scholarly journals Optimization of the Energy Performance of a Low Energy House Based on Sensitivity Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Anna Sedláková ◽  
Vladimír Geletka
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
The Difference

Abstract For buildings with for heating requirements, energy balance is based on the difference between two similarly large numbers (heat gain and heat loss) in which the calculation becomes increasingly sensitive to changes in parameters. The output of the hourly simulation method illustrates the temperature in “free-floating” mode, which unlike the requirement for heating provides better information on the thermal behavior of the building itself in order to model the dynamic response of the object to certain changes in the input data. For the purpose of the evaluation the minimum and maximum acceptable temperature and the area within the boundaries called comfort zone. In this paper a low energy house is evaluated in terms of energy performance and thermal comfort, where some parameters are altered in order to determine its sensitivity to fluctuations. The methodology is based on a sensitivity analysis (SA) and Monte Carlo simulation based on a stochastic random selection. Thermal comfort is evaluated using an adaptive thermal comfort.

scholarly journals Cooling Degree Models and Future Energy Demand in the Residential Sector. A Seven-Country Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2987
Author(s):  
Raúl Castaño-Rosa ◽  
Roberto Barrella ◽  
Carmen Sánchez-Guevara ◽  
Ricardo Barbosa ◽  
Ioanna Kyprianou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Residential Sector ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

The intensity and duration of hot weather and the number of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, are increasing, leading to a growing need for space cooling energy demand. Together with the building stock’s low energy performance, this phenomenon may also increase households’ energy consumption. On the other hand, the low level of ownership of cooling equipment can cause low energy consumption, leading to a lack of indoor thermal comfort and several health-related problems, yet increasing the risk of energy poverty in summer. Understanding future temperature variations and the associated impacts on building cooling demand will allow mitigating future issues related to a warmer climate. In this respect, this paper analyses the effects of change in temperatures in the residential sector cooling demand in 2050 for a case study of nineteen cities across seven countries: Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain, by estimating cooling degree days and hours (CDD and CDH). CDD and CDH are calculated using both fixed and adaptive thermal comfort temperature thresholds for 2020 and 2050, understanding their strengths and weaknesses to assess the effects of warmer temperatures. Results suggest a noticeable average increase in CDD and CDH values, up to double, by using both thresholds for 2050, with a particular interest in northern countries where structural modifications in the building stock and occupants’ behavior should be anticipated. Furthermore, the use of the adaptive thermal comfort threshold shows that the projected temperature increases for 2050 might affect people’s capability to adapt their comfort band (i.e., indoor habitability) as temperatures would be higher than the maximum admissible values for people’s comfort and health.

scholarly journals Towards Sustainable Development: Building’s Retrofitting with PCMs to Enhance the Indoor Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3614
Author(s):  
Zeyad Amin Al-Absi ◽  
Mohd Isa Mohd Hafizal ◽  
Mazran Ismail ◽  
Azhar Ghazali
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Transition Temperatures ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
The Difference

Building sector is associated with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sustainable development emphasizes any actions to reduce climate change and its effect. In Malaysia, half of the energy utilized in buildings goes towards building cooling. Thermal comfort studies and adaptive thermal comfort models reflect the high comfort temperatures for Malaysians in naturally conditioned buildings, which make it possible to tackle the difference between buildings’ indoor temperature and the required comfort temperature by using proper passive measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of building’s retrofitting with phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling technology to improve the indoor thermal environment for more comfortable conditions. PCM sheets were numerically investigated below the internal finishing of the walls. The investigation involved an optimization study for the PCMs transition temperatures and quantities. The results showed significant improvement in the indoor thermal environment, especially when using lower transition temperatures and higher quantities of PCMs. Therefore, the monthly thermal discomfort time has decreased completely, while the thermal comfort time has increased to as high as 98%. The PCM was effective year-round and the optimum performance for the investigated conditions was achieved when using 18mm layer of PCM27-26.

Predicting Annual Heating Demand under Sensitivity Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 330 ◽  
pp. 911-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Geletka ◽  
Anna Sedláková
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Stochastic Approach ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Input Parameters ◽  
The Impact

The quality of most buildings may be affected during the initial phase of architectural design. It is therefore to optimize input parameters, which significantly influence energy efficiency. In principle it is possible to speak of a deterministic approach, which consider the input parameters to be fixed or a stochastic approach, which takes a wider set of input parameters into account. A single-storey house is evaluated in terms of energy performance in the initial phase of building design, where input parameters are changed in order to determine a correlation coefficient. The methodology is based on a sensitivity analysis (SA) and MonteCarlo simulation based on a stochastic random selection. Regression (RA) were written to express the impact architectural design has on energy performance. Feedback from the regression model estimates annual heating demand of single storey house.

