Impact of Demand-Side Management on Thermal Comfort and Energy Costs in a Residential nZEB

Thibault Péan,Jaume Salom,Joana Ortiz

doi:10.3390/buildings7020037

Abstract

In this study, simulation work has been carried out to investigate the impact of a demand-side management control strategy in a residential nZEB. A refurbished apartment within a multi-family dwelling representative of Mediterranean building habits was chosen as a study case and modelled within a simulation framework. A flexibility strategy based on set-point modulation depending on the energy price was applied to the building. The impact of the control strategy on thermal comfort was studied in detail with several methods retrieved from the standards or other literature, differentiating the effects on day and night living zones. It revealed a slight decrease of comfort when implementing flexibility, although this was not prejudicial. In addition, the applied strategy caused a simultaneous increase of the electricity used for heating by up to 7% and a reduction of the corresponding energy costs by up to around 20%. The proposed control thereby constitutes a promising solution for shifting heating loads towards periods of lower prices and is able to provide benefits for both the user and the grid sides. Beyond that, the activation of energy flexibility in buildings (nZEB in the present case) will participate in a more successful integration of renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy mix.

Highlights

The urgently needed decarbonization of our energy systems will require an ever increasing proportion of energy coming from renewable sources (RES)
The operative temperature is generally lower in the nightzone, due to the position of the bedrooms in the dwelling
A flexibility control strategy was implemented in a Mediterranean nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) and analyzed through simulation studies

Summary

Introduction

The urgently needed decarbonization of our energy systems will require an ever increasing proportion of energy coming from renewable sources (RES). Solar and wind power have shown the most dynamical development over the last decade, their combined installed capacity having been multiplied by 10 between 2005 and 2015 [2] While this rapid growth is a source of satisfaction for all the countries committed by the Paris Agreement to increase their share of RES [3], the variable nature of solar and wind power poses certain threats to the stability of the electricity grids. These two power sources highly depend on climatic conditions, which can result in possible mismatch between this variable production and the demand when the penetration of RES is high. Buildings with embedded thermal mass (which can be used as thermal storage) represent great potential for energy flexibility [6], given that they already account for around 33% of the final energy consumption worldwide [2]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion