral interventions, particularly social nudges, can significantly influence household electricity use. This paper presents a structured review of 23 recent field studies examining how social nudging strategies, such as peer comparison, group identity, and normative messaging, have contributed to measurable reductions in electricity consumption. By analyzing intervention outcomes across different regions and formats, we identify key success factors, limitations, and policy implications. Special attention is given to ethical considerations, fairness in implementation, and potential challenges in sustaining behavior change. This study offers a framework for integrating social nudges into future energy policies, emphasizing their role as low-cost, scalable tools for promoting sustainable energy behavior. Full article

The equitable allocation of clean energy access across towns–rural divides is a critical benchmark of modernization in developing economies. This is because it is intricately linked to the realization of strategic goals such as shared prosperity, ecological civilization advancement, and national energy security reinforcement. This research examines the impact of China’s digital village (DV) construction in reducing the urban–rural disparity in household clean energy access, evaluates the effect on towns–rural clean energy consumption inequality (CEI), explores the mediating mechanisms, and considers regional heterogeneity. It is an innovative approach to test the influence of digital village construction on clean energy consumption inequality between urban and rural areas, beyond which conventional research is limited to infrastructure investment and policy considerations. We can reach the following three results: (1) With the continuous improvement of digital village construction, CEI between towns and rural areas shows an “inverted U-shaped” change. (2) From the perspective of the intermediary mechanism, agricultural technological progress (ATP) and industrial structure upgrading (IND) can facilitate digital village construction and reduce the disparity in clean energy consumption between towns and rural regions. (3) From the perspective of heterogeneity analysis, digital village construction in areas with low urbanization levels, high terrain undulation, and non-clean energy demonstration provinces can significantly alleviate CEI. It is on this basis that the present paper proposes a policy recommendation for the Chinese government to effectively reduce the gap between towns and rural clean energy consumption in the process of digital village construction. Full article

This study contributes to the broader sustainability discourse by evaluating public knowledge, awareness, and practices regarding air pollution among residents of Hanoi, Vietnam, focusing on its causes, health impacts, and mitigation strategies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 521 individuals in suburbs around Hanoi. A multistage sampling technique, combining cluster and simple random sampling, was used for participant recruitment. Three central and three suburban districts of Hanoi were randomly selected as clusters. One individual from each household was invited to participate and answer a structured survey, which assessed perceptions of air pollution, its human-induced causes, recognised health impacts, and individual and community-level mitigation behaviours. Nearly all participants (98.3%) were aware of air pollution, with 65.3% attributing it to human activities and 61.2% recognising specific air pollutants as primary contributors. The majority (93.9%) acknowledged health impacts, citing respiratory infections (55.1%) and sinus issues (51.2%) as prevalent concerns. Vulnerable groups, such as children under 5 (82.3%) and adults over 65 years old (77.4%), were identified as disproportionately affected. Social media (68.9%) and television (58.3%) were the dominant sources of information. Despite a recognition of air pollution’s importance (98.5%), there was limited engagement in systemic sustainability actions, such as supporting renewable energy initiatives. Most participants (84.3%) reported personal mitigation efforts, including energy-saving practices (35.5%) and walking instead of driving a car or bike (35.3%). While awareness of air pollution and its health impacts is high among Hanoi residents, proactive engagement in systemic solutions remains limited. Policymakers should prioritise community-based programs, public–private partnerships, sustainability education, and culturally tailored policy interventions to bridge gaps between awareness and action. Tailored interventions addressing demographic and cultural factors are essential to fostering socio-environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanising contexts. Full article

Integrating recyclates into food packaging is key towards circularity while meeting functionality and safety requirements; however, associated environmental impacts remain underexplored. This gap was addressed through a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, using the Environmental Footprint method, along with substitution and cut-off approaches for handling the multifunctionality of recycling. Recyclates were derived from polyethylene (PE)-rich household food packaging waste, purified via delamination-deinking. Firstly, results show that shifting from virgin multi-material to mono-material multilayer structures with or without recyclates, while maintaining functionality, offers environmental benefits. Secondly, recyclates should sufficiently substitute virgin materials in quantity and quality, decreasing the need for primary plastics and avoiding recyclate incorporation without functionality. Otherwise, thicker laminates are obtained, increasing processability challenges and environmental impacts, e.g., 12% for particulate matter, and 14% for mineral-metal resource use when the recycle content rises from 34 to 50%. Thirdly, a fully closed loop for flexible food packaging is not yet feasible. Key improvements lie in reducing residues generated during recycling, especially in delamination-deinking, lowering energy use in recompounding, and using more efficient transport modes for waste collection. Further research is essential to optimise the innovative technologies studied for flexible food packaging and refine them for broader applications. Full article

