Limiting Heating & Cooling Peak Loads for Net Zero Carbon Buildings

Abstract

Limiting peak heating and cooling loads is an important factor in net zero carbon building in relation to renewable energy implementation, load shifting, etc. Passive and active measures are necessary to limit or shift peak loads in net zero carbon buildings. With the increasing demand for more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings and services to combat climate change, weather data has now become an essential component of virtually every new building design and major refurbishment. In this study, dynamic simulation is used to predict the peak heating and cooling loads for an office building to understand the impact of different load estimate parameters on heating and cooling loads. This paper will discuss the impact of using different weather files, heat gains and shading on the peak loads. It also provided guidance to minimise heat peak loads spikes.