Shashwat, S; Zingre, K and Thurairajah, N (2022) Enhancing building energy efficiency estimation by integrating microclimate conditions. In: Tutesigensi, A and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 38th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2022, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
The building sector accounts for over a third of greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and 36% of energy consumption globally. Urban settlements alone are responsible for around 70% of carbon dioxide emissions. Building performance simulation tools (e.g., EnergyPlus) are frequently used to conduct energy calculations which use weather data (obtained from weather stations) as one of the boundary conditions. However, it is hypothesised that the energy calculations are more dependent on microclimatic conditions, leading to inaccuracy in energy estimations. Therefore, a new approach by integrating a microclimate tool (i.e., ENVI-MET) with a building performance simulation tool to enhance the accuracy of energy estimations is proposed in this study. A comparative analysis using computational tools was carried out for a real-scale typical UK residential settlement and it was observed that there is a distinctive difference (around 1°C) caused by the microclimate for both the summer as well as the winter period.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | building energy; CFD simulation; envi-met; microclimate modelling. |
| Index terms: | energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission, microclimate, building performance simulation, summer, modelling, weather, winter, energy efficiency, boundary condition, carbon dioxide emission, estimation, energyplus, accuracy, comparative analysis |
| Subjects: | structural engineering, professional development, environmental health, air quality, climate science, modelling and simulation, sustainability and energy, analytical methods, financial and cost management, data analysis and analytics, environmental science, energy systems |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Cost Management, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
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