Michalis Menicou

An economic analysis of Cyprus’ residential buildings’ energy retrofits potential

Cyprus’ building stock energy saving potential is considerably high due to the absence of legislation and regulations governing the energy performance of buildings, prior to the countrys accession to the European Union. In this study, a methodology is proposed and applied to a typical residential building to assess the financial attractiveness of alternative retrofit scenarios. An advanced simulation software tool is utilised to measure the energy performance of a typical residential building in terms of envelope characteristics, construction materials and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system. The thermal model is used to assess the impact of alternative retrofitting scenarios. Then, an economic model is developed to evaluate the financial impact over the investment horizon. Finally, a risk analysis is conducted to investigate the stochastic behaviour of key input variables.

A Profit Optimisation Decision Support Tool for the Offshore Aquaculture Industry

Abstract It has long been accepted that fish and seafood contribute positively to human health and consumer well-being. However, supply of seafood from wild catches steadily decreases and aquaculture gradually fills the gap of an ever increasing seafood market. In fact, aquaculture has been recognized as one of the fastest growing industries worldwide raising concern regarding fishmeal stock sustainability. This paper presents a profit optimization decision support tool for the Eastern Mediterranean offshore aquaculture industry, enabling just-in-time production of fish stock with minimum slack of mature fish stock in breeding cages. In detail, (a) a simulation model of involved cost elements is introduced, enabling (b) model development. Finally, a case study application of the model is presented.

Adhesive Bonding of Attachments in Automotive Final Assembly

In modern societies there is an increasing concern regarding the environmental impact of automotives is driving automotive manufacturers to develop lighter and, thus, less fuel consuming vehicles. Customers’ protection during crash is a major demand which motivates automotive manufacturers to improve production processes which can satisfy the highly demanding market. Simultaneously, the introduction of new manufacturing techniques is strongly correlated with additional costs, which should be analyzed and quantified, in order to prove the sustainability of such processes for automotive production. This chapter considers adhesive bonding for joining attachments (i.e. roof components) on painted automotive shell surfaces as a potential technique in volume production. In order to introduce such type of adhesive joining process in current production lines, different process chain scenarios are proposed depending on the paint type in order to achieve the required strength of connection, especially during crash loads. Production costs are gathered and a proposed cost analysis is presented for evaluating the suggested scenarios aiming to identify cost intensive procedures.

Quality evaluation of residential houses: the development of a real-time quality assessment tool

The construction industry has been heavily affected by the economic crisis. Product differentiation and cost reduction through improved qualities could be the way out. However, applying quality control to the construction industry is a challenging task since construction projects are highly customised, constituting the application of statistical process control principles extremely difficult. This paper presents the constituting elements of a real-time quality assessment tool for the residential housing sector. It has been designed to be used primarily for internal company purposes. In particular, utilising the tool for assessing, in real-time, the quality of the projects currently in-progress and comparing the quality of completed projects and consequently drawing conclusions about the company’s quality progress. The tool’s structure comprises of 1a model of the construction process 2a checklist 3a quality scoring algorithm 4an application methodology 5an accompanied software tool. The forthcoming challe...

A Real-Time Quality Assurance Tool for the Cyprus Construction Industry

Abstract Current economic crisis severely affected construction industry across the Globe. Major construction companies seek product differentiation through improved quality. However, Quality Assurance applied to the construction industry proves to be a challenging task since construction projects are highly customised constituting application of Statistical Process Control principles extremely difficult. Within this context, this paper presents the ongoing activities relating to the development of a real-time quality assurance tool for the Cyprus construction industry. The framework of this tool comprises of (a) a model of the construction process, (b) a list of construction processes, (c) a checklist and (d) an application methodology. Further work to the tool completion is also described.

Aquaculture Feed Management System Powered by Renewable Energy Sources: Investment Justification

Fish feed accounts for more than 50% of aquaculture farms’ operating costs and thus careful feeding planning is vital. In the case of the Mediterranean, most farms have their installations in coastal waters, hence this is relatively easy to perform. Low magnitude environmental conditions (winds, waves and currents) as well as easy and quick access ensures high consumption rates and smooth operation. Nevertheless, as competition for these waters increases the option of moving to offshore waters is seen as a solution. Moving further away from shore means exposing installations to harsher environments and lower degree of onshore monitoring. As a result, environmental conditions must now be monitored on-site, especially the ones affecting operations and feeding planning. For this reason, this article presents a feed management system powered by a stand-alone renewable energy sources system. The system provides energy independence and mobility by wirelessly transmitting important parameters onshore. An investment appraisal cost model is also described. The model compares the system’s costs over the fish feed cost saved by a priori feeding planning through better monitoring of on-site conditions. It concludes that such synergies have profitable potentials.