Application of Building Typologies for Modelling the Energy Balance of the Residential Building Stock

Building typologies can serve as a basis for analysing the national housing sector. During the TABULA project which was introducing or further developing building typologies in thirteen EU countries, six of the European partners have carried out model calculations which aim at imaging the energy consumption and estimating the energy saving potentials of their national residential building stocks (IWU / Germany, NOA / Greece, POLITO / Italy, VITO / Belgium, STU-K / Czech Republic, SBi / Denmark). The results show that the model calculations can provide plausible projections of the energy consumption of the national residential buildings stock. The fit of model calculations and national energy statistics is satisfactory, deviations can often be explained and corrected by adapting standard boundary conditions of the applied calculation models to more realistic values. In general, the analysis shows that building typologies can be a helpful tool for modelling the energy consumption of national building stocks and for carrying out scenario analysis beyond the TABULA project. The consideration of a set of representative buildings makes it possible to have a detailed view on various packages of measures for the complete buildings stock or for its sub-categories. The effects of different insulation measures at the respective construction elements as well as different heat supply measures including renewable energies can be considered in detail. The quality of future model calculations will depend very much on the availability of statistical data. For reliable scenario analysis information is necessary about the current state of the building stock (How many buildings and heating systems have been refurbished until now?) and about the current trends (How many buildings and heating systems are being refurbished every year?). The availability and regular update of the relevant statistical data will be an important basis for the development and evaluation of national climate protection strategies in the building secto

Application of Building Typologies for Modelling the Energy Balance of the Residential Building Stock.

Building typologies can serve as a basis for analysing the national housing sector. During the TABULA project which was introducing or further developing building typologies in thirteen EU countries, six of the European partners have carried out model calculations which aim at imaging the energy consumption and estimating the energy saving potentials of their national residential building stocks (IWU / Germany, NOA / Greece, POLITO / Italy, VITO / Belgium, STU-K / Czech Republic, SBi / Denmark). The results show that the model calculations can provide plausible projections of the energy consumption of the national residential buildings stock. The fit of model calculations and national energy statistics is satisfactory, deviations can often be explained and corrected by adapting standard boundary conditions of the applied calculation models to more realistic values. In general, the analysis shows that building typologies can be a helpful tool for modelling the energy consumption of national building stocks and for carrying out scenario analysis beyond the TABULA project. The consideration of a set of representative buildings makes it possible to have a detailed view on various packages of measures for the complete buildings stock or for its sub-categories. The effects of different insulation measures at the respective construction elements as well as different heat supply measures including renewable energies can be considered in detail. The quality of future model calculations will depend very much on the availability of statistical data. For reliable scenario analysis information is necessary about the current state of the building stock (How many buildings and heating systems have been refurbished until now?) and about the current trends (How many buildings and heating systems are being refurbished every year?). The availability and regular update of the relevant statistical data will be an important basis for the development and evaluation of national climate protection strategies in the building sector

Natural ventilation research activities undertaken in the framework of PASCOOL

Natural Ventilation is a widely used passive cooling technique in the countries of southern Europe. Numerous studies have been devoted to the analysis of the physical phenomena related to natural ventilation. These phenomena are very complex and our degree of understanding them often leaves a lot to be desired. Research on this topic within the framework of PASCOOL included experimental and modeling work aiming to fill existing gaps in our knowledge of indoor air conditions in naturally ventilated buildings. An extensive experimental program was carried out in full scale buildings and test cell facilities during the summer period in Greece, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and Portugal. Existing models were validated and new ones were proposed. This paper gives a brief description of the experimental work and summarizes the results from the data analysis and model development within PASCOOL

On the use of deterministic and intelligent techniques to predict the air velocity distribution on external openings in single-sided natural ventilation configurations

Four single-sided natural ventilation experiments were carried out in a test cell, a full-scale outdoor facility in Athens, Greece. During the experiments air velocity data at various heights at the vertical centerline of the opening were collected. Various mathematical approaches were used for the prediction of the air velocity at the door level, using experimentally derived parameters as inputs. Deterministic as well as intelligent techniques were applied in an attempt to determine the potential of each of these approaches in predicting the air velocity with accuracy. In the frame of the first category, correlation techniques, pressure models and CFD models were studied. The intelligent techniques involved an application of fuzzy theory for the prediction of the air velocity at the opening level. The response of each of the above methodologies is discussed in this paper. © Elsevier Science Ltd

