Need For Heating Research Articles

Selecting CMIP6 models to assess the impact of climate change on energy need for heating and cooling in Europe

The CMIP project has reached the end of its sixth phase, with a large set of simulations that represent a very large volume of data. The exploitation of all the simulations in impact studies would be extremely costly in computing time and storage. Moreover, these models suffer from several sources of uncertainties (coarse spatial resolution, physical parameterizations, ...) which produce large systematic biases.This study details an approach developed for the selection of a subset of simulations from the CMIP6 multi-model ensemble to assess the impact of climate change on the energy demand in Europe. At a climatic time scale, besides socio-economic factors, energy demand variability and evolution depend mainly on air temperature. The developed process of selection combines two main criteria applied to the daily mean, maximum, and minimum air temperature from all CMIP6 simulations where these variables are available. The first one consists of choosing a subset of models that represents the whole range of possible temperature changes in the future compared to the historical climate. The second criterion considers the skills of the CMIP6 historical simulations over Europe with respect to ERA5 climatology in order to discard the climate simulations with the poorest representation of the present climate. The methodology of selection allows the maximization of the diversity of climate projections among the best-performing models.

Historical Analysis of Real Energy Consumption and Indoor Conditions in Single-Family Passive Building

The paper includes a historical analysis of real energy consumption and indoor conditions in a single-family passive building located in Warsaw, Poland. Passive houses have emerged as a sustainable alternative to the conventional construction of houses, having advantages such as low energy consumption, comfortable indoor temperatures, an environmentally friendly nature, and low carbon emissions. This research consists of indoor temperature assessments over a 5-year period (2018–2022) which include comfort assessments made in accordance with the standard EN 16798-1 and precise assessments made for extreme weather events over a two-week critical period including the heating and cooling seasons. The real energy consumption analysis, including electric heating, outdoor lighting, indoor lighting, ventilation, and domestic hot water, was compared against passive house and nearly-zero energy standards. The results of the study show that the building is thermally comfortable to live in, as it remained mainly in the first comfort category, IEQ I. There was no such issue as overheating and underheating even during extreme weather events. The energy need for heating remained very close to the passive standard, namely 15 kWh/(m2·year). The total primary energy consumption for heating, hot water, and electricity meets the standard required value of 120 kWh/(m2·year). These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of passive house design principles at achieving high levels of thermal comfort and energy efficiency in cold climates. In addition, it is demonstrated that it is possible to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures (even with outdoor air temperatures reaching 35 °C) without air conditioning or cooling systems. The integration of a photovoltaic system offers a viable pathway toward transforming the building into a zero-energy standard, contributing to sustainability goals and reducing carbon emissions.

Overheating vulnerability assessment of energy retrofit actions in a multi-apartment building in Podgorica, Montenegro

The study aimed to assess the overheating vulnerability of an existing multi-apartment building built in 1971 in Podgorica, Montenegro. The building consists of 80 apartments and is mostly still in its original state. Firstly, the building was modelled in EneryPlus, and a parametric study was performed with jEPlus. The energy need for heating and cooling was simulated using parameters such as thermal insulation level, window properties, external surface solar absorptivity, shading activation set-point, and natural ventilation cooling intensity. Moreover, the energy need was determined for four different climate periods, namely for the current and three future periods up to the end of the 21st century under the RCP8.5 climate change scenario. The total number of building models equalled 648 for each of the four climate scenarios, resulting in 2,592 simulated cases. After that, the overheating vulnerability score was determined using the minimax regret method and cooling energy need as a performance indicator. The best retrofit action was determined by identifying the most favourable combination of the overheating vulnerability and total energy need. The results deliver the appropriate energy retrofit actions to limit the increase in overheating risk and provide for climate change adaptation of the multi-apartment building stock in Montenegro.

