Fundamental Issues in the Qualification of Smart and Intelligence in Building Materials Discourse: A Systematic Review

The fundamental notion of ‘smart’ in building materials discourse is responsiveness—the ability of materials to react to environmental stimuli by manifesting a noticeable physical change when there is a difference in the conditions of their immediate surroundings. This notion, however, is also interchanged with ‘intelligence’, which involves an array of control protocols. Notwithstanding, both notions are used synonymously and as occupant comfort and energy efficiency strategies in buildings. The current study aimed to underscore the fundamental issues in the conceptualization of both notions in building materials colloquy by systematic review of published literature following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 checklist. The review revealed that while smart responses are direct, predictable and reversible, requiring no external control system, computer systems and networks which require a constant supply of energy are essential for intelligence. In fact, the relationship between intelligent systems, energy efficiency and occupant comfort depends on external computer control and machine components of learning, resulting in complex systems with longer payback times, whereas smart materials and systems respond directly and immediately without additional energy or occupant control. The discussions present an attempt towards promoting zero additional energy demand for buildings using smart materials.

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IMPLICATION OF INFILTRATION ON BUILDING ENERGY DEMAND - A REVIEW OF VERIFICATION METHODS

САВРЕМЕНА ТЕОРИЈА И ПРАКСА У ГРАДИТЕЉСТВУ ◽

10.7251/stp2014235l ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nevena S. Lukić ◽

Ljiljana Đukanovic ◽

Ana Radivojević

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Housing Stock ◽

Building Energy ◽

Verification Methods ◽

Occupant Comfort ◽

Standards And Regulations ◽

Considerable Impact ◽

Current Standards ◽

The Eu

Infiltration has a considerable impact on both, energy efficiency and occupant comfort in buildings. Due to the complexity of the analysis of this phenomenon in buildings, the verification methods are very important for its diagnostics and evaluation. In this paper, the matter of infiltration in buildings is being considered referring to both, calculation models and methods, as well as through current standards and regulations in the EU and Serbia. Different valorization methods are presented and analyzed regarding their characteristics, applicability, and complexity. Finally, preliminary infiltration measurements with a pressurization test, conducted on selected buildings of Belgrade housing stock are presented and compared with values defined by the current regulations in Serbia. Results pointed out current problems and the need for improvements regarding the treatment of infiltration in local regulations and practice.

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TAFILELT KSAR: BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY, AN EXPERIMENT OF ENERGY ENHANCEMENT HOUSING IN ALGERIA

International Multidisciplinary Research Journal ◽

10.47722/imrj.2001.05 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Benkechkache Imane

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

High Performance ◽

Building Materials ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Return Time ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Conceptual Approach ◽

Starting Point ◽

Social Environmental

Energy is one of the common determinant factors related to social, environmental and economic problems, which can also contribute to their solution. Among sectors where studies could be done to reduce energy demand, is building. This latter is the largest primary energy consumer and responsible for more than 40% of total CO2 emissions. Therefore, improving energy efficiency in buildings represents an economic and ecological challenge. The built environment quality, with good insulation and high-performance building materials, constitutes the first step towards this aim. Yet, this is not enough to make buildings low energy consumption. But then again, a starting point for which, it is necessary to manage how it should be occupied and exploited. Improving energy efficiency of buildings involves several steps through which, coherent actions, will enable energy savings acting on different human and material parameters. The conceptual approach for improving energy efficiency is identical for residential and tertiary sectors. However, in practice this is different due to divergences related to: technical aspects; used tools; operating and maintenance costs and return time of investment. The purpose of this research is to investigate an example of Energy Enhancement housing in Tafilelt ksar in the M’zab valley in Algeria (an example of ecologic planning with modern habitat perfectly adapted to environment), with the objective of creating adaptable housing according to changing needs of future generations.

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Analysis of the Dependence between Energy Demand Indicators in Buildings Based on Variants for Improving Energy Efficiency in a School Building

Civil and Environmental Engineering Reports ◽

10.1515/ceer-2017-0033 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 31-41

Author(s):

Marta Skiba ◽

Natalia Rzeszowska

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy Use ◽

Primary Energy ◽

School Building ◽

The European Union ◽

Public Buildings ◽

Additional Energy ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Abstract One of the five far-reaching goals of the European Union is climate change and sustainable energy use. The first step in the implementation of this task is to reduce energy demand in buildings to a minimum by 2021, and in the case of public buildings by 2019. This article analyses the possibility of improving energy efficiency in public buildings, the relationship between particular indicators of the demand for usable energy (UE), final energy (FE) and primary energy (PE) in buildings and the impact of these indicators on the assessment of energy efficiency in public buildings, based on 5 variants of extensive thermal renovation of a school building. The analysis of the abovementioned variants confirms that the thermal renovation of merely the outer envelope of the building is insufficient and requires the use of additional energy sources, for example RES. Moreover, each indicator of energy demand in the building plays a key role in assessing the energy efficiency of the building. For this reason it is important to analyze each of them individually, as well as the dependencies between them.