Natural convection heat transfer coefficients from vertical and horizontal surfaces for building applications

Correlations for natural convection heat transfer coefficients from experimental studies are reviewed and compared for their applicability to real surfaces in buildings. All correlations have been modified for appropriate Prandtl and Grashof numbers in building applications. A comparative statistical analysis reveals that there is a good agreement between the available correlations. © 1994

Coupling and solving thermal and air flow phenomena in passively cooled buildings

PASSPORT Plus is a new building thermal simulation tool, developed in the framework of PASCOOL. It incorporates new findings from the experimental and theoretical research activities performed in PASCOOL that have been integrated in an original informatic structure. Overall, the emphasis during the development of the program was given on dealing with problems related to cooling of buildings, especially by natural and passive techniques. Some of the program's features include a detailed treatment of the thermal mass, external remote obstacles, external shading devices like facade obstacles and louvers, improved treatment of natural ventilation phenomena. PASSPORT Plus is a flexible numerical model, in a sense that it can be easily modified in order to adapt and incorporate new findings from ongoing and future research, independently developed modules for treating specific systems or processes, with minimum effort and changes to the program's structure. The tool has been validated against experimental data and various other simulation programs, with very good agreement

Passive solar agricultural greenhouses: A worldwide classification and evaluation of technologies and systems used for heating purposes

Results from a recently completed study of 95 solar greenhouses from around the world, representing the state-of-the-art in this field, are presented and are classified. Relevant technical information on the utilised heating systems using alternative energy sources are identified and the existing applications are grouped according to the characteristics of the implemented type of technology. Five categories of passive solar greenhouses are reviewed, according to the characteristics of the heat storage system, namely, water, latent heat material, rock bed, buried pipes, and some other type of systems. Available information on the performance of each system is also included. The suitability of the technologies for each climatic zone and type of cultivation is estimated and evaluated. This up-to-date information on the state of the art in this field can be of great importance to potential users for the successful development of future applications. © 1994

Energy conservation and retrofitting potential in Hellenic hotels

Energy consumption data from 158 Hellenic hotels and estimated energy savings that result from the use of practical retrofitting techniques, materials and new energy efficient systems are presented. The data were collected during an extensive energy audit of buildings that was carried out in Hellas, within the frame of a National Energy Programme sponsored by the CEC VALOREN Programme, for energy conservation in buildings. During this short monitoring campaign and on-site visits of a trained panel of engineers to each building, all information related to the building's construction, heating, cooling and lighting systems, and all other mechanical and electrical systems, was collected. The main results and energy characteristics of cooling, heating and lighting on energy consumption and performance are discussed. The annual average total energy consumption in hotels is 273 kWh/m2, one of the highest among all categories of buildings. Several scenarios for possible interventions to the building's outer envelope, heating, cooling and lighting systems are proposed and evaluated, in order to assess the effectiveness of various energy conservation techniques. Based on the results from several simulations, it is concluded that it is possible to reach an overall 20% energy conservation

Energy characteristics and savings potential in office buildings

The present paper reports the findings of a monitoring campaign in 186 office buildings in Greece. The specific energy consumption of the buildings for heating, cooling, and lighting purposes, as well as the consumption of the office equipment is reported. The impact of the used systems, techniques, and components is investigated. The potential and the limitations of various energy conservation systems and alternative techniques is assessed. The present study provides useful information for efficient energy planning, as well as appropriate design and equipment selection, in office buildings. © 1993

Energy consumption and the potential for energy conservation in school buildings in Hellas

School buildings (238) in Hellas were audited for construction, heating, cooling, lighting, and mechanical and electrical systems. The annual average total energy consumption is 93 kWh/m2, of which approximately 72% is consumed for space heating. The assessment of various energy-conservation techniques shows a potential for 20% overall energy conservation. © 1994