Numerical Optimization for the Design of Geopolymer Concrete Walls with Phase Change Materials in the Mediterranean Climate

The adoption of phase change materials (PCMs) is a promising solution for the improvement of building energy performances and indoor comfort, and the integration of geopolymer concrete (GPC) allows recycling materials and reducing the demand for raw materials in concrete production. Both materials contribute to reducing the carbon dioxide emission in the building lifecycle. In this frame, this paper proposes a complete numerical approach for selecting the optimal wall package made of GPC and PCMs in a Mediterranean climate. The first step of the method consists of a parametric analysis for evaluating the incidence on energy performance and thermal comfort of the main designing variables: insulation thickness, air cavity type and its thickness, and PCMs type. Then, assuming the discomfort hours as a limiting constraint, a multi-objective optimization is applied to a subset of solutions for determining the Pareto front solutions. The advantage of the proposed methodology is the combined evaluations of multiple variables with a simplicity in execution; for this reason, it is useful for other researchers aimed at studying innovative solutions. According to obtained results, the better exposure for the proposed wall package is the north or northeast one. The minimization of the cooling energy demand requires the adoption of two PCMs, on internal and external sides, with melting temperature of 26 °C. The optimization of yearly performance requires the adoption of the maximum insulation level on both sides and a not-ventilated air gap between the modules. The cooling and heating energy need can be reduced, respectively, by around −29% and −57%, compared to a reference configuration with vacuum insulation panels and thermal transmittance of 0.4 W/m2 K.

ANALYSIS OF ACTUAL, TYPICAL AND NORMATIVE CLIMATE DATA IN THE CONTEXT OF BUILDINGS ENERGY MODELING

This article analyses the actual, normative monthly and typical detailed climatic data for the city of Kyiv. Data on actual outdoor air temperatures during 2014-2021 were compared with indicators in accordance with Ukrainian regulations and the most common typical hourly climate files used for building energy modeling: International Weather for Energy Calculations (IWEC), Meteonorm, Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) from PVGIS tool and Onebuilding web-site. The values for outside air temperatures were compared on an average monthly basis and using the number of hours of outside air temperature duration. The latter approach allows to more accurately assess the energy efficiency indicators and energy consumption of heat supply systems with heat pumps. As the buildings energy need and energy consumption for heating values are significantly affected by heat gains due to solar radiation, a comparison of the normative value of global radiation on the horizontal surface with the values from the most common typical climatic data was also performed based on an average monthly basis. Taking into account the set of analysed climatic factors using monthly indicators for outside air temperatures and number of hours of outside air temperature duration, it is decided to use Meteonorm hourly data for Kyiv for further dynamic energy modeling of building with heat supply system based on different types of heat pumps, including the air-to-water and water(brine)-to-water ones. Also, climatic data used in RETScreen program show similar figures as normative values and therefore this program will be used for further technical and economic analysis as well and the results will be compared to the specialised program for heat pumps calculations GeoT*SOL, which also provides the detailed calculation of heat pumps system technical performance and economic calculations. In addition, possible deviations in the values of energy need for heating of the building when using different climatic data were estimated using the DesignBuilder / EnergyPlus software product. The potential deviation of energy need for heating results can be around -10…+6.5%.

Energy Refurbishment of Serbian School Building Stock—A Typology Tool Methodology Development

Energy refurbishment of school buildings is a priority regarding both energy consumption in buildings and improving comfort conditions for sensitive young occupants. During 2016–18, a group of teachers and associates from the Faculty of Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering from the University in Belgrade participated in the project “Energy efficiency in public buildings” in cooperation with GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), University of Belgrade, Faculty of Architecture and Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia. During 2016 and 2017, a comprehensive survey and database of public buildings were conducted by the local community. The focus of the research was the facilities of children’s institutions, and detailed data were collected to determine the current building stock conditions, energy consumption, and possible improvements. This paper presents the methodology of the project based on defining the typology of buildings, determining the representatives of the characteristic periods of construction, and analyzing their energy performance. Five possible scenarios were considered: designed condition, existing state, and three levels of a building improvement. The main goal of this project was to ascertain the entire fund for school buildings, indicate the potential for energy savings of this type of public building at the national level, and use this as a starting point for developing strategic decisions and further energy efficiency policies. This paper presents the complete results of the research on school buildings in Serbia, their energy performance, and possible energy savings. Key findings show that a great majority of schools are in a poor state in terms of their energy efficiency, but at the same time, there is a large potential for improvement of building envelope, HVAC, and lighting systems, which can cut the current energy need for heating to up to 80%.

