Title: Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Residential Energy Supply Systems

Authors: Kari Alanne, Ahti Salo, Arto Saari, Stig-Inge Gustafsson

Status: Energy and Buildings, Vol. 39, No. 12, 2007, pp. 1218-1226.


Keywords: Multi-criteria evaluation, micro-cogeneration, micro-CHP; residential buildings

In this paper, we consider the selection of a residential energy supply system as a multi-criteria decision-making problem, which involves both financial and environmental issues. Specifically, we compare micro-CHP (micro-cogeneration) heating with traditional heating systems through an evaluation that accounts for: (i) the decision-makers' subjective preferences, (ii) uncertainties in the performance of micro-CHP heating systems (which are partly caused by the lack of long-term operational experiences) and (iii) the context-dependency of life-cycle costs and environmental burdens of heating systems. Motivated by these considerations, we employ the PAIRS multi-criteria decision-making methodology that captures incomplete information by way of interval-valued parameters and provides support for sensitivity analyses, too. Our comparative analysis of alternative heating systems suggests that micro-CHP is a reasonable alternative to traditional systems, particularly from the environmental point of view.