Rural areas around the world are increasingly dealing with energy and environmental challenges. These challenges are particularly acute in developing countries, where persistent reliance on traditional energy sources—such as wood fuel—intersects with concerns about forest conservation and energy sustainability. While wood fuel use is often portrayed as unsustainable, it is important to acknowledge that much of it remains ecologically viable and socially embedded. This study explores the role of rural entrepreneurs in shaping low-carbon transitions at the intersection of household energy practices and environmental stewardship. Fieldwork was carried out in four rural Zambian communities in 2016 and complemented by 2024 follow-up reports. It examines the connections between household energy choices, greenhouse gas emissions, and forest resource dynamics. Findings reveal that over 60% of rural households rely on charcoal for cooking, with associated emissions estimated between 80 and 150 kg CO₂ per household per month. Although this is significantly lower than the average per capita carbon footprint in industrialized countries, such emissions are primarily biogenic in nature. While rural communities contribute minimally to global climate change, their practices have significant local environmental consequences. This study draws attention to the structural constraints as well as emerging opportunities within Zambia’s rural energy economy. It positions rural entrepreneurs not merely as policy recipients but as active agents of innovation, environmental monitoring, and participatory resource governance. A model is proposed to support sustainable rural energy transitions by aligning forest management with context-sensitive emissions strategies. Full article

To support the national goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, this study proposes a household carbon emission prediction model based on Gene Expression Programming (GEP) for low-carbon retrofitting of aging residential areas in arid-cold regions. Focusing on 15 typical aging communities in Kundulun District, Baotou City, a 17-dimensional dataset encompassing building characteristics, demographic structure, and energy consumption patterns was collected through field surveys. Key influencing factors (e.g., electricity usage and heating energy consumption) were selected using Pearson correlation analysis and the Random Forest (RF) algorithm. Subsequently, a hybrid prediction model was constructed, with its parameters optimized by minimizing the root mean square error (RMSE) as the fitness function. Experimental results demonstrated that the model achieved an R² value of 0.81, reducing RMSE by 77.1% compared to conventional GEP models and by 60.4% compared to BP neural networks, while significantly improving stability. By combining data dimensionality reduction with adaptive evolutionary algorithms, this model overcomes the limitations of traditional methods in capturing complex nonlinear relationships. It provides a reliable tool for precision-based low-carbon retrofits in aging residential areas of arid-cold regions and offers a methodological advance for research on building carbon emission prediction driven by urban renewal. Full article

Background: While some evidence supports the benefits of food-related tasks, research examining their association with psychosocial health in adolescents remains scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the association between Spanish adolescents’ involvement in food-related household tasks and their psychosocial health. Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the original Eating Healthy and Daily Life Activities (EHDLA) study. The final sample comprised 273 boys (43.0%) and 361 girls (57.0%). Adolescents self-reported their weekly frequency of involvement in two food-related tasks: meal preparation and grocery shopping, with responses ranging from ‘never’ to ‘seven times’. Psychosocial health was assessed using the 25-item self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), comprising five subscales: emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behavior. A total difficulties score was calculated by summing the first four subscales. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate associations between the frequency of food task involvement (categorized into five levels) and SDQ outcomes. All models were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, body mass index, sleep duration, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and energy intake. Results: Concerning to the frequency of helping to prepare food for dinner, an inverse association was observed between food preparation involvement and several psychosocial problems. Adolescents who helped seven times per week reported significantly lower scores in conduct problems (B = −2.00; 95% CI −3.30 to −0.69; p = 0.003), peer problems (B = −2.83; 95% CI −4.29 to −1.38; p < 0.001), internalizing problems (B = −3.90; 95% CI −7.03 to −0.77; p = 0.015), and total psychosocial difficulties (B = −5.74; 95% CI −10.68 to −0.80; p = 0.023), compared to those who never helped. Conversely, those who helped seven times per week had higher prosocial behavior than their counterparts who never helped (B = 1.69; 95% CI: 0.14 to 3.24; p = 0.033). Regarding the frequency of helping to shop for food, similar patterns were found, with lower conduct problems (B = −2.11; 95% CI −3.42 to −0.81; p = 0.002), peer problems (B = −2.88; 95% CI −4.34 to −1.42; p < 0.001), internalizing problems (B = −4.16; 95% CI −7.28 to −1.04; p = 0.009), and total psychosocial difficulties (B = −6.31; 95% CI −11.24 to −1.39; p = 0.012) associated with more frequent involvement, especially among those who helped five or more times per week. Conversely, adolescents who helped seven times per week had higher prosocial behavior than their peers who never helped (B = 1.56; 95% CI: 0.01 to 3.11; p = 0.049). Conclusions: Although adolescent psychosocial health is influenced by multiple factors, our findings suggest that regular involvement in food-related household tasks may serve as a protective factor against conduct problems, peer problems, internalizing problems, and total difficulties, while also enhancing prosocial behavior. However, given the cross-sectional design, conclusions regarding causality should be made cautiously, and further longitudinal research is needed to confirm these associations and assess their long-term impact. These results highlight the relevance of daily structured routines, such as meal preparation and grocery shopping, as potential support for mental well-being during adolescence. Full article

