Energy efficiency in the sustainable refurbishment of high-rise residential buildings: mapping out an integrated policy approach

Purpose – This paper aims to present four purposes: to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ); to determine if occupants appear to be operating their dwellings in an energy efficient manner; to suggest ways that occupant satisfaction and behaviour can help or hinder energy efficiency; and to show that the post-occupancy evaluation approach is an effective tool in diagnosing and improving satisfaction and energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings. Design/methodology/approach – Beyond measuring occupant satisfaction with IEQ, this paper uses scores and user comments from occupant questionnaires to identify success and indicate frustration and/or confusion with particular building technologies. It also extrapolates the energy efficiency implications of these responses in four Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold residential towers. Findings – The research highlights where problems occur, particularly with the adoption of new technologies which may not be well understood by the occupants. It also identifies behaviour patterns that may negate energy efficiency strategies. Research limitations/implications – The lack of dwelling metre data prevents this research from making causal links between behaviours and their energy implications. Also, the lack of Canadian benchmarks for satisfaction of occupants means that comparisons can only be made to cases from the UK, which is less robust. Originality/value – This type of work has never been done in Canadian residential high rise towers before. It helps to better understand the process of ensuring that occupants successfully adopt innovation that can lead to energy savings.

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A CASE STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF BUILDING ENVELOPE ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Architecture Civil Engineering Environment ◽

10.21307/acee-2020-001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 5-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dinçer AYDIN ◽

Esma MIHLAYANLAR

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Building Envelope ◽

High Rise ◽

The Impact

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Managing thermal comfort in contemporary high-rise residential buildings: Using smart thermostats and surveys to identify energy efficiency and comfort opportunities

Building and Environment ◽

10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106748 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 173 ◽

pp. 106748

Author(s):

Helen Stopps ◽

Marianne F. Touchie

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

High Rise

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The effects of window alternatives on energy efficiency and building economy in high-rise residential buildings in moderate to humid climates

Energy Conversion and Management ◽

10.1016/j.enconman.2012.05.023 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. 170-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Yalçın Yaşar ◽

Sibel Maçka Kalfa

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

High Rise

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Organizational and technical support of compliance of the energy performance class with the performance standards for construction of high-rise residential buildings

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201817001103 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 170 ◽

pp. 01103 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Arkadiy Larionov

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Building Materials ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Performance Standards ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Housing Construction ◽

Economic Interests ◽

Technical Problems ◽

High Rise ◽

The Given

Organizational and technical problems of energy efficiency in the construction of high-rise residential buildings were identified and systematized. The efficiency of state and regional policies in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency in high-rise housing construction and housing and utility services was stated to be largely determined not only by the level of modern constructional technologies and production of building materials, but also by the quality of full-scale measurements. The relevancy of scientific and methodological developments, allowing correctly to carry out the control over the compliance of actual indicators of energy efficiency of high-rise residential buildings with the given parameters, was substantiated. The contradictions of the goals and economic interests of suppliers and end users of energy resources were revealed. The conclusion was made that the solution of the problem of energy efficiency in high-rise housing construction was to harmonize economic interests and anticipations of the key market players.

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Energy-Efficient Window Retrofit for High-Rise Residential Buildings in Different Climatic Zones of China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11226473 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (22) ◽

pp. 6473 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

He ◽

Ng ◽

Hossain ◽

Skitmore

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Residential Building ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Outdoor Environment ◽

Winter Climate ◽

Climate Zones ◽

High Rise ◽

Window System

The building envelope plays a significant role in the energy performance of buildings and windows are a key element in transmitting heating and cooling between the indoor and outdoor environment, and hence an adequate window system is one of the most important retrofit strategies of existing buildings for energy conservation. Therefore, this study presents a method with a theoretical case study to examine the improvement of energy efficiency in a typical high-rise residential building through window retrofitting. A building energy design model in Designbuilder along with a building information modeling (BIM) model in Revit are developed, with 20 common potential glazing alternatives being analyzed to predict the potential energy savings in the same case building with identical orientation located in a variety of climate zones in China. Based on different parameters and considerations, the results demonstrated that the currently relatively expensive low-e window glazing has the best energy performance in all climate zones, but is sufficiently close to conventionally glazed windows in its energy efficiency to discourage its adoption at present, and that, instead, a single dark conventional glazed window is preferred in a hot summer/warm winter climate, double dark traditional glazing in a hot summer/cold winter climate, and a double clear conventional window in a cold climate. Based on the simulated results, an indicative suggestion was provided to select an adequate window system for residential building retrofitting in the studied climates or similar climatic regions.

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