The Routledge Handbook of Consumer Protection and Behaviour in Energy Markets provides a comprehensive study of consumer protection and consumer behaviour in selected jurisdictions worldwide. Each chapter is written by experts and provides a contemporary overview of national consumer protection and policy developments in the energy sector. Today energy has become an essential factor in ensuring the socio-economic development of any country and improving the quality of life of society and is now an essential element of life for everyone. The energy market has become a competitive market, based on the assumption that generation and sale of energy is not a natural monopoly and that market mechanisms, in particular competition between energy companies, are the best way to reduce prices and improve customer service. The purchase of energy is inextricably linked with its distribution from the producer to the purchaser. The book shows that well-functioning energy markets need informed and well protected consumers, who can benefit from competition and transparent offers. They are free to choose the most competitive providers, and know their rights, with access to effective means of redress. Given that the energy market has a specific, technical nature, the book analyses the energy market within the scope of free market principles, with a focus on the protection of the weaker party to the contract: the consumer. In addition, consumers can also play an active part of the clean energy transition.

This book promotes the benefits of the development and application of energy information and control systems. This wave of information technology (IT) and web-based energy information and control systems (web based EIS/ECS) continues to roll on with increasing speed and intensity. This handbook presents recent technological advancements in the field, as well as a compilation of the best information from three previous books in this area. The combined thrust of this information is that the highest level functions of the building and facility automation system are delivered by a web based EIS/ECS system that provides energy management, facility management, overall facility operational management and ties in with the enterprise resource management system for the entire facility or the group of facilities being managed.

Während die Effizienz- und Nachhaltigkeitsoffensive in den meisten Wirtschaftsbereichen in vollem Gang ist, steht das Bauen damit noch ganz am Anfang – ökonomisch wie ökologisch. Die Politik auf globaler, europäischer und nationaler Ebene nimmt sich dieses Defizits inzwischen zunehmend an und versucht es durch rechtliche Anforderungen und Gesetze wie EnEV, Gebäudezertifizierungen und Wettbewerbe wettzumachen. Der Energie Atlas gibt in der bewährten Form der Atlanten eine umfassende Darstellung der konstruktiven Parameter von Energieeffizienz und Nachhaltigkeit wieder. Er nimmt die von der EU geplanten gesetzlichen Regulierungen vorweg und weist als unmittelbar verwendbare Arbeitshilfe für die tägliche Arbeit von Architekten, Ingenieuren und Designern den Weg zu effizientem und nachhaltigem Bauen und Betreiben von Gebäuden. Mit seiner Orientierung am gesamten Lebenszyklus eines Gebäudes leistet er eine ganzheitliche Betrachtung – eine unverzichtbare Voraussetzung für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften.

This book is dedicated to the front line manager of America's economic life blood: energy. It is designed to help owners and managers first assess their organization's energy conditions, and then determine the best outsourcing strategies for needed services. The author shares experiences drawn from over 25 years in the energy business and work in over 30 countries, and provides succinct case studies to expand on important points raised and to provide insight into their application. The final section takes into account recent events which have highlighted the unpredictable situation surrounding our energy supplies, as well as how to make the most of it.

This handbook analyzes and develops methods and models to optimize solutions for energy access (for industry and the general world population alike) in terms of reliability and sustainability. With a focus on improving the performance of energy systems, it brings together state-of-the-art research on reliability enhancement, intelligent development, simulation and optimization, as well as sustainable development of energy systems. It helps energy stakeholders and professionals learn the methodologies needed to improve the reliability of energy supply-and-demand systems, achieve more efficient long-term operations, deal with uncertainties in energy systems, and reduce energy emissions. Highlighting novel models and their applications from leading experts in this important area, this book will appeal to researchers, students, and engineers in the various domains of smart energy systems and encourage them to pursue research and development in this exciting and highly relevant field.

Comprehensive, cross-disciplinary coverage of Smart Grid issues from global expert researchers and practitioners. This definitive reference meets the need for a large scale, high quality work reference in Smart Grid engineering which is pivotal in the development of a low-carbon energy infrastructure. Including a total of 83 articles across 3 volumes The Smart Grid Handbook is organized in to 6 sections: Vision and Drivers, Transmission, Distribution, Smart Meters and Customers, Information and Communications Technology, and Socio-Economic Issues. Key features: Written by a team representing smart grid R&D, technology deployment, standards, industry practice, and socio-economic aspects. Vision and Drivers covers the vision, definitions, evolution, and global development of the smart grid as well as new technologies and standards. The Transmission section discusses industry practice, operational experience, standards, cyber security, and grid codes. The Distribution section introduces distribution systems and the system configurations in different countries and different load areas served by the grid. The Smart Meters and Customers section assesses how smart meters enable the customers to interact with the power grid. Socio-economic issues and information and communications technology requirements are covered in dedicated articles.The Smart Grid Handbook will meet the need for a high quality reference work to support advanced study and research in the field of electrical power generation, transmission and distribution. It will be an essential reference for regulators and government officials, testing laboratories and certification organizations, and engineers and researchers in Smart Grid-related industries.