Energy, economic and comfort optimization of building retrofits considering climate change: A simulation-based NSGA-III approach

As climate change poses significant challenges to our built environment, enhancing building resilience through sustainable approaches becomes crucial. This research evaluates sustainable strategies to fortify buildings against climate change impacts, specifically focusing on residential buildings in Tehran. Future climate data for Tehran are generated using Meteonorm 8 software. Comprehensive investigations identify predominant residential patterns, leading to the selection of a representative case study for detailed simulations. Energy simulations are conducted using DesignBuilder software to explore the impact of consumption reduction strategies on thermal performance under present and future conditions. Results indicate an increase in cooling energy consumption and a decrease in heating energy consumption from 2020 to 2090, with no significant change observed in total energy consumption. The implementation of insulation, double-glazed windows, and shading devices is shown to decrease overall energy consumption in the future. Notably, WI models with thermal insulation demonstrate the best performance in reducing heating energy, while WDG models with double-glazed windows significantly reduce cooling energy consumption. This study fills a gap in understanding the long-term impacts of climate change on building energy performance and provides practical design guidelines. The findings underscore the importance of sustainable building strategies in developing energy-efficient and resilient buildings capable of withstanding future climate conditions.

A model for operating an energy hub-based multiple energy generation micro-grid is optimized using the demand response program. The optimized objective model is validated against energy demand of a residential building in Tehran, Iran. The mathematical model and optimal analysis of the proposed tri-generation micro-grid are implemented by using a real-world modelling and considering the constraints of the storage system, demand response program and the performance of the devices and the power and gas grids. The dynamic optimal operation model is prepared on the basis of the mixed integer linear programming on the subsequent day and is solved to minimize the costs of energy supply. To demonstrate the improvements, different scenarios are developed so that the renewable energy resources and storages are fed into the combined cool, heat and power system gradually. The results reveal that the inclusion of each element results in a significant improvement in the operational parameters of the micro energy grid. Scenario 1 includes a combined cool, heat and power system alone, Scenario 2 is supplemented with renewable wind and solar energy resources in addition to combined cool, heat and power system and Scenario 3 includes electrical, heat and cold storages in addition to combined cool, heat and power system and renewable energy sources. Scenario 4 is similar to Scenario 3 in terms of equipment, but the only difference lies in the use of the demand response program in the former. Total operational cost is 12.7% lower in Scenario 2 than in Scenario 1, 9.2% lower in Scenario 3 than in Scenario 2 and 8.6% lower in Scenario 4 than in Scenario 3. Practical application: An optimized operation method is prepared for combined cool, heat and power systems running in different operation modes in which renewable energy sources and storages are added to the combined cool, heat and power and the demand response program is applied. The results reveal that the cost of energy supply, including the cost of electricity, gas and pollutant emissions, is reduced and the qualitative parameters of the operation, including efficiency and reliability of building micro-grid, are increased. The proposed algorithm and the evaluation method will enable building operators to plan demand response activity on the residential building in Tehran, while this can be extended to other buildings too.

The typo-morphology of residential buildings in Tehran has changed tremendously from the introduction of the first building and urban regulations in the 1950s. This paper explores the role of these regulations in typo-morphological changes, how the internal arrangement and building form of residential architecture were shaped, and the nature and extent of how the layouts were influenced by building and urban regulations. A morphological and typological analysis of residential buildings was carried out and validated by in-depth interviews. The regulations with the greatest effect on typo-morphological changes include the land subdivision system, the occupancy level code, parking regulations, staircase and elevator requirements and daylight access such as patio spaces. This research also identifies issues for policy-makers to consider in any review of the building and urban regulations and their enforcement in the design process.

The typo-morphology of residential buildings in Tehran has changed tremendously from the introduction of the first building and urban regulations in the 1950s. This paper explores the role of these regulations in typo-morphological changes, how the internal arrangement and building form of residential architecture were shaped, and the nature and extent of how the layouts were influenced by building and urban regulations. A morphological and typological analysis of residential buildings was carried out and validated by in-depth interviews. The regulations with the greatest effect on typo-morphological changes include the land subdivision system, the occupancy level code, parking regulations, staircase and elevator requirements and daylight access such as patio spaces. This research also identifies issues for policy-makers to consider in any review of the building and urban regulations and their enforcement in the design process.

