Application of a Thermal Performance-Based Model to Prediction Energy Consumption for Heating of Single-Family Residential Buildings

Energy consumption for heating of single-family residential buildings is a basic item in energy balance and significantly affects their operating costs. Accuracy of heat consumption assessment in existing buildings to a large extent determines the decision on taking actions aimed at heat consumption rationalization, both at the level of a single building and at regional or national level. In the case of energy calculations for the existing buildings, a problem often arises in the form of lack of complete architectural and construction documentation of the analyzed objects. Therefore, there is a need to search for methods that will be suitable for rapid energy analysis in existing buildings. These methods should give satisfactory results in predicting energy consumption when there is limited access to data characterizing the building. Therefore, the aim of this study was to check the usefulness of a model based on thermal characteristics for estimating energy consumption for heating in single-family residential buildings. The research was conducted on a group of 84 buildings, for which the energy characteristics were determined based on the actual energy consumption. In addition, information was collected on variables describing these buildings in terms of construction technology and building geometry, from which the following were extracted for further calculations: cubic capacity, heated area, and year of construction. This made it possible to build a prediction model, which enables the application of a fast, relatively simple procedure of estimating the final energy demand index for heating buildings. The resulting calculations were compared with actual values (calculated from energy bills) and then evaluated according to the standards for evaluating model quality proposed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). In this way, it was possible to determine whether, in the absence of building documents, the indicative method gives good results when estimating the energy demand for heating single-family residential buildings.

Circulation management in hot water supply systems

The compliance of the actual heat consumption for heating cold water for public hot water supply service with the approved standard has been analyzed. Using passive engineering experiments, we studied the operating modes of hot water supply systems for several groups of houses, in which different methods for regulating water consumption in hot water supply systems were used. Data were collected using online energy monitoring and commercial metering system. Features of the static and dynamic load regulation of hot water systems have been investigated. The effect of methods for regulating the heat load of hot water supply systems on their actual heat consumption has been analyzed. An assessment has been made of the possibility of bringing the actual operating mode of the hot water systems to the specified value which is the basis for calculating the consumption rate. Ways to improve the efficiency of hot water supply systems have been determined. Conclusions have been drawn concerning the need to revise the standardized indicators of hot water quality and adjust the methodology for calculating the consumption rate in hot water supply systems.

Application of Smart Technologies in Metropolis GZM to Reduce Harmful Emissions in District Heating Systems

Harmful emissions from heating installations have recently received public attention in Poland. Polish municipalities mainly take their heat from local district heating networks with large-scale coal-fired heat sources. Today, transition to nonemissive sources on this scale would be impractical. The easiest way to reduce carbon emissions is to limit heat consumption, but at the same time, to preserve thermal comfort, the application of smart technologies is necessary. Veolia operates on 71 district heating systems in Poland, including Warsaw, Lodz, and Poznan. Since heat consumption in Warsaw and Metropolis GZM is at a similar level, this is a case study of Hubgrade automation system application within the Warsaw district heating network. This paper also presents results of simulation of harmful emission reduction potential in Metropolis GZM. Simulation results show that there is a potential for saving approximately 275 kt of CO2 for the whole Metropolis GZM.

Entropic Balance Conditions and Optimization of Distillation Column System

The paper considers the limitation problem of the distillation column systems separating multicomponent mixtures with serial and parallel structures. The solution takes into account the irreversibility of processes. Using entropic balance conditions, the dependence of load on heat consumption is obtained for a binary distillation column. This dependence is parameterized through two characteristic coefficients–reversible efficiency and irreversibility factor. This dependence was used to solve problems of distribution of heat and raw material fluxes in parallel column structure and selection of optimal separation order in serial structure. The obtained results make it possible to estimate the minimum heat consumption for the separation of a given flow of raw materials, the maximum productivity, and efficiency of the system.

Analysis of the Impact of Thermal Rehabilitation on the Heat Demand. Case Study

The article presents a case study on the impact of thermal rehabilitation of buildings heat demand. In order to reduce specific heat consumption and, in general, heat consumption for heating and hot water preparation, measures are needed to rehabilitate and modernize the thermal protection of buildings and heating and hot water installations. The present study aims to determine the influence of thermal rehabilitation of buildings (insulation of exterior walls - in this case) making for this purpose a comparison of the values of thermal requirements before and after the thermal rehabilitation process for a building. Regarding the thermal insulation used in the case study, expanded polystyrene with a thickness of 10 cm was used for the exterior walls and mineral wool for ceiling. The main purpose of the work is to highlight the importance of thermal insulation of buildings mainly in terms of reducing energy costs and maintaining thermal comfort in homes