Promoting clean energy transition in rural areas is a key path to achieving global sustainable development, protecting public health, and promoting ecological livability. Based on data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this paper employs a multi-dimensional fixed effects model to evaluate the impact of income inequality on rural households’ clean energy transition (CET) and examines its underlying mechanisms. Research findings indicate that income inequality significantly suppresses rural households’ CET, primarily by reducing basic energy consumption and hindering the upgrading of basic energy consumption structures. Government governance quality exerts a significant negative moderating effect on the relationship between income inequality and rural households’ CET. Further analysis shows that the inhibitory effect of income inequality on CET is more significant in the regions with a low economic development level and low coal resource endowment, and in the western and northeastern regions of China. Therefore, while continuously promoting rural income growth, the government should prioritize equitable distribution, strengthen institutional capacity-building, improve the social service and security system, and facilitate rural households’ CET. Full article

Energy poverty, resulting from poor energy efficiency and economic and social barriers to accessing appropriate, modern, and sustainable energy services, remains a critical issue in Jordan, a country facing growing climate pressures, particularly given its history of rapid urbanization. This study examines energy poverty through a multidimensional lens, considering its spatial and socio-demographic variations across Jordan. Drawing on data from 19,475 households, we apply a novel energy poverty index and binary logistic regression to analyze key determinants of energy poverty and discuss their intersection with climate vulnerability. The energy poverty index (EPI) is structured around four pillars: housing, fuel, cooling, and wealth. The results show that 51% of households in Jordan are affected by energy poverty. Contributing factors include geographic location, gender, age, education level, dwelling type, ownership of cooling appliances, and financial stability. The results indicate that energy poverty is both a socio-economic and infrastructural issue, with the highest concentrations in the northern and southern regions of the country, areas also vulnerable to climate risks such as drought and extreme heat. Our findings emphasize the need for integrated policy approaches that simultaneously address income inequality, infrastructure deficits, and environmental stressors. Targeted strategies are needed to align social and climate policies for effective energy poverty mitigation and climate resilience planning in Jordan. Full article

To address the issues of poor thermal performance and high energy consumption in rural dwellings in cold regions of China, this study investigates multi-type energy-efficient retrofitting strategies for rural houses in the Hebei–Tianjin region. By utilizing a two-step cluster analysis method, 458 rural dwellings from 32 villages were classified based on household demographics, architectural features, and energy consumption patterns, identifying three typical categories: pre-1980s adobe dwellings, 1980s–1990s brick–wood structures, and post-1990s brick–concrete houses. Tailored sunspace design strategies were proposed through simulation: low-cost plastic film sunspaces for adobe dwellings (dynamic payback period: 2.8 years; net present value: CNY 2343), 10 mm hollow polycarbonate (PC) panels for brick–wood structures (cost–benefit ratio: 1.72), and high-efficiency broken bridge aluminum Low-e sunspaces for brick–concrete houses (annual natural gas savings: 345.24 m³). Economic analysis confirmed the feasibility of the selected strategies, with positive net present values and cost–benefit ratios exceeding 1. The findings demonstrate that classification-based retrofitting strategies effectively balance energy-saving benefits with economic costs, providing a scientific hierarchical implementation framework for rural residential energy efficiency improvements in cold regions. Full article