The use of fossil fuels for energy demand is overgrowing, leading to a higher CO2 emission. Besides, these resources have fluctuating prices and have higher operating costs. Thus, the integration of renewable energy (RE) sources has been increasing throughout the years to reduce the dependency on fossil fuel generation. However, RE generations have high initial costs and intermittent resources. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct technical and economic analysis before the installation of any hybrid energy systems. This study proposes the installation of a PV system for a residential building in Tehran, Iran. The goal of the system is to have a PV system for peak demand reduction. Moreover, the input data also includes economic parameters such as costs of PV, battery, and grid purchases alongside interest rates. Sensitivity analysis also conducted in this study to investigate the variation of load profiles on the optimal system configuration. The simulation results show a 422-kW grid-connected PV system with battery storage is the most optimal system for the selected location. The system has a lower Net Present Cost (NPC) and initial capital compared to other configurations. Moreover, the system also has a higher RE generation and lower energy import from the grid.

Continued reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are crucial in megacities like Tehran, Iran, as they pose serious threats to both people's health and the environment. Reducing energy use through renewable energy projects will result in the mitigation of GHG emissions. Hence, this study was designed to assess the use of renewable energy resources to provide the energy services for a residential building. The specific objective of this article is to select a hybrid renewable energy system that can meet the energy demand of a 5‐story residential building in Tehran. The energy consumption of the building is calculated using DesignBuilder software. Then, HOMER software is applied to propose an economically feasible solar‐wind hybrid system that can meet the energy demand of the building. Initially, information required for HOMER and DesignBuilder software such as the building plan, details on electrical appliances used in the building, solar radiation, wind speed, and cost of renewable systems were collected. Subsequently, the energy performance of the building was simulated in DesignBuilder software and the results were applied to HOMER software. Finally, the hybrid systems proposed by HOMER were economically compared. Furthermore, the emissions produced by the proposed system were evaluated against a diesel only system to assess the amount of offset emissions. The comparison of the hybrid and diesel systems shows that utilization of hybrid systems can significantly reduce the magnitude of GHG emissions along with achieving cost saving. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019

In this study, a comprehensive loss model using the most recent census data (2016) together with the updated earthquake catalog (till 2018) is employed to estimate the direct expected annualized loss of residential buildings in Tehran, Iran. This is an important parameter to determine insurance premium or to identify relative risk in a region. For this purpose, a fully probabilistic seismic loss model based on the stochastic event-based approach is adopted. The assessment includes the development of a robust approach to quantify the seismic hazard by taking into account dynamic soil response, compiling a high quality exposure of residential building and considering the most appropriate vulnerability models for different building classes. The result shows that average annual loss of building stock is around $0.331 billion which is about 0.29% of total exposed economic value. Also, the relative risk map of the region is presented in term of the annualized earthquake loss ratio. It demonstrates that the seismic risk in the middle and southern part of the city are much higher. In addition, a disaggregation analysis regarding the building typologies is performed to identify the most vulnerable building classes. The result indicates that the masonry and low quality steel and concrete structures with poor designing specification are the most vulnerable building classes. Majority of the buildings in southern part of Tehran are of these types, where accommodating low-income residents. The finding from this study can be used by local authorities, government and insurance sector in order to develop effective risk mitigation plans and a robust insurance scheme for Tehran, Iran. In addition, the presented approach can be applied in other cities with different socio-economic conditions.

Given the fact that during the recent years the majority of buildings in Iran have been constructed either on steel or concrete frames, it is essential to investigate the environmental impacts of materials used in such constructions. For this purpose, two multi-story residential buildings in Tehran with a similar function have been considered in this study. One building was constructed with a steel frame and the other was constructed with a concrete frame. Using the life cycle assessment tool, a complete analysis of all the stages of a building’s life cycle from raw material acquisition to demolition and recycling of wastes was carried out. In this research, the environmental impacts included global warming potential in 100 years, acidification, eutrophication potential, human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects), resource depletion (water and mineral), climate change, fossil fuel consumption, air acidification and biotoxicity. It could be concluded from the results that the total pollution of the concrete frame in all eleven aforementioned impact factors was almost 219,000 tonnes higher than that of the steel frame. Moreover, based on the results, the concrete frame had poorer performance in all but one impact factor. With respect to global warming potential, the findings indicated there were two types of organic and non-organic gases that had an impact on global warming. Among non-organic emissions, CO2 had the biggest contribution to global warming potential, while among organic emissions, methane was the top contributor. These findings suggest the use of steel frames in the building industry in Iran to prevent further environmental damage; however, in the future, more research studies in this area are needed to completely investigate all aspects of decision on the choice of building frames, including economic and social aspects.

