Towards energy-efficient retrofit of council housing in London: Assessing the impact of occupancy and energy-use patterns on building performance

This study evaluates typical faults occurring in demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) system and the impact on three output results: energy use, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. The methodologies used in this study were qualitative interviews of selected Norwegian Heating Ventilation Air Condition (HVAC) system experts and numerical modeling using the building performance simulation tool IDA ICE. The faults deduced from the qualitative interviews were modeled as the fault's different consequences to account for a large variety of faults. With a Norwegian school classroom as a case study, a local approach applying a one-at-a-time (OAT) simulation was used to perform an analysis of the extreme fault conditions that can occur. The results from the fault modeling demonstrated that greater attention is needed to avoid faults in the HVAC systems due to its impact on the indoor environment quality and energy efficiency of buildings.

Download Full-text

Toward efficient energy consumption in middle income housing buildings in Egypt

International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies ◽

10.1093/ijlct/ctz070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 180-189

Author(s):

Ibrahim Rizk Hegazy

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Efficient ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Analysis ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Middle Income ◽

Efficient Energy ◽

Hot Weather ◽

The Impact

Abstract Current research pays special attention to the application of approaches that promote sustainable design in a built environment and ensure energy efficiency. In this context, the form of housing buildings is an important parameter that has a meaningful impact on the use of energy in housing buildings. Hence, this research attempts to study the impact of the form of housing buildings on energy efficiency taking into account the mid-hot weather conditions in one of the middle-income housing buildings in new communities in Egypt. To achieve the research aim, a comparative analysis is carried out using parametric numerical analysis—DesignBuilder energy analysis—to compare the various hypothetical proposals for different building configurations. The study determines that the efficiency of energy use in buildings depends to a large extent on their forms that will help urban designers and planners to propose the best energy performance in the form of housing buildings in the stage of conceptual design suitable for other environmental, social and economic urban planning issues. These results should be incorporated into the building codes adopted in Egypt’s new cities in order to reach more energy-efficient housing buildings in Egypt.

Download Full-text

Analysis of the Impact of the Fireplace Heating on the Energy Performance of the Family House

Periodica Polytechnica Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.3311/ppme.14979 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 145-149

Author(s):

Rastislav Ingeli ◽

Peter Buday

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Hot Water ◽

Energy Class ◽

Main Concern ◽

Technical Equipment ◽

The Impact

Reduction of energy use in buildings is an important measure to achieve climate changes of mitigation. It is essential to minimize heat losses when designing energy efficient buildings. For energy efficient building in a cold climate, a large part of the space heating demand is caused by transmission losses through the building envelope. In compliance with the today's trend of designing sustainable and energy-saving architecture, it is necessary firstly to solve the factors influencing the energy balance. This year the subsidy for houses has been valued at € 8,000. The condition is that the building is classified in the energy class A0 according to the Energy Performance Act. Energy class A0 characterizes nearly zero energy buildings. The main concern is for the public to become interested in such buildings. The subsidy is designed to reward and promote those buildings that their heat and technical characteristics and modern technical equipment that meet energy class. In addition to a good plan to raise the profile of such buildings, there has been a lot of speculation to help make buildings in energy class A0. They are mainly owners of family houses where there is no gasification and are forced to have electricity as a source of heat and hot water. Electricity has a high primary energy factor, which means that buildings do not have to be approved.

Download Full-text

FM perceptions on occupant impact and the shaping of occupant engagement practice

Facilities ◽

10.1108/f-03-2017-0027 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (11/12) ◽

pp. 762-779

Author(s):

Cristian Roberto Valle ◽

Elli Verhulst ◽

Ida Nilstad Pettersen ◽

Antje Junghans ◽

Thomas Berker

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Energy Use ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Content Type ◽

Energy Efficient Buildings ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Core Function ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Impact ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to apply frame analysis to explore the mental models by which building managers interpret the impact of building occupants on energy use and rationalize their approach to occupant engagement. Design/methodology/approach Findings from four energy-efficient buildings (two schools and two office buildings) in Norway are presented. The methodology includes individual semi-structured interviews with both operational and strategic facilities managers Findings Concepts and theoretical perspectives with the potential to shape the building managers’ perceptions include technical knowledge and expertise, management responsibilities, familiarity with occupant routines and understanding of energy-efficient technologies. No significant impact was attributed to the actions of occupants in the areas of comfort, core function and behavior. Significant impact was attributed to their movement and presence. Perceptions of impact were found to influence, yet not determine, the building managers’ choices of practice. Practical implications Factors with the potential to affect the adoption of occupant engagement initiatives were highlighted. This study pointed to the role that automation and centralization can play in influencing facilities managers to rescind from their management responsibilities. Originality/value To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study to use framings in thoughts to investigate the process by which facilities managers rationalize occupant engagement, in relation to their perception of occupant impact on energy use.

