Abstract
The Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) regulations aim to reduce primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions of buildings, which are the result of creating a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. In this study, the influence of climate change on the regulatory EPB calculation results is analysed for the Flanders region in Belgium. The results of the analysis may be used by authorities to better define nearly zero energy building (NZEB) requirements today. Meteonorm has been used to simulate future climate change based on IPCC scenarios and urban heat island effect. These future climates have been implemented in a Revit-and Excel-based tool that calculates the stochastic variation of energy performance for six different dwelling typologies, based on the semi-steady state energy use calculation method applied in the regional rating method. Four different packages of measures to achieve NZEB performance (thermal insulation, energy efficient ventilation, renewable energy technologies,…) have been considered. The results for primary energy use, overheating indicator and net energy use for heating and cooling have been analysed. As may be expected, climate change is found to lead to an increase in overheating risk, an increase in cooling energy use, and a decrease in heating energy use in the analysed dwellings. Since in most cases the decrease in heating energy use outweighs the increase in cooling energy use, the total primary energy use decreases in most cases for the 2050 future climate.
Highlights
In Belgium the implementation of the EPBD is the responsibility of the three regions (Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia)
These future climates have been implemented in a Revitand Excel-based tool that calculates the stochastic variation of energy performance for six different dwelling typologies, based on the semi-steady state energy use calculation method applied in the regional rating method
In this paper only the influence of climate change on the energy needs for space heating and cooling is studied, and how it impacts the E-level results. Both are based on the semi-steady state energy use calculation method as described in ISO 13790-2007 taking into account monthly heat losses due to transmission and ventilation, that depend on the monthly mean outdoor temperature, and monthly heat gains due to solar radiation, that are derived from the total and diffuse monthly radiation on a horizontal plane
Summary
In Belgium the implementation of the EPBD is the responsibility of the three regions (Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia). EPB calculations are performed with the new sets of climatic data to study the influence on energy performance rating and overheating. This is done with a Revit- and Excel-based tool created by Ghent University, in which the performance of a large variation of housing typologies and designs can be assessed. In this paper only the influence of climate change on the energy needs for space heating and cooling is studied, and how it impacts the E-level results Both are based on the semi-steady state energy use calculation method as described in ISO 13790-2007 taking into account monthly heat losses due to transmission and ventilation, that depend on the monthly mean outdoor temperature, and monthly heat gains due to solar radiation, that are derived from the total and diffuse monthly radiation on a horizontal plane. In case the dwelling is equipped with active cooling at the moment of completion, the energy use for cooling is fully taken into account, independent of the overheating indicator value [1, 3]
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