scholarly journals Building performance indicators and IEQ assessment procedure for the next generation of EPC-s

2021 ◽  
Vol 246 ◽  
pp. 13003
Author(s):  
Karl-Villem Võsa ◽  
Andrea Ferrantelli ◽  
Dragomir Tzanev ◽  
Kamen Simeonov ◽  
Pablo Carnero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Building Performance ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Heating And Cooling

In the current implementation of EPC-s, the assessment focus is purely on the energy consumption data. For the next generation of EPC-s, new performance indicators are proposed to address relevant building performance aspects, such as sustainability, productivity and market value. These indicators would enable evidence-based decision-making processes and facilitate the delivery of renovation triggers. Within the EPC framework, the problem is not the availability of such performance indicators, but the assessment effort required. Only easily available data can justifiably be introduced to bulk EPC-s, either as direct complementary input or as a performance indicator. Availability of such data was analysed from case studies that included EPC-s from 11 EU member states, mainly non-residential buildings. Analysed data included relevant HVAC information such as ventilation air flows, heating and cooling set-points and installed power, but also output data, such as EPC classes, net and primary energy need and GHG emissions. Based on our findings, we outlined two different development paths - one for existing buildings and one for new buildings and major renovations. Two categories of complementary indicators to energy are proposed – IEQ and power indicators.

Benchmarking of Water Consumption and Waste Management in Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) in Toronto

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahssa Ghajarkhosravi ◽  
Emily Y Huang ◽  
Alan Fung ◽  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Vera Straka
Keyword(s):  
Solid Waste ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Water System ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Gas Consumption ◽  
Annual Water

Water and solid waste benchmarking and developing meaningful performance indicators can help government and building owners to make effective decisions on improving their buildings' efficiency and sustainability. For this study, information on 120 Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) has been collected and analyzed. The study entails the following steps: performing water and solid waste benchmarking for the 120 MURBs, developing meaningful performance indicators; determining performance ranking; and estimating different levels of savings (water, solid waste, cost, and GHG emissions). The most appropriate performance indicator and the benchmarking range for water and solid waste are as follows; water consumption normalized by square meter, 1.06 - 4.19 m3/m2; solid waste benchmarking normalized by number of units, 1.58 - 17.4 yd3/unit. Also, the MURBs domestic hot water system efficiencies are found to be very low (with overall system efficiency in the range of 35% to 45%). A relatively strong correlation is found between annual natural gas consumption and annual water consumption.

scholarly journals Utility Benchmarking And Potential Savings of Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) In Toronto

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahssa Ghajarkhosravi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Performance Ranking

Building energy, water and solid waste benchmarking and developing meaningful performance indicators can help government and building owners to make effective decisions on improving their buildings' efficiency. For this study, information on 120 Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) has been provided. The study entails the following steps: performing energy (weather normalized using the Princeton Scorekeeping Method (PRISM)), water, and solid waste benchmarking for the 120 MURBs, developing meaningful performance indicators; determining performance ranking; and estimating different levels of savings (energy, water, solid waste, cost, and GHG emissions). The most appropriate performance indicator and the benchmarking range for energy, water, and solid waste are as follows, energy consumption normalized by square metre, 141-580 kWh/m

scholarly journals Utility Benchmarking And Potential Savings of Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) In Toronto

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahssa Ghajarkhosravi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Solid Waste ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Performance Ranking

Building energy, water and solid waste benchmarking and developing meaningful performance indicators can help government and building owners to make effective decisions on improving their buildings' efficiency. For this study, information on 120 Multi-Unit Residential Buildings (MURBs) has been provided. The study entails the following steps: performing energy (weather normalized using the Princeton Scorekeeping Method (PRISM)), water, and solid waste benchmarking for the 120 MURBs, developing meaningful performance indicators; determining performance ranking; and estimating different levels of savings (energy, water, solid waste, cost, and GHG emissions). The most appropriate performance indicator and the benchmarking range for energy, water, and solid waste are as follows, energy consumption normalized by square metre, 141-580 kWh/m

scholarly journals Energy Retrofitting Opportunities Using Renewable Materials—Comparative Analysis of the Current Frameworks in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
Darija Gajić ◽  
Slobodan Peulić ◽  
Tim Mavrič ◽  
Anna Sandak ◽  
Črtomir Tavzes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Renewable Materials ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Eu Member States

