Abstract
Literature and experience show that there are large discrepancies between the calculated and measured building energy usages, where user-related parameters are significant factors with regard to energy use in low-energy buildings. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered when quantifying these parameters compound these discrepancies. The main aim of this study was to provide feedback that would help the building industry and research communities to predict more accurately the impact of the user-related parameters on energy performance. The results of the study would, subsequently, contribute to minimizing the discrepancies between calculated and measured energy use. This article analyses simulated building energy use based on randomly chosen combinations of measured user-related parameters in three recently built low-energy schools in Sweden. The results show that energy performance can span from 30 to 160 kWh/(m² y) simply by varying the combination of previously measured user-related parameters in building energy simulations. The study shows that the set points for indoor air temperatures during the heating season and the energy required to run a demand-controlled ventilation system have an extensive influence, while tenant electricity use has a slightly lower influence on building energy use. Variations in occupancy rates and energy for hot water usage have the smallest influences on building energy use.
Highlights
The building sector accounts for 36 percent of final energy use, and improving building energy efficiency is one of the key strategies for reducing climate change [1]
Other parameters that can influence the discrepancies include predictions and calculations made during the design phase, good operational practice and maintenance and the achieved indoor environmental climate and quality
Varied occupancy rates and the energy usage for domestic hot water in low-energy schools had the least influence on their energy performance levels
Summary
The building sector accounts for 36 percent of final energy use, and improving building energy efficiency is one of the key strategies for reducing climate change [1]. To address this strategy, most new buildings must be designed as low-energy buildings, for example, nearly-zero energy buildings (nZEB), according to EU directive 2010/31/EU [2]. Previous studies have shown large discrepancies between calculated energy performance in the design phase and measured energy performance in the operational phase of a building. 200 publications dealing with occupants and their influence on building energy use were published [4]. Other parameters that can influence the discrepancies include predictions and calculations made during the design phase, good operational practice and maintenance and the achieved indoor environmental climate and quality
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