In the rapidly urbanising world, the challenges of global warming, climate change, increased atmospheric pollutants, and the depletion of natural resources make the return to sustainability principles imperative for all. Since architecture is directly related to human life, the adoption of sustainable architectural principles requires serious effort. However, this necessitates awareness among all stakeholders involved in construction and housing such as designers, builders, policy makers, and users. This research investigates general awareness of sustainable architecture principles, focusing on residents of residential buildings in Tehran as the beneficiary of this industry. Using qualitative research methodology, purposive sampling was employed to select residents from various parts of the city. 12 residents of Tehran were asked to participate in an interview. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed, with thematic analysis being the primary method of data analysis. The study identified five main themes from the interview results: understanding and principles of sustainable architecture, practical implementation and examples, personal impact and engagement, recognition and global perspective, and challenges and solutions. Despite existing challenges in the application of sustainability, participants in this research fundamentally prioritise sustainability and emphasise factors such as environmental preservation, resource optimization, and resilience against natural disasters. The findings suggest a growing trend in global understanding and awareness of sustainable architecture but emphasise the need for further action and education. This article contributes valuable efforts towards increasing public awareness and promoting sustainable architectural projects in urban environments, providing strategies for enhancing awareness and improving sustainable architectural projects for professionals and researchers.

Utilization of on-grid photovoltaic panels to offset electricity consumption of a residential ground source heat pump

This data article presents data related to 100 residential units in Tehran, Iran. For each building the ``average monthly electricity consumption'' data for 190 months has been provided. In addition, some physical characteristics of each building are given in the dataset. Presented data includes collected electricity end-users in residential units as well as thermos-physical characteristics of the buildings through a structured questionnaire. The physical characteristics covered in this study include; the number of floors, morphology of the yard and the ratio of the windows on each side window material, area, floor number of the studied residential unit, location in the city, cooling system, heating system, and so on. Information provided in this data article can be useful for research on energy prediction studies and also energy management strategies, and policy making to achieve sustainability targets. Having few datasets published on this topic, especially in hot and arid geographic regions, authors believe that the result of this data study can be generalized to the larger region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The data consists of two parts; 1. Physical specifications of the building and 2. History of electricity consumption.

Multi-objective optimization of cooling and heating loads in residential buildings integrated with phase change materials using the artificial neural network and genetic algorithm

The purpose of this study is to compare the life cycle assessment and reliability of different rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in residential buildings in Tehran for a period of 50 years. Four main scenarios based on the number of stories (1, 2, 3, and 4) each including five sub-scenarios based on the size of the rainwater storage tank (2.5m3, 5m3, 7.5m3, 10m3, 12.5m3) and one using solely tap water were defined. Simapro software was used for life cycle assessment which was carried out using the endpoint and midpoint methods. The collected rainwater is assumed to be merely used to fill flush tanks and if it cannot satisfy this demand, tap water will be used. The results show that in an arid city like Tehran, collecting rainwater does not even come close to meeting non-potable water needs, and in most scenarios, tap water must be used for more than half of the days. Despite the low reliability of RWH systems, they perform better than tap water in most environmental impact categories because the processes used to produce tap water have the highest contribution to environmental damage. Among the sub-scenarios that use rainwater for flush tank demands, in almost all environmental impact categories, sub-scenarios that collect more rainwater (higher storage tank sizes) have better performance. The performance of sub-scenarios that use more rainwater is better in the endpoint environmental categories of ecosystems and human health; however, this trend is the opposite in the impact category of resources.Graphical abstract

Optimization and energy-economic assessment of a geothermal heat pump system

A decision-making framework opted for smart building's equipment based on energy consumption and cost trade-off using BIM and MIS