Sustainable approaches for retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are becoming necessary in a time when the building sector is the largest energy consumer. Retrofitting building stock is effective for reducing global energy consumption and decreasing resource exploitation. Less developed EU member states and neighboring developing countries show reluctance towards healthy and renewable materials. Implementation of sustainable materials for energy retrofitting is slowed down due to gaps in legislation and effective strategic programs, availability of bio-based materials, lack of knowledge regarding use and maintenance of renewable products, and marketing lobbies. Use of bio-based materials in refurbishment is important due to their negative or low global warming potential (GWP), low primary energy (PEI) need for production, cost-effective benefits, and recycling/reuse potential. Role of environmentally friendly solutions and low-carbon economy growth is particularly relevant in developing countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, that cannot afford innovative energy recovery systems, yet possess a significant amount of poorly managed building stock. This research aims to analyze frameworks regarding retrofitting of residential buildings in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia. The analysis tackles indirect causes, studies the legal background, and examines strategic frameworks; thus, it indicates potential barriers for implementation of recommended retrofitting solutions based on renewable materials.

scholarly journals ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, LESS STRAIGHT FORWARD THEN PRESUMED

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Hens
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Energy Conserving ◽  
New Construction

Since the 1990s, the successive EU directives and related national or regional legislations require new construction and retrofits to be as much as possible energy-efficient. Several measures that should stepwise minimize the primary energy use for heating and cooling have become mandated as requirement. However, in reality, related predicted savings are not seen in practice. Two effects are responsible for that. The first one refers to dweller habits, which are more energy-conserving than the calculation tools presume. In fact, while in non-energy-efficient ones, habits on average result in up to a 50% lower end energy use for heating than predicted. That percentage drops to zero or it even turns negative in extremely energy-efficient residences. The second effect refers to problems with low-voltage distribution grids not designed to transport the peaks in electricity whensunny in summer. Through that, a part of converters has to be uncoupled now and then, which means less renewable electricity. This is illustrated by examples that in theory should be net-zero buildings due to the measures applied and the presence of enough photovoltaic cells (PV) on each roof. We can conclude that mandating extreme energy efficiency far beyond the present total optimum value for residential buildings looks questionable as a policy. However, despite that, governments and administrations still seem to require even more extreme measurements regarding energy efficiency.

scholarly journals Energy Efficiency and GHG Emissions Mapping of Buildings for Decision-Making Processes against Climate Change at the Local Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Lorenzo-Sáez ◽  
José-Vicente Oliver-Villanueva ◽  
Eloina Coll-Aliaga ◽  
Lenin-Guillermo Lemus-Zúñiga ◽  
Victoria Lerma-Arce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy

Buildings have become a key source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to the consumption of primary energy, especially when used to achieve thermal comfort conditions. In addition, buildings play a key role for adapting societies to climate change by achieving more energy efficiency. Therefore, buildings have become a key sector to tackle climate change at the local level. However, public decision-makers do not have tools with enough spatial resolution to prioritise and focus the available resources and efforts in an efficient manner. The objective of the research is to develop an innovative methodology based on a geographic information system (GIS) for mapping primary energy consumption and GHG emissions in buildings in cities according to energy efficiency certificates. The developed methodology has been tested in a representative medium-sized city in Spain, obtaining an accurate analysis that shows 32,000 t of CO2 emissions due to primary energy consumption of 140 GWh in residential buildings with high spatial resolution at single building level. The obtained results demonstrate that the majority of residential buildings have low levels of energy efficiency and emit an average of 45 kg CO2/m2. Compared to the national average in Spain, this obtained value is on the average, while it is slightly better at the regional level. Furthermore, the results obtained demonstrate that the developed methodology is able to directly identify city districts with highest potential for improving energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions. Additionally, a data model adapted to the INSPIRE regulation has been developed in order to ensure interoperability and European-wide application. All these results have allowed the local authorities to better define local strategies towards a low-carbon economy and energy transition. In conclusion, public decision-makers will be supported with an innovative and user-friendly GIS-based methodology to better define local strategies towards a low-carbon economy and energy transition in a more efficient and transparent way based on metrics of high spatial resolution and accuracy.

scholarly journals Dynamic simulation of a solar heating and cooling system including a seasonal storage serving a small Italian residential district

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6 Part A) ◽  
pp. 3555-3568
Author(s):  
Antonio Rosato ◽  
Antonio Ciervo ◽  
Francesco Guarino ◽  
Giovanni Ciampi ◽  
Michelangelo Scorpio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cooling System ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Adsorption Chiller ◽  
Electric Energy Storage ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Water Demands ◽  
Solar Field

