A Data-driven Approach for Sustainable Building Retrofit—A Case Study of Different Climate Zones in China

Abstract

This study presents a data-driven retrofitting approach by systematically analyzing the energy performance of existing high-rise residential buildings using a normative calculation logic-based simulation method. To demonstrate the practicality of the approach, typical existing buildings in five climate zones of China are analyzed based on the local building characteristics and climatic conditions. The results show that the total energy consumption is 544 kWh/m2/year in the severe cold zone, which is slightly higher than that in the cold zone (519 kWh/m2/year), but double that in the hot summer and cold winter zone, three times higher than that in the warm zone, and five times above that in the temperate zone. The dominant energy needs in different climatic zones are distinctive. The identified potentially suitable retrofitting measures are important in reducing large-scale energy consumption and can be used in supporting sustainable retrofit decisions for existing high-rise residential buildings in different climatic zones.

Investigation of sustainability embodied in existing buildings: a case study of refurbishment adopted in a Chinese contemporary building

“…It is necessary to fulfill the local architecture building standard before reasonable sustainability analysis of the renovation actions. In China, JGJ26-2018 is published as the green building renovation goal for the renovation standard in Qingdao located in the cold climate zone 28 . Therefore, one scenario of renovation is to fulfill the green building standard for the whole building scale, which contains the consideration of local climate condition and majority of local heating demand and living habits.…”

Optimization-Based Data-Enabled Modeling Technique for HVAC Systems Components

“…R 2 is one of the model performance evaluation tools that is broadly used for model testing and validation [50]. R 2 is better used to compare several models in terms of how good the model fits the data [44,51].…”

“…In addition to the electricity prices that are rapidly increasing and the increasing cost of operating the heating ventilation and air condition (HVAC) systems in the buildings, the buildings are responsible for 44.6% of the total CO 2 emissions, which is the most significant portion compared to 34.3% for transportation and 21.1% for the industry sector. Thus, the need for better operation mechanism of those existing systems become more crucial [2,3]. HVAC systems are heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that are responsible for heating and cooling the space as well as ventilation to maintain the inhabitant comfort levels.…”

Assessments on Sustainability Potential by Upgrade of Existing Heritage Buildings: a case study of Liyuan Courtyard in Qingdao, China

“…It is necessary to fulfill the local architecture building standard before reasonable sustainability analysis of the renovation actions. In China, JGJ26-2018 is published as the green building renovation goal for the renovation standard in Qingdao located in the cold climate zone (He et al 2020). Therefore, one scenario of renovation is to fulfill the green building standard for the whole building scale, which contains the consideration of local climate condition and majority of local heating demand and living habits.…”