A Review of the Regulatory Energy Performance Gap and Its Underlying Causes in Non-domestic Buildings

To manage the concerns regarding the energy performance gap in buildings, a structured and longitudinal performance assessment of buildings, covering design through to operation, is necessary. Modelling can form an integral part of this process by ensuring that a good practice design stage modelling is followed by an ongoing evaluation of operational stage performance using a robust calibration protocol. In this paper, we demonstrate, via a case study of an office building, how a good practice design stage model can be fine-tuned for operational stage using a new framework that helps validate the causes for deviations of actual performance from design intents. This paper maps the modelling based process of tracking building performance from design to operation, identifying the various types of performance gaps. Further, during the operational stage, the framework provides a systematic way to separate the effect of (i) operating conditions that are driven by the building’s actual function and occupancy as compared with the design assumptions, and (ii) the effect of potential technical issues that cause underperformance. As the identification of issues is based on energy modelling, the process requires use of advanced and well-documented simulation tools. The paper concludes with providing an outline of the software platform requirements needed to generate robust design models and their calibration for operational performance assessments. Practical application The paper’s findings are a useful guide for building industry professionals to manage the performance gap with appropriate accuracy through a robust methodology in an easy to use workflow. The methodological framework to analyse building energy performance in-use links best practice design stage modelling guidance with a robust operational stage investigation. It helps designers, contractors, building managers and other stakeholders with an understanding of procedures to follow to undertake an effective measurement and verification exercise.

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Apartment related energy performance gap – How to address internal heat transfers in multi-apartment buildings

Energy and Buildings ◽

10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109887 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 215 ◽

pp. 109887 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Simon Moeller ◽

Ines Weber ◽

Franz Schröder ◽

Amelie Bauer ◽

Hannes Harter

Keyword(s):

Internal Heat ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Performance Gap ◽

Apartment Buildings ◽

Related Energy ◽

Heat Transfers

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ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY PERFORMANCE GAP OF AN OFFICE BUILDING

Mokslas - Lietuvos ateitis ◽

10.3846/mla.2021.15292 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (0) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Rasa Džiugaitė-Tumėnienė ◽

Domas Madeikis

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Internal Heat ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Energy Model ◽

Indoor Climate ◽

Performance Gap ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Climate Parameters

The high share of global energy costs to create an indoor climate has been of increasing interest to the global community for several decades and is increasingly the focus of policy. This paper analyses the energy performance gap between actual energy consumption and energy demand obtained during the dynamic energy simulation and building certification. To identify the energy performance gap, an existing office of energy efficiency class B was selected as a case study. The simulation program IDA Indoor Climate and Energy was used to create a dynamic energy model, based on the designed documentation and the actual indoor climate parameters recorded by the building management system. The results of the case study showed that the accuracy and reliability of the results presented by the dynamic energy model of the building directly depend on the assumptions. The correct values of the internal heat gains, indoor climate parameters, human behavior, air quality levels at different times of the day and season, HVAC system operation parameters and operation modes, specific fan powers of ventilation systems, the seasonal energy efficiency of cooling equipment and characteristics of sun protection measures have to be selected.

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Understanding the Reasons behind the Energy Performance Gap of an Energy-Efficient Building, through a Probabilistic Approach and On-Site Measurements

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14196178 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (19) ◽

pp. 6178

Author(s):

Pierryves Padey ◽

Kyriaki Goulouti ◽

Guy Wagner ◽

Blaise Périsset ◽

Sébastien Lasvaux

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Probabilistic Approach ◽

Energy Performance ◽

High Energy ◽

Performance Gap ◽

Post Evaluation ◽

Energy Efficient Buildings ◽

Ex Post ◽

The Difference ◽

Energy Efficient Building

The performance gap, defined as the difference between the measured and the calculated performance of energy-efficient buildings, has long been identified as a major issue in the building domain. The present study aims to better understand the performance gap in high-energy performance buildings in Switzerland, in an ex-post evaluation. For an energy-efficient building, the measured heating demand, collected through a four-year measurement campaign was compared to the calculated one and the results showed that the latter underestimates the real heating demand by a factor of two. As a way to reduce the performance gap, a probabilistic framework was proposed so that the different uncertainties of the model could be considered. By comparing the mean of the probabilistic heating demand to the measured one, it was shown that the performance gap was between 20–30% for the examined period. Through a sensitivity analysis, the active air flow and the shading factor were identified as the most influential parameters on the uncertainty of the heating demand, meaning that their wrong adjustment, in reality, or in the simulations, would increase the performance gap.

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Facilities management added value in closing the energy performance gap

International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment ◽

10.1016/j.ijsbe.2016.06.004 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 197-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Zaw Min ◽

Paula Morgenstern ◽

Ljiljana Marjanovic-Halburd

Keyword(s):

Energy Performance ◽

Added Value ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Performance Gap

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The role of individual preferences in explaining the energy performance gap

Energy Economics ◽

10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105611 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 ◽

pp. 105611

Author(s):

Salomé Bakaloglou ◽

Dorothée Charlier

Keyword(s):

Energy Performance ◽

Performance Gap ◽

Individual Preferences

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UK Passivhaus and the energy performance gap

Energy and Buildings ◽

10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110240 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 224 ◽

pp. 110240 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rachel Mitchell ◽

Sukumar Natarajan

Keyword(s):

Energy Performance ◽

Performance Gap

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The Performance Gap in Energy-Efficient Office Buildings: How the Occupants Can Help?

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13061480 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 1480 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Qadeer Ali ◽

Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem ◽

Fahim Ullah ◽

Samad M. E. Sepasgozar

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficient ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

Energy Use ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Office Buildings ◽

Occupant Behavior ◽

Energy Usage ◽

Performance Gap ◽

Energy Efficient Buildings

Rising demand and limited production of electricity are instrumental in spreading the awareness of cautious energy use, leading to the global demand for energy-efficient buildings. This compels the construction industry to smartly design and effectively construct these buildings to ensure energy performance as per design expectations. However, the research tells a different tale: energy-efficient buildings have performance issues. Among several reasons behind the energy performance gap, occupant behavior is critical. The occupant behavior is dynamic and changes over time under formal and informal influences, but the traditional energy simulation programs assume it as static throughout the occupancy. Effective behavioral interventions can lead to optimized energy use. To find out the energy-saving potential based on simulated modified behavior, this study gathers primary building and occupant data from three energy-efficient office buildings in major cities of Pakistan and categorizes the occupants into high, medium, and low energy consumers. Additionally, agent-based modeling simulates the change in occupant behavior under the direct and indirect interventions over a three-year period. Finally, energy savings are quantified to highlight a 25.4% potential over the simulation period. This is a unique attempt at quantifying the potential impact on energy usage due to behavior modification which will help facility managers to plan and execute necessary interventions and software experts to develop effective tools to model the dynamic usage behavior. This will also help policymakers in devising subtle but effective behavior training strategies to reduce energy usage. Such behavioral retrofitting comes at a much lower cost than the physical or technological retrofit options to achieve the same purpose and this study establishes the foundation for it.

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