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Contribution to the Study of the Energy Needs for a Building in the City of Errachidia Influence of Orientation and Local Materials

Key Engineering Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.820.18 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 820 ◽

pp. 18-28

Author(s):

Lamya Lairgi ◽

Abdelmajid Daya ◽

Rabie Elotmani ◽

Mohammed Touzani

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Balance ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Building Materials ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Indoor Temperature ◽

Surplus Energy ◽

Energy Needs ◽

The City ◽

Local Materials

Given the share of buildings in energy demand, improving the energy efficiency of buildings in Morocco is an important source of energy savings. In order to finally get surplus energy balance buildings to maintain a stable indoor temperature, this work investigated the influence of orientation and local building materials with and without insulation on energy needs of a building in the city of Errachidia using the ECOTECT ANALYSIS 2011 software dedicated to the Thermal Simulation of Buildings.

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Energy efficiency and energy saving in the German water industry

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2014.029 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 256-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michael Plath ◽

Mathias Ernst ◽

Knut Wichmann

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Balance ◽

Water Supply ◽

Energy Saving ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Water Utilities ◽

Research Centre ◽

Water Supply Systems ◽

Additional Energy ◽

Water Utility

From July 2007 to August 2010, the first German project about energy efficiency in water supply was carried out. The project results are summarised in a guidance report entitled ‘DVGW-Information Wasser Nr. 77’. The DVGW Research Centre worked on assessing the energy saving potentials and a reduction in energy demand for German water supply systems. It is assumed that the energy-saving potential for German water utilities is in the region of 20%. Two main sections were identified as relevant for an investigation of energy efficiency in a water utility. First and foremost, a comprehensive and structured energy balance must be formulated. Based on this information, the energy saving potentials can then be assessed. In the above-mentioned guidance report additional energy saving potentials for all sections of the water supply industry were summarised. An energy balance for water supply must be related to different sectors and levels to guarantee a detailed energy efficiency evaluation. This in turn allows for a structured assessment of the energy saving potentials. In the majority of cases, specific investigations with detailed data capture are necessary. Based on these, an evaluation of applicable measures needs to be undertaken before the measures can be implemented and their success documented. The guidance report ‘DVGW-Information Wasser Nr. 77’ is a manual for these investigations and also includes tools for an energy efficiency analysis in water utilities.

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A Hybrid Simulation Model to Predict the Cooling Energy Consumption for Residential Housing in Hong Kong

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14164850 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (16) ◽

pp. 4850

Author(s):

Kwok Wai Mui ◽

Ling Tim Wong ◽

Manoj Kumar Satheesan ◽

Anjana Balachandran

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Hong Kong ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Building Materials ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Hybrid Simulation ◽

Residential Building ◽

Building Energy ◽

Building Energy Efficiency

In Hong Kong, buildings consume 90% of the electricity generated and over 60% of the city’s carbon emissions are attributable to generating power for buildings. In 2018, Hong Kong residential sector consumed 41,965 TJ (26%) of total electricity generated, with private housing accounting for 52% and public housing taking in 26%, making them the two major contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, air conditioning was the major source consuming 38% of the electricity generated for the residential building segment. Strategizing building energy efficiency measures to reduce the cooling energy consumption of the residential building sector can thus have far-reaching benefits. This study proposes a hybrid simulation strategy that integrates artificial intelligence techniques with a building energy simulation tool (EnergyPlus™) to predict the annual cooling energy consumption of residential buildings in Hong Kong. The proposed method predicts long-term thermal energy demand (annual cooling energy consumption) based on short-term (hourly) simulated data. The hybrid simulation model can analyze the impacts of building materials, construction solutions, and indoor–outdoor temperature variations on the cooling energy consumed in apartments. The results indicate that using low thermal conductivity building materials for windows and external walls can reduce the annual cooling energy consumption by 8.19%, and decreasing the window-to-wall ratio from 80% to 40% can give annual cooling energy savings of up to 18%. Moreover, significant net annual cooling energy savings of 13.65% can be achieved by changing the indoor set-point temperature from 24 °C to 26 °C. The proposed model will serve as a reference for building energy efficiency practitioners to identify key relationships between building physical characteristics and operational strategies to minimize cooling energy demand at a minimal time in comparison to traditional energy estimation methods.

