Quantifying the Underlying Causes of a Discrepancy Between Predicted and Measured Energy Use

Dronkelaar, Chris van; Dowson, Mark; Spataru, Catalina; Burman, Esfand; Mumovic, Dejan

doi:10.3389/fmech.2019.00020

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…46 In terms of the magnitude of the performance gap, the Innovate UK BPE and TOP properties seem to be on par with other research. The average performance gap error of 29% in this study compares with research by Van Dronkelaar, 48 which found gaps of AE34%, and a previous review of literature by Van Dronkelaar, 10 which found errors between 16% and 67%.…”

Section: Reflection On Results and Analysissupporting

confidence: 66%

Managing the risk of the energy performance gap in non-domestic buildings

Thompson¹,

Burman²,

Mumovic³

et al. 2021

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

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Energy use in buildings accounts for one-third of the overall global energy consumption and total building floor area continues to increase each year as new developments are constructed and delivered. If stringent climate goals are to be met, these buildings will need to consume less energy and emit less carbon. However, design intentions for energy efficient buildings are not always met in practice. This performance gap between calculated and measured energy use in buildings threatens the progress necessary to meet these energy targets. The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that contribute to the performance gap and propose solutions for reducing the gap in practice. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of two research programmes completed in the past few years was utilized for an in-depth look at the performance of around 50 non-domestic buildings in the United Kingdom. While no direct links were found between any one variable and the performance gap, several correlations exist between contributing factors indicating a complex, entangled web of interrelated problems. The multitude of the variables involved presents a formidable challenge in finding practical solutions. However, the results indicate that the combination of the ventilation strategy of a building and the building services control strategy during partial occupancy is a key determinant of the performance gap. A more straightforward procurement approach with clearly delineated targets and responsibilities, along with advanced and seasonal commissioning instituted at the beginning of a project and implemented after building completion can also be very effective in reducing the gap. Finally, mandatory requirements or an appropriate system of incentives for monitoring and disclosure of performance data can help identify many of the underlying issues affecting performance in-use and untangle some of the web of complex issues across the building sector. Awareness of the performance gap and knowledge of the factors contributing to its impact on the building industry is important for all stakeholders involved in the design, construction, operation and occupation of non-domestic buildings. Understanding potential solutions to mitigate these risks may help to reduce the prevalence and magnitude of the performance gap.

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Section: Reflection On Results and Analysissupporting

confidence: 66%

Managing the risk of the energy performance gap in non-domestic buildings

Thompson¹,

Burman²,

Mumovic³

et al. 2021

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology

Self Cite

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“…Although reviews focusing on the performance gap of buildings and building certificates are rare, studies on other issues such as the impact of occupant behavior [2,3], climate [4,5,6,7], heating systems [8,9,10,11]are significant.…”

Section: Previous Reviewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of energy performance gap and solutions in residential buildings

Zare

Shafaat

Asadi

2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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The energy consumption in the world due to economic development, rising population, and technological developments is growing, which has led to an increase in global warming. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop new strategies to reduce energy consumption. Buildings account for about 40% of global energy consumption. Since occupancy time in residential buildings is longer than in commercial and office buildings, residential buildings have a more significant impact on energy consumption. Due to this issue, efforts are being made to optimize energy consumption in residential buildings. Evaluating the performance of a building through building certificates that include as-designed and in-operation is essential for improving energy efficiency. Building energy simulations must be performed before construction to ensure that energy consumption in buildings is acceptable. However, it is observed that the energy consumption of the building after construction is higher than what was designed. This difference is defined as the energy performance gap, which indicates extra energy consumption or failure to comply with energy standards in the operation of the building. There are several reasons for the increased energy consumption of an operating building compared to the designed model. So far, studies have been conducted to determine the factors affecting the energy performance gap, but it is necessary to analyze these studies comprehensively. This article investigates the causes of energy performance gaps and ways to reduce this difference through a comprehensive literature review study. In this way, it is possible to achieve solutions in the building certification criteria that minimize the difference in energy consumption between the as-designed model and the in-operation mode of the building. This article can help decision-makers select the certificate that best fits their purposes.

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“…Occupant density and/or schedule Discrepancies between actual and assumed occupant density or schedule lead to higher or lower use of IT equipment, lighting and appliances [7,16,[21][22][23]30,35,36,38,39,41,42,47,50,51,57,59,60,65,67,110,111] Use of secondary heating/cooling, such as electric heaters [95] Internal heat load Occupant density and/or schedule Standard occupancy schedules imply high heat gains, which can result in underestimation/ [16,17,75] overestimation of energy use for heating/cooling…”

Section: Category Building Model Ingredient Occupant-related Performamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality?

et al. 2021

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Buildings’ expected (projected, simulated) energy use frequently does not match actual observations. This is commonly referred to as the energy performance gap. As such, many factors can contribute to the disagreement between expectations and observations. These include, for instance, uncertainty about buildings’ geometry, construction, systems, and weather conditions. However, the role of occupants in the energy performance gap has recently attracted much attention. It has even been suggested that occupants are the main cause of the energy performance gap. This, in turn, has led to suggestions that better models of occupant behavior can reduce the energy performance gap. The present effort aims at the review and evaluation of the evidence for such claims. To this end, a systematic literature search was conducted and relevant publications were identified and reviewed in detail. The review entailed the categorization of the studies according to the scope and strength of the evidence for occupants’ role in the energy performance gap. Moreover, deployed calculation and monitoring methods, normalization procedures, and reported causes and magnitudes of the energy performance gap were documented and evaluated. The results suggest that the role of occupants as significant or exclusive contributors to the energy performance gap is not sufficiently substantiated by evidence.

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Quantifying the Underlying Causes of a Discrepancy Between Predicted and Measured Energy Use

Cited by 9 publications

References 16 publications

Managing the risk of the energy performance gap in non-domestic buildings

Managing the risk of the energy performance gap in non-domestic buildings

Review of energy performance gap and solutions in residential buildings

The Role of Occupants in Buildings’ Energy Performance Gap: Myth or Reality?

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