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

Chul-Ho Kim,Seung-Eon Lee,Kang-Soo Kim

doi:10.3390/en11040884

Abstract

This study aims to suggest a basis for the selection of technologies for developing high-performance buildings to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-saving technologies comprising 15 cases were categorized into passive, active, and renewable energy systems. EnergyPlus v8.8.0 was used to analyze the contribution of each technology in reducing the primary energy consumptions and CO2 emissions in the Korean climate. The primary energy consumptions of the base model were 464.1 and 485.1 kWh/m²a in the Incheon and Jeju region, respectively, and the CO2 emissions were 83.4 and 87.4 kgCO2/m²a, respectively. Each technology (cases 1–15) provided different energy-saving contributions in the Korean climate depending on their characteristics. The heating, cooling, and other energy-saving contributions of each technology indicate that their saving rates can be used when selecting suitable technologies during the cooling and heating seasons. Case 15 (active chilled beam with dedicated outdoor air system + ground source heat pump) showed the highest energy saving rate. In case 15, the Incheon and Jeju models were reduced by 189.4 (59.2%) and 206.2 kWh/m²a (57.4%) compared to the base case, respectively, and the CO2 emissions were reduced by up to 32.7 (60.8%) and 35.6 kgCO2/m²a (59.3%), respectively.

Highlights

The cooling energy saving rate was larger in Jeju (45%), where the cooling degree days (CDD) is larger, than in Incheon (39%)
EnergyPlus simulations were performed on a base model reflecting the Korean building code to provide a basis to select energy-saving technologies suitable for Korean climate
The ultimate aim of this study is to realize high-performance buildings to cope with climate change and to reduce energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Summary

Introduction

Global temperatures are becoming higher due to global warming, and extreme weather events are more frequent. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted that. Earth’s average temperature will rise by 1.4–5.8 ◦ C from 1990 to 2100 [1,2]. The IPCC has predicted that the frequency and duration of hot and cold periods (heat waves and cold waves) in each region will increase [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Energy use by buildings accounts for 25–40% of the world’s overall primary energy consumption and is a major driver of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As global awareness of the necessity to conserve energy grows, high-performance buildings have become a crucial agenda item for their role in saving energy [13,14,15,16,17]

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Discussion

Conclusion