Zenaida Mourão

Abstract
Energy poverty vulnerability constitutes a significant concern in Portugal, with 17.5% of the population being unable to keep their home adequately warm. Furthermore, there is evidence that a substantial number of children live in unhealthy homes. This study aims to comprehensively characterise a sample of 101 Portuguese families with children and their homes in order to identify opportunities for actions for promoting long-lasting energy efficiency and environment health-promoting behavioural changes. To accomplish this aim, two tools-a building survey checklist and a questionnaire to participants-were developed and implemented to collect harmonised data on building-specific characteristics and on participants' socioeconomic status and behaviour. The home visits for recruitment and data collection were conducted from July 2021 to April 2022. The results suggest that, for the population under study, the main opportunities for improvement include: (i) replacing low energy-efficient technologies, with high emission rates, namely those used for heating purposes, with cleaner and more efficient alternatives; (ii) providing citizens with detailed information about their home's energy use and indoor air quality and (iii) educating the population on the best-practices for reducing indoor air stuffiness, mitigating the risk of hazardous exposures, improving thermal comfort and saving energy.

Abstract
Current developments in heat pumps, supported by innovative business models, are driving several industry sectors to take a proactive role in future district heating and cooling networks in cities. For instance, supermarkets and data centers have been assessing the reuse of waste heat as an extra source for the district heating network, which would offset the additional investment in heat pumps. This innovative business model requires complete deregulation of the district heating market to allow industrial heat producers to provide waste heat as an additional source in the district heating network. This work proposes the application of innovative market designs for district heating networks, inspired by new practices seen in the electricity sector. More precisely, pool and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) market designs are addressed, comparing centralized and decentralized market proposals. An illustrative case of a Nordic district heating network is used to assess the performance of each market design, as well as the potential revenue that different heat producers can obtain by participating in the market. An important conclusion of this work is that the proposed market designs are in line with the new trends, encouraging the inclusion of new excess heat recovery players in district heating networks. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Abstract

Abstract
An increased risk of developing stress, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases, rhinitis, skin and eye irri-tations and headaches has been particularly reported among office workers. Some of these complaints have been linked to the existence of poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in the workplaces. In this context, inter-vention studies can offer new insights to tackle poor IEQ issues and to identify effective measures to reduce IEQ-related risks. This review summarizes the main characteristics of environmental intervention studies that have been performed in office settings and the respective findings on the beneficial effects on the promotion of health, well-being, comfort, and productivity among office workers. The study design followed PRISMA guidelines and the search for peer-review articles was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. Firstly, 513 records were identified, resulting in 23 articles included in the review after the application of the study eligibility criteria and identification of additional important works within the subject. The revised experimental studies were mainly focused on changes in ventilation systems via replacement of air filters and modifications in the rate of outdoor air supplied or temperature set-points. Some studies also included in-terventions based on the implementation of air cleaning and biophilic strategies. Both objective (e.g., physio-logical examinations) and subjective (e.g., questionnaires) measures have been used to assess the effects on office workers' outcomes. Overall, the findings presented here confirm that interventions aiming at improving IEQ in offices can be effective in improving health, well-being and productivity among office workers.

Abstract
Many working activities are carried out in office buildings that are located in urban areas. Several studies have shown that these workplaces are likely to present poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) due to inadequate ventilation rates, compromised thermal comfort conditions, and/or high concentration of air pollutants, such as particulate matter. This study aimed to review ventilation conditions, based on carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, and indoor airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) levels assessed in offices worldwide. The approach carried out in this work followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Six databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Inspec, Science Direct, and Dimensions) were used to search for peer-reviewed articles on the subject of IEQ, in particular, those reporting data for the levels of CO2 and particulate matter in offices, published during the last decade. Firstly, 394 records were identified, resulting in 23 articles included in the review after the screening process and the implementation of eligibility criteria. Based on the results and considering the mean concentration reported, office environments present, in general, acceptable ventilation conditions (mean: 665 ppm). However, the few cases of studies that reported CO2 values exceeding 1000 ppm identified situations of high occupancy density and inadequate operation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as the unequivocal causative factors. In turn, PM2.5 and PM10 seemed to be IEQ parameters that are even more critical to be tackled in offices, with the reported overall mean values (36 and 63 mu g/m(3)) exceeding the current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (15 and 45 mu g/m(3)). The highest aerosol concentrations were typically found in naturally ventilated buildings and were mostly associated with the influence of high levels of particles introduced indoors through the outdoor air. Overall, measures for improving IEQ in offices toward promoting healthy and safe environments for workers include strategies to periodically control IEQ, ensure the adequate percentage of fresh air and maintenance of the mechanical ventilation systems (operation, maintenance, and air filtration efficiency), and adjust occupancy to the room dimensions and ventilation conditions.