Quantifying the total energy and emissions impact of telework
Event details
| Date | 11.10.2024 |
| Hour | 12:15 › 13:15 |
| Speaker | Prof. Liam O’Brien, Carleton University |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract
Teleworking has been widely perceived as a more sustainable mode of working for knowledge workers compared to the status quo of commuting to centralized offices because of its reduced dependency on transportation and centralized office space. However, the situation is far more complex than would appear on the surface, when the scope is expanded to include home office energy use, the Internet, long-term consumer choices, and other so-called rebound effects. Few studies have quantified home, office, transportation, and communications energy or GHG emissions implications of teleworking simultaneously.
This talk will present the results of five years of research trying to address the question: does telework save energy? The methods are broad, spanning surveys, modelling and simulation, and measurement. Based on the results, Prof. O’Brien and his team are currently advisors to the federal government on teleworking policy and the sustainability implications.
Short bio
Liam O’Brien is a professor for Carleton University’s Building Engineering program and the principal investigator of the Human Building Interaction Lab. The HBI Lab includes a team of over 15 researchers with diverse backgrounds in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, architecture, and design, who focus on design and control of energy-efficient buildings, with a specialization in occupant behaviour.
Prof. O’Brien has worked with approximately twenty industry and government partners and raised over $8 million in the past decade. He has authored or co-authored over two hundred peer-reviewed publications and co-edited three books on high-performance buildings and occupant research methods. His graduates are professors and researchers in government laboratories and industry R&D departments. He has a wide network of research collaborations due to leadership positions on three International Energy Agency Tasks and two NSERC Strategic Research Networks.
Prof. O’Brien is currently the Operating Agent for the five-year, 100-researcher International Energy Agency Annex 95, titled “Human-centric buildings for a changing climate”. He is heavily involved in the building design and research community, including serving as Past President of the Canadian Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association and Faculty Advisor for ASHRAE. He has chaired two academic conferences, facilitated educational workshops, and given numerous keynote and plenary talks. He has won several prestigious awards including the Carleton Research Achievement Award, Ontario Building Envelope Council Rising Star Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, and the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) Outstanding Young Contributor Award.
Sandwiches are offered at the end of the seminar.
Teleworking has been widely perceived as a more sustainable mode of working for knowledge workers compared to the status quo of commuting to centralized offices because of its reduced dependency on transportation and centralized office space. However, the situation is far more complex than would appear on the surface, when the scope is expanded to include home office energy use, the Internet, long-term consumer choices, and other so-called rebound effects. Few studies have quantified home, office, transportation, and communications energy or GHG emissions implications of teleworking simultaneously.
This talk will present the results of five years of research trying to address the question: does telework save energy? The methods are broad, spanning surveys, modelling and simulation, and measurement. Based on the results, Prof. O’Brien and his team are currently advisors to the federal government on teleworking policy and the sustainability implications.
Short bio
Liam O’Brien is a professor for Carleton University’s Building Engineering program and the principal investigator of the Human Building Interaction Lab. The HBI Lab includes a team of over 15 researchers with diverse backgrounds in civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, architecture, and design, who focus on design and control of energy-efficient buildings, with a specialization in occupant behaviour.
Prof. O’Brien has worked with approximately twenty industry and government partners and raised over $8 million in the past decade. He has authored or co-authored over two hundred peer-reviewed publications and co-edited three books on high-performance buildings and occupant research methods. His graduates are professors and researchers in government laboratories and industry R&D departments. He has a wide network of research collaborations due to leadership positions on three International Energy Agency Tasks and two NSERC Strategic Research Networks.
Prof. O’Brien is currently the Operating Agent for the five-year, 100-researcher International Energy Agency Annex 95, titled “Human-centric buildings for a changing climate”. He is heavily involved in the building design and research community, including serving as Past President of the Canadian Chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association and Faculty Advisor for ASHRAE. He has chaired two academic conferences, facilitated educational workshops, and given numerous keynote and plenary talks. He has won several prestigious awards including the Carleton Research Achievement Award, Ontario Building Envelope Council Rising Star Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, and the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) Outstanding Young Contributor Award.
Sandwiches are offered at the end of the seminar.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Olga Fink (IMOS), Prof. Alexandre Alahi (VITA), Prof. Dusan Licina (HOBEL), Prof. Alain Nussbaumer (RESSLab)
Contact
- Prof. Andrew Sonta