A Parametric Study of Energy Efficiency Measures Used in Deep Energy Retrofits for Two Building Types and U.S. Climate Zones

摘要

One of the critical tasks of the International Energy Agency's Energy Conservation in Buildings and Communities Program's (IEC ECBC's) Annex 61 Business and Technical Concepts for Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) of Public Buildings is to develop bundles of core technologies (measures), which, when applied in major renovation projects to older, pre-1980 buildings, allow site energy reduction by 50% or better compared to the pre-renovation baseline. A short list of these technologies has been generated through analysis of DER projects (Zhivov et al. 2015). Characteristics of some of these "core technologies " depend on technologies available on an individual nation's market, minimum requirements of national standards, and life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis. In addition to these factors, requirements for building envelope-related technologies (e.g., insulation levels, windows), depend on specific climate conditions. This paper presents the results of computational modeling analysis conducted by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center team to determine the performance potential of the core technologies for two categories ofbuildings with relatively low internal loads in 15 U.S. climates using the net zero planner tool. This tool enabled simultaneous simulation of multiple building types and multiple technology bundles of energy efficiency measures in different climate zones. This research supported development of requirements for building envelope characteristics and typical equipment best practices for DER projects. Information presented in the paper along with results of similar studies conducted in Denmark, Estonia, Austria, Germany, China, and the UK(Rieletal. 2016; Yaoetal. 2016; Zhivov 2016) for their nation-specific climate conditions have been used to develop general guidelines for technology bundles to be used in DER projects (Zhivov et al. 2016). Results of these studies show that 50% of site energy use reduction can be achieved in most climate conditions usinga limited number of technologies readily available on the market. It is easier to reduce energy consumption in heating-dominated climates than in climates requiring cooling and humidity control. Additional energy efficiency technologies and measures specific to the building type and use, as well as to specific climate conditions, can further reduce energy use intensity of the building and allow achievement of even higher performance buildings (e.g., passive house standard or even net zero energy).