A new understanding of building energy consumption

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2012

Authors

Orosa, JA (Author) Other; Armando C. Oliveira (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Energy Education Science and Technology Part A: Energy Science and Research

Vol. 29

Pages: 531-542

ISSN: 1308-772X

Publisher: SILA SCIENCE

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 17 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 28 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Other engineering and technologies

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-BW2

Abstract (EN): Energy consumption has emerged as one of the most important factors to be considered in the design of new buildings, as well as in building retrofitting. Several software resources are available to estimate building energy consumption during a whole year, including different standards for building energy certification. However, adhering to one of the main objectives of Annex 55 of the International Energy Agency, only a few methods are available to identify the best possible improvements to reduce energy consumption in existing or new buildings. This paper presents a new tool to define the best option to reduce building energy consumption. In this context, ISO standard 13790 calculation procedure was developed based on the Monte Carlo method and the results showed the probability of energy consumption as a Weibull model. Furthermore, a map of different Weibull models in line with different input parameters was developed as a design guide for the future. However, it was found that thermal inertia should only be considered in instantaneous energetic analysis and not in a yearly study and that the effect of the number of occupants on energy consumption could be obtained only for the heating season and not during the cooling season. This was not possible because it altered the normal distribution of building energy consumption. In short, a new tool had to be developed to define the probability of energy consumption of the different input parameters when designing a building with energy saving strategies.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12