IEQ and energy effect analysis according to empirical Full Energy Efficiency Retrofit in South Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze energy performance along with the effect on the improvement in the indoor environment and air quality through the empirical case of the Full Energy Efficiency Retrofit (EER) in Korea. To increase the improvement effect objectivity, changes before/after the Full EER were measured and compared through various special equipment. The Full EER implementation through energy diagnosis, indoor environment, and air quality measurement led to the derivation of seven areas of improvement. Considering the efficiency of energy cost, the optimal full EER model of alternatives based on the area was selected, and passive design techniques were applied to enhance improvement effect during design and construction.After building the Full EER, the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV)/Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) satisfied the criteria (before the Full EER: unsatisfied) regarding the indoor environment. Concerning indoor air quality, more than 30% improvement was observed in all the items except CO2, and criteria were met. Considering changing heat source equipment, improvement in energy performance was compared by converting the usage of energy into carbon emission; it was reduced by 5.9% and 2.7% on a cooling/heating basis, respectively, and by approximately 12% ($14,000) regarding annual energy consumption cost.This result is expected to facilitate future Full EER activation by mitigating uncertainty regarding energy consumption cost for the Full EER improvement effect and demonstrating additional improvements related to the indoor environment and air quality.