IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v290y2024ics0360544223034187.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimizing insulation and heating systems for social housing in Chile: Insights for sustainable energy policies

Author

Listed:
  • Larrea-Sáez, Lorena
  • Muñoz, Enrique
  • Cuevas, Cristian
  • Casas-Ledón, Yannay

Abstract

Due to the climatic conditions in central-southern Chile, there are high heating energy consumption and PM2.5 emissions. Among the alternatives to mitigate it, the Chilean government has implemented subsidies to improve the housings envelope and to replace firewood stoves by pellet stoves and air-to-air heat pumps. Accordingly, for evaluating the effectivity of above-mentioned initiatives, this study proposes to identify the optimal solutions that minimize the energy demand, the environmental impacts, and the global costs, for social housing using different insulation materials and heating systems in four Chilean cities located in central-southern Chile. Results reveal pellet stoves with lower environmental impacts but higher global costs, while heat pumps offer an intermediate solution that can be enhanced with a greener electricity grid, but the global costs are still too high. Firewood stoves could be optimal solution depending on optimization weighting factors. The study emphasizes prioritizing housing envelope improvements in energy policies, followed by heating system enhancements. Although replacing firewood poses challenges due to costs, it is crucial for Chile's 2050 decarbonization goal. This research provides valuable insights into the complexities and potential solutions for transitioning away from firewood in Chilean social housing.

