scholarly journals Standardization of green building technologies: Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB)

Tehnika ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-253
Author(s):  
Igor Milović
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Policies And Measures ◽  
Energy Factors ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

European legislation EPBD [1] (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) makes nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEBs) a standard by 2020. The technology is already available and proven; however, the large-scale uptake of nZEB construction and renovation will be a big challenge for all market actors and stakeholders involved. A substantial gap in reliable data on current market activities makes it difficult for policy-makers to evaluate the success of their policies and measures [2]. As concrete numeric thresholds or ranges are not defined in the EPBD, these requirements let a lot of space for own interpretation and thus allow Member States (MSs) to define their nZEB in a very flexible way taking into account their country specific climate conditions, primary energy factors, ambition levels, calculation methodologies and building traditions. This is also the main reason why existing nZEB definitions differ significantly from country to country. It is thus a challenging task to find a common denominator for defining an nZEB on a European scale [1,2].

The fiancée is unduly beautiful

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
A. Kerekes ◽  
A. Zöld
Keyword(s):  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Conversion Factors ◽  
Heating Systems ◽  
Lower Heat ◽  
Hot Water Supply ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

According to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, a significant share of the energy consumption of nearly zero energy buildings is covered from renewable energy. Biomass is considered as one of the most important renewable sources. It is promising since most of the Member states apply very low primary energy conversion factors for it. Nevertheless, the primary energy need is not as favourable as the conversion factors suggest, due to the efficiency of the biomass boilers for all over the year which depends on the changing load. Heating systems supplied with biomass boilers need buffer storage tanks which further decrease the efficiency of the system. The nearly zero energy buildings, especially those of residential use exhibit more stable load due to the lower heat loss and the overwhelming share of the net energy need of domestic hot water supply.

scholarly journals Ambition Levels of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) Definitions: An Approach for Cross-Country Comparison

Buildings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Garcia ◽  
Lukas Kranzl
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Building Codes ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Country Comparison ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Zero Energy Buildings

Since buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the European Union (EU), the directive 2010/31/EU “Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPDB)” among other legal provisions concerning the reduction of energy consumption of buildings has been enforced. According to this legislation, all new buildings must be nearly zero energy buildings “nZEB” by 31 December 2020 (public buildings by 31 December 2018). Nonetheless, the assessment of the “high energy performance” of a building is ambiguous and a cross country comparison seems to be intricate since different national building codes and nZEB definitions employ different energy indicators and methods. This paper delves into the question of how do the ambition levels of “nZEB” definitions and the transposition of the Directive 2010/31/EU into national law differ in four selected EU Countries: Austria, Germany, Spain, and England (as part of UK). The energy performance of some exemplary buildings is assessed by means of a simplified MATLAB model that is based on the norm DIN V-18599. The results drawn from this work show how diverse are building codes scopes and national “nZEB” definitions. Only 9 of the 36 studied cases of residential buildings obtain consistently the “nZEB” compliance status in all four selected countries. The results show that climate conditions, energy requirements, primary energy factors, ambition levels, and calculation methodologies lead to the problem of an uneven cross-country comparison. Moreover, primary energy consumption [kWh/m2a] set as the main quantitative energy indicator by the directive 2010/31/EU might not be the most suitable one for an EU level comparison.

scholarly journals Transformation of an Office Building into a Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB): Implications for Thermal and Visual Comfort and Energy Performance

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Ballarini ◽  
Giovanna De Luca ◽  
Argun Paragamyan ◽  
Anna Pellegrino ◽  
Vincenzo Corrado
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Visual Comfort ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Efficiency Measures

Directive 2010/31/EU promotes the refurbishment of existing buildings to change them into nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs). Within this framework, it is of crucial importance to guarantee the best trade-off between energy performance and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The implications of a global refurbishment scenario on thermal and visual comfort are assessed in this paper pertaining to an existing office building. The retrofit actions applied to achieve the nZEB target consist of a combination of envelope and technical building systems refurbishment measures, involving both HVAC and lighting. Energy and comfort calculations were carried out through dynamic simulation using Energy Plus and DIVA, for the thermal and visual performance assessments, respectively. The results point out that energy retrofit actions on the building envelope would lead to significant improvements in the thermal performance, regarding both energy savings (−37% of the annual primary energy for heating) and thermal comfort. However, a daylighting reduction would occur with a consequent higher electricity demand for lighting (36%). The research presents a detailed approach applicable to further analyses aimed at optimizing the energy efficiency measures in order to reduce the imbalance between visual and thermal comfort and to ensure the best performance in both domains.

scholarly journals Energy Performance Optimization in a Condensing Boiler

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Diego Fernández-Cheliz ◽  
Eloy Velasco-Gómez ◽  
Juan Peral-Andrés ◽  
Ana Tejero-González
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Operating Parameters ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Lower Heating Value

In Europe, primary energy consumption in buildings accounts for up to 25–40%, depending on the climate conditions. Space heating and Domestic Hot Water (DHW) contribute significantly to this energy consumption. Among the most common sources for heat generation in these appliances is natural gas. Condensing boilers can surpass the 100% energy performance over the lower heating value, if the operating conditions enable the water vapor in the exhaust gases to condensate. Consequently, optimizing the operating parameters of condensing boilers is necessary to decrease fuel consumption without hindering water heating needs. The present work presents an experimental approach to the operating parameters of a condensing boiler that works with natural gas. The aim is to develop a theoretical model that relates the energy performance to the water temperature set by the final user and the excess air set by the maintenance staff.

scholarly journals On the Implementation of the Nearly Zero Energy Building Concept for Jointly Acting Renewables Self-Consumers in Mediterranean Climate Conditions

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faidra Kotarela ◽  
Anastasios Kyritsis ◽  
Nick Papanikolaou
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Electricity Grid

Cost-effective energy saving in the building sector is a high priority in Europe; The European Union has set ambitious targets for buildings’ energy performance in order to convert old energy-intensive ones into nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs). This study focuses on the implementation of a collective self-consumption nZEB concept in Mediterranean climate conditions, considering a typical multi-family building (or apartment block) in the urban environment. The aggregated use of PVs, geothermal and energy storage systems allow the self-production and self-consumption of energy, in a way that the independence from fossil fuels and the reliability of the electricity grid are enhanced. The proposed nZEB implementation scheme will be analyzed from techno-economical perspective, presenting detailed calculations regarding the components dimensioning and costs-giving emphasis on life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) indexes—as well as the energy transactions between the building and the electricity grid. The main outcomes of this work are that the proposed nZEB implementation is a sustainable solution for the Mediterranean area, whereas the incorporation of electrical energy storage units—though beneficial for the reliability of the grid—calls for the implementation of positive policies regarding the reduction of their payback period.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document