Smart Energy Performance Assessment Platform and next generation Energy Performance Certificate of buildings

Abstract

After 10 years of track record, the current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) schemes across the EU face several challenges which have led to not fully accomplish their initial objectives: lack of accuracy, a gap between theoretical and real consumption patterns, absence of proper protocols for inclusion of smart and novel technologies, little convergence across EU schemes, lack of trust in the market and very little user awareness related to energy efficiency. The objective of this paper is to show a holistic methodology for energy performance assessment and certification of buildings that can overcome the above mentioned challenges. The paper presents a Smart Energy Performance Assessment Platform which makes use of the most advanced techniques in dynamic and automated simulation modelling, big data analysis and machine learning, inverse modelling for the estimation of potential energy savings and economic viability check. The reliability, accuracy, user-friendliness and cost-effectiveness of the methodology is checked and validated through 15 case studies in 5 European countries. Additionally, a new useful, enriched and quite user-friendly Energy Performance Certificate format is presented which has been accepted by various target groups, i.e., building users and building related professionals, policy makers. This way, a universal web calculation platform is developed which, together with a new EPC template strongly support the EU goals for more reliable, uniform, and informative EPCs.