Download Full-text

Trends and Future Directions in Crop Energy Analyses: A Focus on Iran

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su122310002 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 10002

Author(s):

Narges Banaeian ◽

Morteza Zangeneh ◽

Sean Clark

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Energy Use ◽

Economic Modelling ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Critical Issues ◽

Environmental Emissions ◽

Energy Audits ◽

The Impact

This systematic review critically analyzes the literature on the study of energy-use patterns in agricultural crop systems in Iran. We examine the relevant methodologies and research trends from 2008 to 2019, a particularly active and productive period. Initially, we find researchers using energy audits and regression modeling to estimate energy-use patterns. Then economic and environmental-emissions audits are more commonly incorporated into analyses. Finally, the application of different Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods are observed in papers. The main focus of this study is on energy-use patterns, economic modelling, and environmental emissions. We then address critical issues, including sample size, energy equivalents, and additional practical energy-saving recommendations which can be considered by researchers in future analyses. The application of AI in the analysis of agricultural systems, and how it can be used to achieve sustainable agriculture, is discussed with the aim of providing guidelines for researchers interested in energy flow in agricultural systems, especially in Iran. To achieve sustainable agriculture systems, we recommend more attention be given toward considering the impact of social factors in addition to energy, environmental and economic factors. Finally, this review should guide other researchers in choosing appropriate crop types and regions in need study to avoid repetitive studies.

Download Full-text

Office Building Tenants’ Electricity Use Model for Building Performance Simulations

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13215541 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 5541

Author(s):

Andrea Ferrantelli ◽

Helena Kuivjõgi ◽

Jarek Kurnitski ◽

Martin Thalfeldt

Keyword(s):

Energy Use ◽

Office Building ◽

Building Performance ◽

Substantial Portion ◽

Critical Importance ◽

Simple Method ◽

Heating And Cooling ◽

Electricity Use ◽

The Impact

Large office buildings are responsible for a substantial portion of energy consumption in urban districts. However, thorough assessments regarding the Nordic countries are still lacking. In this paper we analyse the largest dataset to date for a Nordic office building, by considering a case study located in Stockholm, Sweden, that is occupied by nearly a thousand employees. Distinguishing the lighting and occupants’ appliances energy use from heating and cooling, we can estimate the impact of occupancy without any schedule data. A standard frequentist analysis is compared with Bayesian inference, and the according regression formulas are listed in tables that are easy to implement into building performance simulations (BPS). Monthly as well as seasonal correlations are addressed, showing the critical importance of occupancy. A simple method, grounded on the power drain measurements aimed at generating boundary conditions for the BPS, is also introduced; it shows how, for this type of data and number of occupants, no more complexities are needed in order to obtain reliable predictions. For an average year, we overestimate the measured cumulative consumption by only 4.7%. The model can be easily generalised to a variety of datasets.

Download Full-text

Investigating the Impact of Actual and Modeled Occupant Behavior Information Input to Building Performance Simulation

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings11010032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Mengda Jia ◽

Ravi Srinivasan ◽

Robert J. Ries ◽

Gnana Bharathy ◽

Nathan Weyer

Keyword(s):

Energy Use ◽

Building Design ◽

System Optimization ◽

Building Energy ◽

Building Performance ◽

Occupant Behavior ◽

Commercial Building ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Human In The Loop ◽

The Impact

Occupant behaviors are one of the most dominant factors that influence building energy use. Understanding the influences from building occupants can promote the development of energy–efficient buildings. This paper quantifies the impact of different occupant behavior information on building energy model (BEM) from multiple perspectives. For this purpose, an occupant behavior model that uses agent–based modeling (ABM) approach is implemented via co-simulation with a BEM of an existing commercial building. Then, actual occupant behavior data in correspondence to ABM output, including operations on window, door, and blinds in selected thermal zones of the building are recorded using survey logs. A simulation experiment is conducted by creating three BEMs with constant, actual, and modeled occupant behavioral inputs. The analysis of the simulation results among these scenarios helps us gain an in–depth understanding of how occupant behaviors influence building performance. This study aims to facilitate robust building design and operation with human–in–the–loop system optimization.