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Impact of Passive Energy Efficiency Measures on Cooling Energy Demand in an Architectural Campus Building in Karachi, Pakistan

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7251

Author(s):

Mushk Bughio ◽

Muhammad Shoaib Khan ◽

Waqas Ahmed Mahar ◽

Thorsten Schuetze

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Electricity Consumption ◽

Information Modeling ◽

Base Case ◽

Energy Efficiency Measures ◽

Efficiency Measures ◽

The Impact ◽

Cooling Energy Demand ◽

Campus Building

Electric appliances for cooling and lighting are responsible for most of the increase in electricity consumption in Karachi, Pakistan. This study aims to investigate the impact of passive energy efficiency measures (PEEMs) on the potential reduction of indoor temperature and cooling energy demand of an architectural campus building (ACB) in Karachi, Pakistan. PEEMs focus on the building envelope’s design and construction, which is a key factor of influence on a building’s cooling energy demand. The existing architectural campus building was modeled using the building information modeling (BIM) software Autodesk Revit. Data related to the electricity consumption for cooling, building masses, occupancy conditions, utility bills, energy use intensity, as well as space types, were collected and analyzed to develop a virtual ACB model. The utility bill data were used to calibrate the DesignBuilder and EnergyPlus base case models of the existing ACB. The cooling energy demand was compared with different alternative building envelope compositions applied as PEEMs in the renovation of the existing exemplary ACB. Finally, cooling energy demand reduction potentials and the related potential electricity demand savings were determined. The quantification of the cooling energy demand facilitates the definition of the building’s electricity consumption benchmarks for cooling with specific technologies.

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Control Strategies for Daylight and Artificial Lighting in Office Buildings—A Bibliometrically Assisted Review

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14133852 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (13) ◽

pp. 3852

Author(s):

Daniel Plörer ◽

Sascha Hammes ◽

Martin Hauer ◽

Vincent van Karsbergen ◽

Rainer Pfluger

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Decisive Role ◽

Future Trend ◽

Office Buildings ◽

Total Energy Consumption ◽

Integral Control ◽

Artificial Lighting

A significant proportion of the total energy consumption in office buildings is attributable to lighting. Enhancements in energy efficiency are currently achieved through strategies to reduce artificial lighting by intelligent daylight utilization. Control strategies in the field of daylighting and artificial lighting are mostly rule-based and focus either on comfort aspects or energy objectives. This paper aims to provide an overview of published scientific literature on enhanced control strategies, in which new control approaches are critically analysed regarding the fulfilment of energy efficiency targets and comfort criteria simultaneously. For this purpose, subject-specific review articles from the period between 2015 and 2020 and their research sources from as far back as 1978 are analysed. Results show clearly that building controls increasingly need to address multiple trades to achieve a maximum improvement in user comfort and energy efficiency. User acceptance can be highlighted as a decisive factor in achieving targeted system efficiencies, which are highly determined by the ability of active user interaction in the automatic control system. The future trend is moving towards decentralized control concepts including appropriate occupancy detection and space zoning. Simulation-based controls and learning systems are identified as appropriate methods that can play a decisive role in reducing building energy demand through integral control concepts.

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Experimental Data and Simulations of Performance and Thermal Comfort in a Typical Mediterranean House

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14113311 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3311

Author(s):

Víctor Pérez-Andreu ◽

Carolina Aparicio-Fernández ◽

José-Luis Vivancos ◽

Javier Cárcel-Carrasco

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Thermal Characterization ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Building Stock ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Dwelling House ◽

Account Standard

The number of buildings renovated following the introduction of European energy-efficiency policy represents a small number of buildings in Spain. So, the main Spanish building stock needs an urgent energy renovation. Using passive strategies is essential, and thermal characterization and predictive tests of the energy-efficiency improvements achieving acceptable levels of comfort for their users are urgently necessary. This study analyzes the energy performance and thermal comfort of the users in a typical Mediterranean dwelling house. A transient simulation has been used to acquire the scope of Spanish standards for its energy rehabilitation, taking into account standard comfort conditions. The work is based on thermal monitoring of the building and a numerical validated model developed in TRNSYS. Energy demands for different models have been calculated considering different passive constructive measures combined with real wind site conditions and the behavior of users related to natural ventilation. This methodology has given us the necessary information to decide the best solution in relation to energy demand and facility of implementation. The thermal comfort for different models is not directly related to energy demand and has allowed checking when and where the measures need to be done.

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