Micro-enterprises are vital to the European economy, including in Croatia, where they make over 88% of the total number of businesses. Despite their significance, they face substantial energy vulnerability due to factors like small size, limited financial resources, and high energy costs. This paper investigates the determinants of energy vulnerability among Croatian micro-enterprises, employing a survey of 470 micro-enterprises. The study covers firms across all Croatian NUTS2 regions and ensures geographic and sectoral representativeness. Key findings reveal that enterprises with higher energy expenditures relative to revenue are most susceptible to energy vulnerability, which is aligned with our assumption. On the other hand, businesses that own their premises, have more employees, and have been operational longer are more likely to invest in energy efficiency measures, thereby reducing vulnerability. Notably, a significant proportion of micro-enterprises report that energy costs adversely affect their household finances, highlighting the nature of business and personal economic stability. The paper underscores the need for targeted policies and support mechanisms to enhance the energy-related resilience of micro-enterprises, considering their unique structural and financial constraints. Full article

Low-income households face severe energy affordability issues due to poor housing quality. To fight this problem, Spanish public administrations and NGOs have collaborated with the Naturgy Foundation’s Energy Rehabilitation Solidarity Fund to improve the energy efficiency of vulnerable households through quick and low-cost interventions. This paper evaluates the impact of shallow renovation and micro-efficiency measures implemented within this program on energy poverty across various Spanish provinces. The analysis includes data from 416 households in 10 provinces, examining sociodemographic factors, housing conditions, energy bills, and thermal comfort perceptions. The methodology involved collecting data through two questionnaires and energy bills provided by collaborating entities. The study found that shallow renovation measures reduced the energy poverty gap by 14.51%, from EUR 554/year to EUR 483/year. Despite these gains, many households remain in severe hidden energy poverty, spending less than a quarter of their theoretical energy expenditure. The findings highlight the diversity among different provinces and measures and the need for more extensive structural measures to reduce energy poverty significantly. Eventually, the study underscores the effectiveness of energy renovations carried out by non-profit organizations. Thus, scaling these efforts nationally might help meet the goals of the public energy poverty plans. Full article

Energy poverty is a significant barrier to sustainable development, limiting access to modern energy solutions and exacerbating socioeconomic inequalities in South Africa. This research identifies key socioeconomic factors contributing to energy poverty among off-grid households using the household-specific energy poverty line. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a well-structured questionnaire among 53 households. The findings reveal significant gender disparities, with female-headed households being more vulnerable to energy poverty, which continues to subject them to economic hardship and social marginalization. Additionally, while larger households generally face higher energy demands, they were found to be less likely to experience energy poverty. The findings also challenge the ‘energy ladder hypothesis’ by showing that education, while potentially enabling better energy awareness, does not guarantee improved energy access in off-grid areas due to infrastructural limitations. Social grant dependency was found to be strongly correlated with energy poverty, underscoring the inadequacy of income transfers in addressing the systemic barriers to energy access. The findings emphasize the need for multidimensional, gender-responsive policy interventions that address both infrastructural and socioeconomic barriers to energy access, particularly in rural South Africa. These insights are crucial for developing targeted interventions to alleviate energy poverty and foster sustainable development in off-grid communities. Full article

Improving residential energy efficiency is essential for optimizing energy consumption. This article analyzes the electricity and natural gas consumption of a benchmark multi-family housing model in Algiers, based on data from 295 residential units collected over three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024). A comprehensive approach combining data visualization, statistical analysis, a clustering approach, a tariff structure assessment, and an energy performance index is applied to assess residential energy-consumption trends. The findings reveal opposing trends between electricity and natural gas consumption. The electricity demand increased steadily (+15% from 2022 to 2024), particularly in the third trimester (summer), where 40% of the housing unit consumption exceeded 1000 kWh per trimester, indicating a growing reliance on air conditioning. In contrast, natural gas consumption declined significantly, with winter usage dropping by more than 20%, suggesting improved heating efficiency, better thermal insulation, and/or milder weather conditions. The clustering analysis also highlights a shift toward more homogenous consumption profiles, with fewer outliers and a narrower interquartile range, indicating greater energy efficiency across households. The results underscore the need for adaptive energy pricing policies and targeted household awareness programs. They further suggest that incentive-based measures, particularly during peak summer periods, could mitigate demand spikes and enhance energy system resilience. The energy benchmarking approach developed in this study can support decision-makers in adjusting tariff structures according to household energy profiles to improve overall energy efficiency. Full article