HERON – Decision Support Tool

 

Winter 2017


HERON – DST, developed by KEPA in cooperation with App-Art, is a user-friendly software, based on an innovative methodology, minimizing the negative impact of endusers’ behavior in Energy Efficiency (EE) policy-making and leading to the optimum combination of EE technologies and practices.

PROBLEM
Overcome deviations in EE targets, created by behavioral barriers demonstrated by end users.

CONCEPT
Quantify qualitative data concerning end-user’s behavior in forms capable to be incorporated into EE modeling input drivers.

METHODOLOGY AND SOFTWARE
The developed innovative methodology, based on Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), led to the HERON – DST (Mavrakis D., Konidari P., 2017)1 which: i) allows the calculation of the negative impact of barriers (Impact factor), ii) incorporates these Impact factors in forward looking EE scenarios, iii) calculates the occurring deviation against targets due to these barriers and iv) provides combinations of technologies and practices, allowing the optimization of scenario's inputs.

Barriers are mapped, merged and grouped into three main categories: i) Social-Cultural-Educational, ii) Economic and iii) Institutional. Afterwards, barriers are compared pair-wised and the importance of one barrier over the other is assessed using a 1-9 scale. After the completion of all comparisons, the Impact factor for each one of the identified barriers is calculated.

The Impact factor is a numerical outcome, expressing the contribution of the concerned barrier in preventing the achievement of EE targets. The total impact of the assumed barriers on a certain input is expressed by the Total Impact Factor which is also calculated. Consequently, EE technologies and practices are linked with the relevant barriers through their Total Impact factors that are provided by HERON – DST. Occurring deviations are calculated. Options for reducing deviations through the optimum combination of EE technologies and practices and the minimization of the impact factors leads to optimized outcomes. Outcomes are available to be used as inputs to EE modelling.

The methodology has six steps:

  • Step 1: Mapping, categorization and merging of behavioral barriers;
  • Step 2: Development of the AHP tree and matrices;
  • Step 3: Calculation of weight coefficients;
  • Step 4: Definition and calculation of Impact Factors of barriers;
  • Step 5: Linkage of Impact factors with input drivers;
  • Step 5: Incorporation of the Total Impact factors in the forward-looking EE modelling.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

  • Working fields: Buildings and transport sectors (Two sets of barriers);
  • Options to: i) add or modify barriers and technologies; ii) add countries; iii) add sectors.
  • Incorporation of end-user’s behavioral barriers as inputs for EE modelling;
  • Calculation and optimization of occurring deviations;
  • Outcomes provided in Excel file.

 


Consortium members:
NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS – Energy Policy and Development Centre (KEPA), Hellas UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE 'LUIGI BOCCONI' – Istituto di Economia e Politica dell’Energia e dell’Ambiente (IEFE), Italy SDRUZHENIE CHERNOMORSKI IZSLEDOVATELSKI ENERGIEN TSENTAR - Black Sea Energy Research Centre (BSREC), Bulgaria OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY - Low Carbon Building Group (LCB), United Kingdom WUPPERTAL INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY - Energy, Transport and Climate Policy group (WI), Germany UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE - Faculty of Mining and Geology (UB-FMG), Serbia ESTONIAN INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - STOCKHOLM ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE TALLINN CENTRE (SEI-T), Estonia


1. Mavrakis Dimitrios, Konidari Popi, 2017. A methodology to insert end-users behavior in energy efficiency scenario modelling. Euro-Asian Journal of Sustainable Energy Development Policy, Volume 5, Number 2, pp. 59-83.
At: http://www.promitheasnet.kepa.uoa.gr/images/journal_articles/Volume_5.2/July_December_2017_september_ONLINE_MAVRAKIS.pdf


Material:
Manual: https://heron2017.wordpress.com/manual/
Case studies: https://heron2017.wordpress.com/implementation/
Free disposal of HERON DST– ask here: https://heron2017.wordpress.com/heron-dst/