Effects of Building Energy Efficiency Measures on Air Quality at the Neighborhood Level in Athens, Greece

Natasha Frilingou and Demetri Bouris
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Natasha Frilingou: Laboratory for Innovative Environmental Technologies, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens, Greece
Demetri Bouris: Laboratory for Innovative Environmental Technologies, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens, Greece

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-23

Abstract: The high concentration of pollutant sources, complex topography, and regional meteorology are all factors that may contribute to air episodes in dense urban areas. Energy use in buildings is a significant source of pollution in the Greater Athens Area (GAA), Greece, where over 90% of the existing building stock has been classified below energy class B. The present study focuses on the potential effects that a realistic level of building energy efficiency upgrades will have on the air quality over the GAA. Results are expected to be relevant to similar urban areas. Furthermore, the study of primary pollutants’ dispersion is applied at a 1.2 × 1.2 km spatial resolution, providing significant local (neighborhood) level information. Numerical simulations were performed using EPA’s CALPUFF modeling system with wind field input from an independent numerical weather prediction using NCAR’s Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. In order to calculate emission rates from major roads, highways, shipping ports, residential heating installations, and major industrial facilities, data were taken from National and European statistics, demographics, and local topography. After validation, the modeling system was used to examine three building energy efficiency upgrade scenarios, implemented on 20% of the buildings. Ground level concentrations of SO 2 , NO x , CO, and PM10 were calculated and reductions of up to 9% were found for GAA maximum values but up to 18% for local values that were also close to or above the European safety thresholds.

Keywords: urban air quality; building energy efficiency; mesoscale pollutant dispersion simulation; numerical weather prediction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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