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¹The EU [1] and other international organizations [2] are pursuing greenhouse gas emission reductions to battle climate change. ²To achieve these reductions, the EU aims to increase energy efficiency by 20% by the end of this decade. ³The energy efficiency of buildings should be of main concern, as they currently contribute to approximately one-third of the total final energy consumption [3]. ⁴With rising energy prices, improving the energy efficiency of buildings also provides a monetary incentive for the owners of buildings [4]. ⁵The energy consumption of elevators can account for 3 to 8% of the total electricity consumption of a building, though these figures can widely vary depending on the use and type of building [5].

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⁶Unfortunately, because of this variation, the building owner remains uncertain about the proportion of total energy used by the elevator system [6, Sec. 5.1.2].

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⁷Elevators are categorized into seven classes in terms of their energy consumption based on classification schemes developed and proposed by various organizations [7], [8].

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⁸However, even though the energy efficiency class is determined according to the schemes, it is still difficult to estimate the annual energy consumption of the elevator system, as the utilization rate and the amount of people using the appliances are uncertain prior to installation [9]. ⁹Moreover, much debate has focused on whether the energy classification should be based solely on the design of the device, as with other household appliances, or whether the classification should also depend on the end-use [10].

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¹⁰Most studies examining the energy consumption of elevators have estimated the annual consumption rates of elevators based on simple calculation models. ¹¹These models typically utilize consumption measurements from reference running cycles which are derived from known standards or guidelines. ¹²The final energy consumption, or energy class, is thus achieved by defining and estimating certain key factors.

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¹³Therefore, the final outcome of these models, especially the projected annual energy usage, always has some degree of inaccuracy, justifying the need for comparing the models against actual long-term measurement data.

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¹⁴In order to determine the accuracy of these models, this thesis compares the measured energy consumption of elevators with the models currently in use.

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¹⁵For this purpose, the thesis develops and validates a measuring system designed especially for this type of data gathering, as a major driver for this thesis was to establish the basis for a long-term measurement project inside the Energizing Urban Ecosystems (EUE) Program. ¹⁶In addition, the thesis inspects the plausibility of using solar energy to fulfill the energy need of elevator systems during peak demand in order to reduce the costs of electricity usage. ¹⁷To understand the need for power and energy, this thesis analyzes the electricity consumption data of the building against the energy demand pattern of the elevator system and the energy production curve of a photovoltaic system.

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¹⁸The study was restricted to the energy usage of the elevators used in a mid-rise office building located in the Espoo region of Finland. ¹⁹This thesis focuses on the consumed and generated energy in kilowatt-hours, kWh, and generally excludes other measurable quantities of electrical systems ²⁰The thesis does not examine the detailed construction of elevators, nor does it measure the segregation of energy consumption between the different components in the electrical or mechanical system of elevators. ²¹The thesis focuses on traction elevators, thereby mostly excluding hydraulic elevators.

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²²The remainder of this thesis is structured as follows. ²³Chapter 2 introduces the typical methods currently used in energy consumption modeling and analyzes the results of the previous measurement campaigns that have been implemented in various countries to provide sufficient background information. ²⁴Chapter 3 describes the measuring equipment, their characteristics, and related devices. ²⁵The chapter also provides information on the measurement site, traffic pattern of the elevators, the electricity consumption of the building, and introduces a photovoltaic power generation model. ²⁶Chapter 4 presents the readings gathered by the measuring system and the estimates given by the models introduced in Chapter 2, and Chapter 5 analyzes these results and factors affecting them. ²⁷Chapters 6 and 7 conclude the findings and success of this thesis and provide ideas for further studies.