Rev-Changes in Primary Energy Use and CO2 Emissions—An Impact Assessment for a Building with Focus on the Swedish Proposal for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Abstract

Abstract:In the European Union's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the energy efficiency goal for buildings is set in terms of primary energy use. In the proposal from the National Board of Housing, Building, and Planning, for nearly zero energy buildings in Sweden, the use of primary energy is expressed as a primary energy number calculated with given primary energy factors. In this article, a multi-dwelling building is simulated and the difference in the primary energy number is investigated when the building uses heat from district heating systems or from heat pumps, alone or combined with solar thermal or solar photovoltaic systems. It is also investigated how the global CO 2 emissions are influenced by the different energy system combinations and with different fuels used. It is concluded that the calculated primary energy number is lower for heat pump systems, but the global CO 2 emissions are lowest when district heating uses mostly biofuels and is combined with solar PV systems. The difference is up to 140 tonnes/year. If the aim with the Swedish building code is to decrease the global CO 2 emissions then the ratio between the primary energy factors for electricity and heat should be larger than three and considerably higher than today.

Analysis of Energy Saving Potential in High-Performance Building Technologies under Korean Climatic Conditions

“…The term 'primary energy consumption' was defined as the primary energy from fossil fuels that the country must provide to meet energy demand of a building. The primary energy consumption is determined by multiplying the final energy consumption by the primary energy factor, which includes energy losses due to electricity production and fuel transportation [42,53,54].…”

Detailed Comparison of the Operational Characteristics of Energy-Conserving HVAC Systems during the Cooling Season

“…The term "primary energy consumption" is defined as the primary energy from fossil fuels that a country must provide to meet a building's energy demand. The primary energy is determined by multiplying the site energy by the primary energy factor, which includes energy losses due to electricity production and fuel transportation [30][31][32]. The Building Energy Efficiency Certification System (BEECS) [29] in Korea uses different primary energy conversion factors that depend on the energy supply sector, as listed in Table 1 [29].…”

Energy flexibility from the consumer: Integrating local electricity and heat supplies in a building

“…HPs and EHs use electricity to produce heat. The substitution of fossil fuel boilers by heat pumps has great potential for primary energy savings and decarbonization of the housing sector, as the share of renewables in the electricity mix is continuously increasing in many countries [35,36]. Storage technologies can increase flexibility through scheduled charging and discharging [37].…”