Suggested Citation

  • Larrea-Sáez, Lorena & Muñoz, Enrique & Cuevas, Cristian & Casas-Ledón, Yannay, 2024. "Optimizing insulation and heating systems for social housing in Chile: Insights for sustainable energy policies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:290:y:2024:i:c:s0360544223034187
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.130024
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544223034187
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2023.130024?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hachem-Vermette, Caroline & Grewal, Kuljeet Singh, 2019. "Investigation of the impact of residential mixture on energy and environmental performance of mixed use neighborhoods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 362-379.
    2. Villalobos, Carlos & Chávez, Carlos & Uribe, Adolfo, 2021. "Energy poverty measures and the identification of the energy poor: A comparison between the utilitarian and capability-based approaches in Chile," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    3. Verástegui, Felipe & Lorca, Álvaro & Negrete-Pincetic, Matias & Olivares, Daniel, 2020. "Firewood heat electrification impacts in the Chilean power system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    4. Schueftan, Alejandra & González, Alejandro D., 2013. "Reduction of firewood consumption by households in south-central Chile associated with energy efficiency programs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 823-832.
    5. Schwartz, Yair & Raslan, Rokia & Mumovic, Dejan, 2016. "Implementing multi objective genetic algorithm for life cycle carbon footprint and life cycle cost minimisation: A building refurbishment case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 58-68.
    6. Navarro-Espinosa, Alejandro & Thomas-Galán, Mauricio, 2023. "Firewood electrification in Chile: effects on household expenditure and energy poverty," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    7. Bilardo, Matteo & Ferrara, Maria & Fabrizio, Enrico, 2020. "Performance assessment and optimization of a solar cooling system to satisfy renewable energy ratio (RER) requirements in multi-family buildings," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 990-1008.
    8. Helena Monteiro & Fausto Freire & John E. Fernández, 2020. "Life-Cycle Assessment of Alternative Envelope Construction for a New House in South-Western Europe: Embodied and Operational Magnitude," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Ascione, Fabrizio & Bianco, Nicola & Maria Mauro, Gerardo & Napolitano, Davide Ferdinando, 2019. "Building envelope design: Multi-objective optimization to minimize energy consumption, global cost and thermal discomfort. Application to different Italian climatic zones," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 359-374.
    10. Muñoz, Francisco D. & Suazo-Martínez, Carlos & Pereira, Eduardo & Moreno, Rodrigo, 2021. "Electricity market design for low-carbon and flexible systems: Room for improvement in Chile," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PB).
    11. Reyes, René & Schueftan, Alejandra & Ruiz, Cecilia & González, Alejandro D., 2019. "Controlling air pollution in a context of high energy poverty levels in southern Chile: Clean air but colder houses?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 301-311.
    12. Mardones, Cristian, 2021. "Ex-post evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of a heater replacement program implemented in southern Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    13. Torres-Rivas, Alba & Palumbo, Mariana & Haddad, Assed & Cabeza, Luisa F. & Jiménez, Laureano & Boer, Dieter, 2018. "Multi-objective optimisation of bio-based thermal insulation materials in building envelopes considering condensation risk," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 602-614.
    14. Dietz, Annelore & Vera, Sergio & Bustamante, Waldo & Flamant, Gilles, 2020. "Multi-objective optimization to balance thermal comfort and energy use in a mining camp located in the Andes Mountains at high altitude," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    15. Rubio-Bellido, Carlos & Pérez-Fargallo, Alexis & Pulido-Arcas, Jesús A., 2016. "Optimization of annual energy demand in office buildings under the influence of climate change in Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 569-585.
    16. Ascione, Fabrizio & Bianco, Nicola & Mauro, Gerardo Maria & Napolitano, Davide Ferdinando, 2019. "Retrofit of villas on Mediterranean coastlines: Pareto optimization with a view to energy-efficiency and cost-effectiveness," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mardones, Cristian, 2021. "Ex-post evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of a heater replacement program implemented in southern Chile," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    2. Calvo, Rubén & Álamos, Nicolás & Huneeus, Nicolás & O'Ryan, Raúl, 2022. "Energy poverty effects on policy-based PM2.5 emissions mitigation in southern and central Chile," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. Ciardiello, Adriana & Rosso, Federica & Dell'Olmo, Jacopo & Ciancio, Virgilio & Ferrero, Marco & Salata, Ferdinando, 2020. "Multi-objective approach to the optimization of shape and envelope in building energy design," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    4. Valeria Annibaldi & Federica Cucchiella & Marianna Rotilio, 2020. "A Sustainable Solution for Energy Efficiency in Italian Climatic Contexts," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Salata, Ferdinando & Ciancio, Virgilio & Dell'Olmo, Jacopo & Golasi, Iacopo & Palusci, Olga & Coppi, Massimo, 2020. "Effects of local conditions on the multi-variable and multi-objective energy optimization of residential buildings using genetic algorithms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    6. Jorquera-Copier, Javier & Lorca, Álvaro & Sauma, Enzo & Lorenczik, Stefan & Negrete-Pincetic, Matías, 2024. "Impacts of different hydrogen demand levels and climate policy scenarios on the Chilean integrated hydrogen–electricity network," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    7. Carrasco-Garcés, Moisés & Vásquez-Lavín, Felipe & Ponce Oliva, Roberto D. & Diaz Pincheira, Francisco & Barrientos, Manuel, 2021. "Estimating the implicit discount rate for new technology adoption of wood-burning stoves," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. Vásquez Lavin, Felipe & Barrientos, Manuel & Castillo, Álvaro & Herrera, Iván & Ponce Oliva, Roberto D., 2020. "Firewood certification programs: Key attributes and policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    9. Bienvenido-Huertas, David & Sánchez-García, Daniel & Rubio-Bellido, Carlos, 2020. "Comparison of energy conservation measures considering adaptive thermal comfort and climate change in existing Mediterranean dwellings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    10. Xabat Oregi & Rufino Javier Hernández & Patxi Hernandez, 2020. "Environmental and Economic Prioritization of Building Energy Refurbishment Strategies with Life-Cycle Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Pedro Macedo & Mara Madaleno & Victor Moutinho, 2022. "A New Composite Indicator for Assessing Energy Poverty Using Normalized Entropy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 1139-1163, October.
    12. Schueftan, Alejandra & Aravena, Claudia & Reyes, René, 2021. "Financing energy efficiency retrofits in Chilean households: The role of financial instruments, savings and uncertainty in energy transition," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Galimshina, Alina & Moustapha, Maliki & Hollberg, Alexander & Padey, Pierryves & Lasvaux, Sébastien & Sudret, Bruno & Habert, Guillaume, 2022. "Bio-based materials as a robust solution for building renovation: A case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    14. Yiming Xiao & Han Wu & Guohua Wang & Shangrui Wang, 2021. "The Relationship between Energy Poverty and Individual Development: Exploring the Serial Mediating Effects of Learning Behavior and Health Condition," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-14, August.
    15. Martinez-Soto, Aner & Avendaño Vera, Constanza C. & Boso, Alex & Hofflinger, Alvaro & Shupler, Matthew, 2021. "Energy poverty influences urban outdoor air pollution levels during COVID-19 lockdown in south-central Chile," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    16. Benedek Kiss & Jose Dinis Silvestre & Rita Andrade Santos & Zsuzsa Szalay, 2021. "Environmental and Economic Optimisation of Buildings in Portugal and Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-19, December.
    17. Keppler, Jan Horst & Quemin, Simon & Saguan, Marcelo, 2022. "Why the sustainable provision of low-carbon electricity needs hybrid markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    18. Saurbayeva, Assemgul & Memon, Shazim Ali & Kim, Jong, 2023. "Integrated multi-stage sensitivity analysis and multi-objective optimization approach for PCM integrated residential buildings in different climate zones," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).
    19. Verástegui, Felipe & Lorca, Álvaro & Negrete-Pincetic, Matias & Olivares, Daniel, 2020. "Firewood heat electrification impacts in the Chilean power system," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    20. Xia, Wanjun & Murshed, Muntasir & Khan, Zeeshan & Chen, Zhenling & Ferraz, Diogo, 2022. "Exploring the nexus between fiscal decentralization and energy poverty for China: Does country risk matter for energy poverty reduction?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:290:y:2024:i:c:s0360544223034187. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.