The paper presents an intelligent building (IB) development strategy emphasizing the locally available non-polluting renewable energy resources utilization. Considering the immense complexity of the topic, the implementation strategy of the main energy-flow processes is unfolded, using the net zero-energy building concept (NZEB). Noticeably, in the first research steps the mathematical background of the considered NZEB strategy has been developed and presented. Then careful LabView software-based simulations prove that the adopted strategy is feasible for implementation. The result of the above mentioned research efforts is a set of powerful and versatile software toolkits well suitable to model and simulate complex heating, ventilation and air-conditioning processes and to perform energy balance performance evaluations. Besides the elaborated mathematical models, concrete software implementation examples and measurement data also is provided in the paper. Finally, the proposed original models offer a feasible solution for future developments and research in NZEB applications modelling and simulation purposes.
Achieving a Net Zero Energy Retrofit - In a humid, temperate climate: Lessons from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa