Method application and analyses of visual and thermal-energy performance prediction in offices buildings with internal shading devices

Industrial minerals are at the forefront of innovation and play an essential role in many innovative applications. Their functionalities and properties make them very versatile materials which are essential to many industries. A combination of properties such as heat capacity, density, price, availability, and eco-friendliness are exceptional and crucially advantageous of industrial minerals utilisation as thermal energy storage (TES) systems. This technology stocks thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium so that the stored energy can be used at a later time for heating and cooling applications and power generation. In this context, the utilisation of industrial minerals as carriers for impregnating phase change materials (PCM) can deliver new innovative products acting as short-term energy storage systems for construction applications to the market. TES is a technology that can solve the existing mismatch of energy supply and demand and improve buildings’ system performance by smoothing temperature fluctuations, as well as improving the reliability of the heating and/or cooling source. However, the most recent publications in this area are focused on PCM-enhanced building components thermal and kinetics analysis rather than focusing on the building component scale. This study is focused on the industrial minerals-PCM application as part of the building’s envelope, aiming to determine the benefits for buildings in terms of thermal energy performance and renewable energy penetration based on real data, harvested by an intelligent monitored building in Lavrion Technological and Cultural Park operated solely for research activities.

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Thermal Performance Visualization Using Object−Oriented Physical and Building Information Modeling

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10175888 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (17) ◽

pp. 5888

Author(s):

WoonSeong Jeong ◽

Wei Yan ◽

Chang Joon Lee

Keyword(s):

Thermal Performance ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Object Oriented ◽

Building Design ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Information Modeling ◽

Performance Simulation ◽

Performance Visualization ◽

Building Information ◽

Performance Results

This study demonstrates the research and development of a visualization method called thermal performance simulation. The objective of this study is providing the results of thermal performance simulation results into building information modeling (BIM) models, displaying a series of thermal performance results, and enabling stakeholders to use the BIM tool as a common user interface in the early design stage. This method utilizes a combination of object-oriented physical modeling (OOPM) and BIM. To implement the suggested method, a specific BIM authoring tool called the application programming interface (API) was adopted, as well as an external database to maintain the thermal energy performance results from the OOPM tool. Based on this method, this study created a prototype called the thermal energy performance visualization (TEPV). The TEPV translates the information from the external database to the thermal energy performance indicator (TEPI) parameter in the BIM tool. In the TEPI, whenever BIM models are generated for building design, the thermal energy performance results are visualized by color-coding the building components in the BIM models. Visualization of thermal energy performance results enables non-engineers such as architects to explicitly inspect the simulation results. Moreover, the TEPV facilitates architects using BIM as an interface in building design to visualize building thermal energy performance, enhancing their design production at the early design stages.

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Cool Roof Impact on Building Energy Need: The Role of Thermal Insulation with Varying Climate Conditions

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12173354 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (17) ◽

pp. 3354 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Piselli ◽

Pisello ◽

Saffari ◽

Gracia ◽

Cotana ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Insulation ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Building Energy ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Building Energy Performance ◽

Cool Roof ◽

Solar Reflectance

Cool roof effectiveness in improving building thermal-energy performance is affected by different variables. In particular, roof insulation level and climate conditions are key parameters influencing cool roofs benefits and whole building energy performance. This work aims at assessing the role of cool roof in the optimum roof configuration, i.e., combination of solar reflectance capability and thermal insulation level, in terms of building energy performance in different climate conditions worldwide. To this aim, coupled dynamic thermal-energy simulation and optimization analysis is carried out. In detail, multi-dimensional optimization of combined building roof thermal insulation and solar reflectance is developed to minimize building annual energy consumption for heating–cooling. Results highlight how a high reflectance roof minimizes annual energy need for a small standard office building in the majority of considered climates. Moreover, building energy performance is more sensitive to roof solar reflectance than thermal insulation level, except for the coldest conditions. Therefore, for the selected building, the optimum roof typology presents high solar reflectance capability (0.8) and no/low insulation level (0.00–0.03 m), except for extremely hot or cold climate zones. Accordingly, this research shows how the classic approach of super-insulated buildings should be reframed for the office case toward truly environmentally friendly buildings.

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Modeling Nearly Zero Energy Buildings for Sustainable Development in Rural Areas

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13102593 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 2593 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Reza Khakian ◽

Mehrdad Karimimoshaver ◽

Farshid Aram ◽

Soghra Zoroufchi Benis ◽

Amir Mosavi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Saving ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Building Design ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Payback Period ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Multiple Parameters ◽

Shading Devices ◽

The Impact

The energy performance of buildings and energy-saving measures have been widely investigated in recent years. However, little attention has been paid to buildings located in rural areas. The aim of this study is to assess the energy performance of two-story residential buildings located in the mountainous village of Palangan in Iran and to evaluate the impact of multiple parameters, namely building orientation, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), glazing type, shading devices, and insulation, on its energy performance. To attain a nearly zero energy building design in rural areas, the building is equipped with photovoltaic modules. The proposed building design is then economically evaluated to ensure its viability. The findings indicate that an energy saving of 29% can be achieved compared to conventional buildings, and over 22 MWh of electricity can be produced on an annual basis. The payback period is assessed at 21.7 years. However, energy subsidies are projected to be eliminated in the near future, which in turn may reduce the payback period.

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