The Relationship between Energy Cost and Conservation Measures, Building Design and Insulation Levels

Abstract

Energy conservation is a high priority for facility managers. Although many studies have been completed on thermal drift, aged k factor values, and the impact of properties of thermal insulations, such as physical characteristics of materials on insulation effectiveness, facility managers are still left without a proper tool to quantify the factors affecting the energy consumption of their facilities. The objective of this article is to introduce two models that can help the facility manager select energy conservation alternatives. The first model is a heat/loss gain model that compares the effects of building configuration and environmental conditions. The second model is the economic analysis model, which provides energy savings and the equivalent uniform annual cost (EUAC) of roofing systems. It can compare two new alternatives or a new system against an existing system. Both models will be incor porated into an artificial intelligent system that will select roofing systems based on a combination of performance data and EUAC. This article examines the contribu tion of roof insulation, wall insulation, the color of roofs, building configuration, and different climates. It also analyzes the sensitivity of energy costs, R-values, thick nesses of insulation, installation costs, and overall roof structure design on the EUAC of the insulating system.