Download Full-text

Design and Energy Performance Analysis of a Hotel Building in a Hot and Dry Climate: A Case Study

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14175502 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (17) ◽

pp. 5502

Author(s):

Sultan Kobeyev ◽

Serik Tokbolat ◽

Serdar Durdyev

Keyword(s):

Performance Analysis ◽

Energy Efficient ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Solar Panels ◽

Insulation Layer ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Sustainable Technologies ◽

Graphical Tool ◽

The Impact

In times of unprecedented climate change and energy scarcity, the design and delivery of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings are of utmost importance. This study aimed to design a hotel building for hot and dry climate conditions and perform its energy performance analysis using energy simulation tools. The model of the hotel building was constructed by a graphical tool OpenStudio and EnergyPlus following the ASHRAE Standard 90.1. To reduce the energy demand of the hotel, parametric analysis was conducted and building envelope parameters such as the thickness of insulation layer in the exterior wall and the roof, thermal conductivity of insulation layer, rate of infiltration, U-factor of windows, and thermal resistance of air gap in the interior walls (R-value), window-to-wall ratio, and orientation of the building were tested and the impact on the energy use of the building was analyzed. It was found that most of the design assumptions based on the ASHRAE standard were already optimal for the considered locality, however, were still optimized further to reach the highest efficiency level. Apart from this, three sustainable technologies—thermochromic windows, phase change materials, and solar panels—were incorporated into the building and their energy consumption reduction potential was estimated by energy simulations. Cumulatively, these sustainable technologies were able to reduce the total energy use from 2417 GJ to 1593 GJ (i.e., by 824 GJ or 34%). Calculation of payback period and return on investments showed that thermochromic windows and solar panels have relatively short payback periods and high return on investments, whereas PCM was found to be economically nonviable. The findings of this study are deemed to be useful for designing a sustainable and energy-efficient hotel building in a sub-tropical climate. However, the overall design and energy performance analysis algorithm could be used for various buildings with varying climate conditions.

Download Full-text

Proposed method for probabilistic risk analysis using building performance simulations and stochastic parameters

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202017225005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 172 ◽

pp. 25005

Author(s):

Tomas Ekström ◽

Stephen Burke ◽

Lars-Erik Harderup ◽

Jesper Arfvidsson

Keyword(s):

Risk Analysis ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy Use ◽

Building Design ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Probabilistic Methods ◽

Building Performance ◽

Single Family ◽

Stochastic Parameters ◽

The Impact

As parts of the world continue the work of mitigating the impact of climate change, many countries strive for continued reductions in energy demand from buildings by implementing more stringent building regulations. Consequently, the importance of accurate and efficient building performance simulations to predict the energy use of a building design increases. As observed in earlier studies, there are performance gaps between the predicted annual energy demand from building energy performance simulations based on deterministic methods compared to the monitored annual energy use of a building. This paper presents a preliminary method developed using probabilistic methods for risk analysis and building performance simulations to predict the energy performance of buildings using stochastic parameters. The method is used to calculate the probability for the energy performance of a building design to fulfil the energy requirements. The consequences are quantified using an example of energy performance contracting to evaluate the inherent risk of a building’s design. The method was demonstrated in a case study and validated by comparing the results in energy performance and probability of failure against measured data from 26 single-family houses.

Download Full-text

An Energy Efficient Spectrum Aware Routing for Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs)

International Journal of Sensors Wireless Communications and Control ◽

10.2174/2210327910999201102193851 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Dileep Reddy Bolla ◽

Jijesh J J ◽

Mahaveer Penna ◽

Shiva Shankar

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Radio ◽

Spectrum Sensing ◽

Cognitive Radio Networks ◽

Energy Efficient ◽

Research Work ◽

Spectrum Management ◽

Residual Energy ◽

Radio Networks ◽

Traffic Load ◽

The Impact

Back Ground/ Aims:: Now-a-days in the Wireless Communications some of the spectrum bands are underutilized or unutilized; the spectrum can be utilized properly by using the Cognitive Radio Techniques using the Spectrum Sensing mechanisms. Objectives:: The prime objective of the research work carried out is to achieve the energy efficiency and to use the spectrum effectively by using the spectrum management concept and achieve better throughput, end to end delay etc., Methods:: The detection of the spectrum hole plays a vital role in the routing of Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs). While detecting the spectrum holes and the routing, sensing is impacted by the hidden node issues and exposed node issues. The impact of sensing is improved by incorporating the Cooperative Spectrum Sensing (CSS) techniques. Along with these issues the spectrum resources changes time to time in the routing. Results:: All the issues are addressed with An Energy Efficient Spectrum aware Routing (EESR) protocol which improves the timeslot and the routing schemes. The overall network life time is improved with the aid of residual energy concepts and the overall network performance is improved. Conclusion:: The proposed protocol (EESR) is an integrated system with spectrum management and the routing is successfully established to communication in the network and further traffic load is observed to be balanced in the protocol based on the residual energy in a node and further it improves the Network Lifetime of the Overall Network and the Individual CR user, along with this the performance of the proposed protocol outperforms the conventional state of art routing protocols.

Download Full-text