A simulation-based model for courtyard housing design based on adaptive thermal comfort

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 101335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Soflaei ◽  
Mehdi Shokouhian ◽  
Amir Tabadkani ◽  
Hamed Moslehi ◽  
Umberto Berardi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Simulation Based

scholarly journals Simulation Method to Assess Thermal Comfort in Historical Buildings with High-Volume Interior Spaces—The Case of the Gothic Basilica of Sta. Maria del Mar in Barcelona

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2980
Author(s):  
Belén Onecha ◽  
Alicia Dotor
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Active System ◽  
Interior Space ◽  
Human Welfare ◽  
Interior Spaces ◽  
Heritage Buildings

Concerns about the energy performance of heritage buildings have grown exponentially over the last decade. However, actions have been limited to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Another perspective must be studied—the thermal comfort of users, for human welfare and health. The assessment of thermal comfort inside a historic building with a single, large volume interior space is not easy. The complexity increases if the building has high cultural protection and its envelope cannot be altered, to preserve its historical values. This paper focuses on this kind of building and describes a dynamic simulation method used to assess thermal comfort in the Gothic Basilica of Sta. Maria del Mar in Barcelona. The basilica’s interior thermal conditions are intense cold during the winter and extreme heat and sultriness during the summer. Several simulation scenarios were considered to highlight the failure to obtain thermal comfort for users through passive strategies during the summer period. When all the factors are considered, the only valid strategy is to introduce an active system. This must be minimized according to three criteria: reducing operational periods, considering just the air volume next to users and adjusting the level of comfort requirement.

scholarly journals The Significance of the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Practice over the Structure Retrofits to Sustain Indoor Thermal Comfort

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2946
Author(s):  
Aiman Albatayneh ◽  
Mustafa Jaradat ◽  
Mhd Bashar AlKhatib ◽  
Ramez Abdallah ◽  
Adel Juaidi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Minimum Energy ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

Any building’s design should sustain thermal comfort for occupants and promote less energy usage during its lifetime using accurate building retrofits to convert existing buildings into low-energy buildings so that the heating and cooling loads can be minimized. Regarding the methodology adopted in this research, an energy model of an educational building located at the German Jordanian University in Jordan was constructed utilizing DesignBuilder computer software. In addition, it was calibrated utilizing real energy consumption data for a 12-month simulation of energy performance. Subsequently, a computerized evaluation of the roles of building envelope retrofits or the adaptive thermal comfort limits in the reduction of the overall building energy consumption was analyzed. The results of the study show that the current building’s external wall insulation, roof insulation, glazing, windows, and external shading devices are relatively energy-efficient but with high cost, resulting in significant financial losses, even though they achieved noticeable energy savings. For instance, equipping the building’s ventilation system with an economizer culminated in the highest financial profit, contributing to an annual energy savings of 155 MWh. On the other hand, in an occupant-centered approach, applying the adaptive thermal comfort model in wider ranges by adding 1 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C to the existing operating temperatures would save a significant amount of energy with the least cost (while maintaining indoor thermal comfort), taking over any retrofit option. Using different adaptive thermal comfort scenarios (1 °C, 2 °C, and 3 °C) led to significant savings of around 5%, 12%, and 21%, respectively. However, using different retrofits techniques proved to be costly, with minimum energy savings compared to the adaptive approach.

scholarly journals Energy performance of air conditioned buildings based on short-term weather forecast

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 04045
Author(s):  
Marko G. Ignjatović ◽  
Bratislav D. Blagojević ◽  
Mirko M. Stojiljković ◽  
Aleksandar S. Anđelković ◽  
Milena B. Blagojević ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Global Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Building Energy Consumption ◽  
Global Sensitivity ◽  
Independent Variables

One of the possible ways to improve balance between building energy consumption and occupant thermal comfort in existing buildings is to use simulation-assisted operation of HVAC systems. Simulation-assisted operation can be formulated as a type of operation that implements knowledge of future disturbance acting on the building and that enables operating the systems in such a way to fulfill given goals, which in nature can often be contradictory. The most important future conditions on building energy consumption are weather parameters and occupant behavior and expectations of thermal environment. In order to achieve this type of operation, optimization methods must be applied. Methodology to create HVAC system operation strategies on a daily basis is presented. Methodology is based on using building energy performance simulation software EnergyPlus, available weather data, global sensitivity analysis, and custom developed software with particle swarm optimization method applied over the moving horizon. Global sensitivity analysis is used in order to reduce number of independent variables for the optimization process. The methodology is applied to office part of real combined-type building located in Niš, Serbia. Use of sensitivity analysis shows that the reduced number of independent variables for the optimization would lead to similar thermal comfort and energy consumption, with significant computer runtime reduction.

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