Cross-sectoral assessment of the performance gap using calibrated building energy performance simulation

Jain, Nishesh; Burman, Esfand; Stamp, Samuel; Mumovic, Dejan; Davies, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110271

Cited by 40 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…As a compliance tool the standard behavioural assumptions in RdSAP enable comparison between buildings (Jain et al 2020). However, these tools are also designed to encourage energy and carbon reduction, providing retrofit recommendations and informing decisions for government funded retrofit programmes (BEIS 2020b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The need to support such positive user interactions with their buildings and systems has been highlighted (Gram-Hanssen 2014;Gram-Hanssen et al 2018). However such aspects are rarely considered by models, or as being within the remit of retrofit measures, for either heritage or non-heritage buildings (Berg et al 2017;Gram-Hanssen et al 2018;Kohler & Hassler 2012), and are therefore a significant contributor to the performance gap between actual and modelled savings from retrofit interventions (Galvin & Sunikka-Blank 2016;Jain et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rethinking retrofit of residential heritage buildings

Wise

Moncaster

Jones

2021

Buildings and Cities

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What are the opportunities and challenges for upscaling the energy retrofit of heritage buildings? Heritage buildings comprise approximately 20% of the UK building stock and are challenging to retrofit sensitively because of their heritage values and traditional construction. These buildings may therefore be unconducive to standard retrofitting approaches. Twelve case studies in the UK are examined. Three key findings are presented together with their implications for upscaling retrofit. First, heritage residents are found to engage in positive energy behaviours, which differ from standard assumptions and have a significant impact on energy demand. Second, standard energy models are shown to considerably overestimate the energy use within heritage buildings, failing to accurately portray both traditional construction and residents' behaviours. Third, residents consider many common retrofits, such as replacement windows and wall insulation, to be unacceptable to their heritage values. A number of more acceptable and less invasive 'soft retrofits' were modelled and shown to have significant potential for reducing energy and carbon. Therefore, a more holistic approach to heritage building retrofitting needs to be taken, treating the complex interrelationship of buildings and their users as a system, and expanding notions of retrofitting to include soft retrofits and user behaviour. POLICY RELEVANCEThis research identified the importance of appropriately retrofitting heritage buildings, which include around 20% of the UK building stock. Standard solutions such as wall insulation and window replacement are unlikely to be enacted by most heritage residents because they are not acceptable to their heritage values, suggesting the need to prioritise other measures. Standard energy models such as Reduced data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) were found to be inaccurate for heritage buildings, overestimating energy use by both buildings and occupants, and should not be used to inform retrofit decisions for these buildings. Notions of retrofit should be expanded beyond fabric FREYA WISE ALICE MONCASTER

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking retrofit of residential heritage buildings

Wise

Moncaster

Jones

2021

Buildings and Cities

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“…Occupancy and occupant behaviour: The building is occupied 24/7; however, different clinical processes have different needs, and the irregular nature of the processes makes it difficult to describe typical events and average durations of use for various functions [62]. Additionally, hospitals continuously evolve to meet changing needs [62]. This may result in changes to space use, equipment inventory or building services, which might not be updated in the facility managers' records.…”

Section: Energymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It should also be noted that maintaining high IEQ through high air changes and filtration comes at an energy expense. Therefore, controls that consider the balance between fresh air requirements and protection from outdoor sources of pollution could provide a healthier environment, and at the same time save energy in mechanically ventilated buildings [62].…”

Section: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Performance Evaluation of a New Hospital Building in the UK: Balancing Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Performance

Jain

Burman²,

Stamp³

et al. 2021

Atmosphere

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Hospitals are controlled yet complex ecosystems which provide a therapeutic environment that promotes healing, wellbeing and work efficiency for patients and staff. As these buildings accommodate the sick and vulnerable, occupant wellbeing and good indoor environmental quality (IEQ) that deals with indoor air quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics are important objectives. As the specialist nature of hospital function demands highly controlled indoor environments, this makes them energy intensive buildings due to the complex and varying specifications for their functions and operations. This paper reports on a holistic building performance evaluation covering aspects of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics, and energy use. It assesses the performance issues and inter-relationships between IEQ and energy in a new building on a hospital campus in the city of Bristol, United Kingdom. The empirical evidence collated from this case study and the feedback received from the hospital staff help identify the endemic issues and constraints related to hospital buildings, such as the need for robust ventilation strategies in hospitals in urban areas that mitigate the effect of indoor and outdoor air pollution and ensuring the use of planned new low-carbon technologies. Whilst the existing guidelines for building design provide useful instructions for the protection of hospital buildings against ingress of particulate matter from outdoors, more advanced filtration strategies may be required to enact chemical reactions required to control the concentration levels of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene. Further lessons for improved performance in operation and maintenance of hospitals are highlighted. These include ensuring that the increasingly available metering and monitoring data in new buildings, through building management systems, is used for efficient and optimal building operations for better IEQ and energy management. Overall, the study highlights the need for an integrated and holistic approach to building performance to ensure that healthy environments are provided while energy efficiency targets are met.

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“…Whereas previous efforts have predominantly relied on energy use data or monitored indoor temperatures to calibrate building thermal performance models (e.g. ), 23,24 the present study uses monitored CO 2 concentrations directly to calibrate a building model tailored for indoor air quality assessments. More specifically, the following steps were carried out to prepare an initial thermal performance model of the flat for calibration:…”

Section: Window Operation Analysis and Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Window operation behaviour and indoor air quality during lockdown: A monitoring-based simulation-assisted study in London

Tahmasebi

Wang

Cooper

et al. 2021

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

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The Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in new patterns of home occupancy, the implications of which for indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy use are not well-known. In this context, the present study investigates 8 flats in London to uncover if during a lockdown, (a) IAQ in the monitored flats deteriorated, (b) the patterns of window operation by occupants changed, and (c) more effective ventilation patterns could enhance IAQ without significant increases in heating energy demand. To this end, one-year’s worth of monitored data on indoor and outdoor environment along with occupant use of windows has been used to analyse the impact of lockdown on IAQ and infer probabilistic models of window operation behaviour. Moreover, using on-site CO2 data, monitored occupancy and operation of windows, the team has calibrated a thermal performance model of one of the flats to investigate the implications of alternative ventilation strategies. The results suggest that despite the extended occupancy during lockdown, occupants relied less on natural ventilation, which led to an increase of median CO2 concentration by up to 300 ppm. However, simple natural ventilation patterns or use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery proves to be very effective to maintain acceptable IAQ. Practical application: This study provides evidence on the deterioration of indoor air quality resulting from homeworking during imposed lockdowns. It also tests and recommends specific ventilation strategies to maintain acceptable indoor air quality at home despite the extended occupancy hours.

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Cross-sectoral assessment of the performance gap using calibrated building energy performance simulation

Cited by 40 publications

References 29 publications

Rethinking retrofit of residential heritage buildings

Rethinking retrofit of residential heritage buildings

Building Performance Evaluation of a New Hospital Building in the UK: Balancing Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy Performance

Window operation behaviour and indoor air quality during lockdown: A monitoring-based simulation-assisted study in London

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