Energy Performance Certification of Faculty Buildings in Spain: The gap between estimated and real energy consumption. (1st October 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Herrando, María; Cambra, David; Navarro, Marcos; de la Cruz, Lucio; Millán, Gema; Zabalza, Ignacio
• Is Part Of: Energy conversion and management. Volume 125(2016)
• Page Start: 141
• Page End: 153
• Publication Date: 2016-10-01
• Subjects: Building Energy Certification -- Energy consumption -- User behaviour -- Energy efficiency measures -- Invoiced energy consumption -- Faculty Buildings; Direct energy conversion -- Periodicals; Energy storage -- Periodicals; Energy transfer -- Periodicals; Énergie -- Conversion directe -- Périodiques; Direct energy conversion; Periodicals; 621.3105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2016.04.037
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0196-8904

Abstract

Highlights: Most of the Faculty Buildings studied are within the average of CO2 emissions. Academic and Research buildings have a similar simulated energy consumption. Several restrictions found in the official Energy Performance Certification tool. Average deviation of 30% between estimated and real energy consumption. Electrical equipment and user behaviour notably increase the energy performance gap. Abstract: A systematic method has been established to perform and analyse in detail the Energy Performance Certification of 21 Faculty Buildings located at the University of Zaragoza (Spain), according to the transposition of Directive 2010/31/EU. First of all, the problem background and a review of the state-of-the-art of the energy certification in buildings is outlined, regarding both the actual state of the Government regulations and the studies undertaken in several countries to assess the energy performance of different types of buildings, residential and non-residential. A summary of the causes found in other studies for the discrepancies between the estimated (by simulation) and actual energy consumption is shown which is afterwards tested and compared with the results found in the present study. Thereafter, the method followed to undertake the buildings' Energy Performance Certification is explained, and the main results found together with the discussion are detailed, comparing actual vs . estimated energy consumption in the different case studies and proposing reasons for these deviations. The energy consumption breakdown by uses for several buildings is also analysed, and potential improvements for the simulation software are assessed.