A centralized solar hybrid heating and cooling system satisfying the thermal, cooling and sanitary water demands of a typical Italian small district composed of six residential buildings situated in Naples (southern Italy) is modelled, simulated and analysed through the software TRNSYS over a period of 5 years. The plant is based on the operation of solar thermal collectors coupled with seasonal borehole storage; the solar field is also composed of photovoltaic solar panels connected with electric energy storage. An adsorption chiller powered by solar energy is adopted for cooling purposes, while a condensing boiler is used as an auxiliary unit. The performance of the proposed system has been assessed from energy, environmental and economic points of view and contrasted with the operation of a typical Italian heating and cooling plant, highlighting the following main results: saving of primary energy consumption up to 40.2%; (decrease of equivalent CO2 emissions up to 38.4%; reduction of operating costs up to 40.1%; and simple pay-back period of about 20 years.

scholarly journals Financial and Energetic Optimization of Greek Buildings Insulation

Designs ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Mitsopoulos ◽  
Evangelos Bellos ◽  
Christos Tzivanidis
Keyword(s):  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Evaluation Procedure ◽  
Climate Zones ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Insulation Thickness ◽  
Cooling Loads

The most important parameter in the design of the building envelope is the insulation thickness, because it dramatically influences the heating and cooling loads. The objective of this study is the investigation of different insulation scenarios for the four climate zones of Greece and, more specifically, the cities Heraklion, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Florina. The insulation thickness is examined up to 8 cm and the optimum thickness is determined by the minimization of the simple payback period in order to design a cost-effective system. Moreover, the primary energy consumption, the heating/cooling loads, and the equivalent CO2 emissions are calculated. Furthermore, a multi-objective evaluation procedure of the various insulated scenarios is conducted in order to show the relationship between the energetic and the financial optimization. Generally, it is found that the optimum insulation thickness is around 4 cm for all the climate zones using financial criteria, while the energy criteria indicate higher thicknesses. These results can be applied to the suitable design of Greek residential buildings.

Integrated Study of a Minimum Exergy Destruction Building Conditioning System

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Ferraro ◽  
Enrico Sciubba ◽  
Claudia Toro
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Model Case ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pumps ◽  
Energy Supply System ◽  
San Lorenzo ◽  
Heating And Cooling

The relatively low average conversion efficiency of air-conditioning systems and the recently imposed upper bounds to the final energy use in the heating and cooling of residential buildings suggest to consider new approaches to design less energy intensive systems. An integrated, exergy-based approach for the optimal matching of internal and external heating plants in building conditioning systems has been proposed — and its theoretical basis discussed — in a previous paper. The procedure allows the designer to obtain a pseudo-optimal integration of the building and its heating plant (heating element + primary energy supply system) and to identify, among a set of alternative solutions for the building under examination, the thermodynamically most efficient plant. The objective of this paper is to validate the method on a real building in order to demonstrate its practical applicability. The large “Chiostro Hall” (220 square meters, 1245 cubic meters) of the Engineering School of the University “Sapienza” of Roma has been employed as the benchmark. This is the main hall of the building, reconverted from a previously existing Renaissance structure, the old convent of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, which was in turn built on the ruins of a pre-christian roman basilica and of a portion of emperor Nero’s Domus Aurea. The hall consists of two semi-connected rooms, originally the Refectory of the old Convent, that are now used for public events, conferences and graduation ceremonies. This structure can be considered as a model case for similar halls in historical buildings, so that the guidelines deriving from the present study can be extended to other similar environments. The current heating elements are traditional radiators: in our simulations, they have been successively replaced by other elements such as floor and ceiling heating panels and fan coils. Each one of these configurations (the hall and its heating elements) has been modeled and simulated via a commercial CFD code to generate detailed thermal maps and to compute the actual thermal load. Different global “heating chains” were then modeled by coupling solar and hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) panels with radiant panels and ground-source heat pumps with fan coils and radiant heating panels. Finally by means of a process simulator software each one of these configurations was analyzed to identify the one that provides the same comfort level with the least exergy use. The procedure also allows to calculate the savings obtained in terms of primary resources.

Integrating Performance Indicator Into the Audit Process Safety Management System

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
C. R. Che Hassan ◽  
M. J. Pitt ◽  
A. J. Wilday
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Management System ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Process Safety ◽  
Audit Process ◽  
Safety Management System ◽  
Audit System ◽  
Similar Elements

The development of the audit method has included the identification of possible performance indicators at each level of the sociotechnical pyramid for a range of areas of work in which accidents have been shown to occur most frequently. The measurementof performance indicators is part of a feedback loop which causes safety improvements. Integration of performance indicators into the audit system has been tested at three operating chemical industries in Terengganu and Selangor in Malaysia. A summary of the weaknesses of the similar elements identified in the three audited plants is presented. Analysis on the approach used enables the identification of deficiencies in safety management aspects. Keywords: Accidents, audit, deficiencies, performance indicators, safety management, and sociotechnical pyramid.

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