A new thermal analysis by numerical simulation to investigate the energy performance of buildings

12th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Associatio

Towards measurement and verification of energy performance under the framework of the European directive for energy performance of buildings

Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the Energy Performance of Buildings has led to major developments in energy policies followed by the EU Member States. The national energy performance targets for the built environment are mostly rooted in the Building Regulations that are shaped by this Directive. Article 3 of this Directive requires a methodology to calculate energy performance of buildings under standardised operating conditions. Overwhelming evidence suggests that actual energy performance is often significantly higher than this standardised and theoretical performance. The risk is national energy saving targets may not be achieved in practice. The UK evidence for the education and office sectors is presented in this paper. A measurement and verification plan is proposed to compare actual energy performance of a building with its theoretical performance using calibrated thermal modelling. Consequently, the intended vs. actual energy performance can be established under identical operating conditions. This can help identify the shortcomings of construction process and building procurement. Once energy performance gap is determined with reasonable accuracy and root causes identified, effective measures could be adopted to remedy or offset this gap

A new era in the energy performance of buildings

Improving energy efficiency in buildings is a major priority for the European Union, yet current modelling processes do not accurately reflect consumption. The MOEEBIUS framework will provide the basis for more accurate energy performance assessment, underpinning efforts to improve efficiency and opening up new commercial opportunities, as Dawid Krysiński explainsH2020 680517 MOEEBIUS

Support for the integration of simulation in the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Concerns about the security of energy supply in Europe and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions led to the introduction of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EBPD). A key requirement within the EPBD is that Member States will need to adopt a methodology for calculating the integrated energy performance of buildings. This thesis is concerned with the use of detailed energy simulation programs to address this requirement of the EPBD and its possible future evolution

Computational tools for low energy building design : capabilities and requirements

Integrated building performance simulation (IBPS) is an established technology, with the ability to model the heat, mass, light, electricity and control signal flows within complex building/plant systems. The technology is used in practice to support the design of low energy solutions and, in Europe at least, such use is set to expand with the advent of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which mandates a modelling approach to legislation compliance. This paper summarises IBPS capabilities and identifies developments that aim to further improving integrity vis-à-vis the reality

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Where Are We Going?

The EU adopted the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in 2003 to help to measure, manage and reduce energy consumption and consequential carbon emissions related to buildings. It introduced the concept of energy certificates for buildings on construction, sale or rent. It required energy certificates for display in many public buildings across Europe and introduced regular inspections of heating and air conditioning systems. The Directive was recast in 2010, to include a number of amendments aimed at improving the effectiveness of the legislation. The Directive is now being reviewed again and the European Commission, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers are now engaged in a three-way process of negotiation to finalise the text. This paper looks at the history of the implementation of the EPBD and considers how the recast might affect buildings in both Ireland and the UK. It also seeks to offer a wider perspective on how the Directive may be able to help address the energy challenges we face in both Ireland and the UK

Impacts of Courtyard Geometrical Configurations on Energy Performance of Buildings

The courtyard is an architectural design element often regarded as microclimate modifiers.  It has the potential of improving comfort conditions within the outdoor courtyard space and the enclosing indoor spaces. Harnessing the optimum benefits of courtyards depends on several conditions namely the orientation and configurations of the courtyards, as well as the treatment of the external surfaces of the enclosing building envelopes. As three variables of orientation, number of floors and wall envelope have not been investigated in a single study, therefore, this parametric study was performed to investigate the microclimatic influence of varying courtyard geometric configurations and its enclosing facades in hot and humid climate using IES<VE> simulation tools.  The study observed the environmental impact regarding thermal performance and energy consumption of the enclosing indoor spaces.  The results suggest optimum conditions to harness the potential of courtyards to lower energy consumption of buildings in the tropics.Keywords: courtyard; thermal performance; energy consumption; simulationeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i10.1637

Modelling of double ventilated facades according to CEN Standard 13790 method and detailed simulation

The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) encourages the use of technologies in buildings that can potentially improve their energy performance. Double ventilated façades can often have a positive contribution to this objective and their effect has to be quantified during the calculation of the overall energy performance of the buildings. The updated EN ISO 13790 Standard is part of the new set of CEN Standards that have to be delivered to support the EPBD requirement for a general framework for the methodology of calculation of the total energy performance of buildings. It contains a method to calculate the contribution of the double ventilated façades to the annual heating and cooling requirements of buildings. At the same time (validated) detailed simulation tools, which are also allowed in this Standard, offer an alternative way to quantify the effect of the double ventilated façades on the buildings' energy performance. This paper examines a case study where the ESP-r simulation program and the method described in the Standard were used for a common building specification to investigate the impacts from a double ventilated façade on the energy performance of the building. It discusses the potential differences that might appear when a detailed simulation tool (ESP-r) is used with constrained (according to the Standard) inputs and also unconstrained inputs, compared to the outputs obtained from the method described in the Standard. Some parametric studies are included to show whether the same trends are obtained using both the method in the Standard and the detailed simulation approach

Predicting the energy performance of buildings under present and future climate scenarios: lessons learnt

Predicting the energy performance of buildings is important to optimize the energy consumption. Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) is a key tool that is used to predict the environmental performance of buildings. Much work has been done that conforms a gap between predicted and measured energy consumed in buildings due to a range of influencing factors. Understanding the causes of performance gap can help in reducing it between design targets and actual performance. On the other hand, there is a convincing evidence that climate is changing and that we will be facing different climatic scenarios in the future. Buildings should be designed to be able of dealing with future climatic changes using mitigation and adaptation measures. Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) can be used to estimate the energy performance of buildings and their indoor environments based on future climatic scenarios and to assess the different design options. This paper explores the main aspects that need consideration when predicting the energy performance of buildings under future climatic conditions. The research conducts a critical literature review engaging with previous knowledge in the field. It also sheds light on the way of producing future weather files