ENERGY RENOVATION OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ENVELOPE USING ORGANIC MATERIALS FOR THE LEVEL OF COST-OPTIMAL IMPROVEMENT/ UPGRADE IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA AND SERBIA

<jats:p>Towards building renovation strategies, the research is led by a very deep renovation of residential buildings, which would reduce the energy need for heating below 40 kWh/m2 or create energy savings 60%. The renovation of the building envelope, guided by organic materials (such as wood), which is in the one of key principles in the New Renovation Wave Strategy of the European Union from October 2020, is presented in the paper. Energy saving made by renovating building envelopes using wooden modular systems, are shown through characteristic building on which their application is adequate. Case study from Bosnia and Herzegovina indicate possible energy savings of 81% for residential type Multi-family houses – MFH from period 1961-1970.</jats:p>

Impact of weather data and climate change projections in the refurbishment design of residential buildings in cooling dominated climate

The methodology, the site and the dataset as well as the emissions scenario considered in the weather file definition influence the numerical evaluation of efficiency measures resilience. With a complete statistical and critical approach, the paper analyzes the importance of these aspects by means of a residential case study simulated in Benevento, a city of south Italy.Using data monitored from 2015 to 2020, a current weather file is built with different methodologies. The comparison indicates that there is not repeatability of the year chosen as a reference for the various months and thus the resolution of the building energy balance could bring different results. Some future climate projections are also generated on medium (2050 s) and long (2080 s) term considering different emission scenarios. With long term projection, the heating degree days are reduced also of − 21% meanwhile the cooling degree days are more than double compared with the current condition. This suggests a remarked transition towards a dominant cooling climate for Benevento.Moreover, when the climate change is considered, the insulation intervention and the installation of double glazed low emissive window is not resilient because the heating energy need decreases also of −56%, but the cooling energy need increases of + 62% (2080 s). If the efficiency measures include also the cool roof and the external shadings, the cooling demand could be reduced until –33% in some scenarios (e.g. RCP 4.5-50th percentile) and increased (+31%) in some others (e.g. 2080 s).

Effect of Climate Changes on Renewable Production in the Mediterranean Climate: Case Study of the Energy Retrofit for a Detached House

One of the strategies of the European Green Deal is the increment of renewable integration in the civil sector and the mitigation of the impact of climate change. With a statistical and critical approach, the paper analyzes these aspects by means of a case study simulated in a cooling dominated climate. It consists of a single-family house representative of the 1980s Italian building stock. Starting from data monitored between 2015 and 2020, a weather file was built with different methodologies. The first objective was the evaluation of how the method for selecting the solar radiation influences the prevision of photovoltaic productivity. Then, a sensitivity analysis was developed, by means of modified weather files according to representative pathways defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. The results indicate that the climate changes will bring an increment of photovoltaic productivity while the heating energy need will be reduced until 45% (e.g., in March) and the cooling energy need will be more than double compared with the current conditions. The traditional efficiency measures are not resilient because the increase of the cooling demand could be not balanced. The maximization of installed photovoltaic power is a solution for increasing the resilience. Indeed, going from 3.3 kWp to 6.9 kWp for the worst emission scenario, in a typical summer month (e.g., August), the self-consumption increases until 33% meanwhile the imported electricity passes from 28% to 17%.

New Equation for Optimal Insulation Dependency on the Climate for Office Buildings

The comparison of building energy efficiency in different climates is a growing issue. Unique structural solutions will not ensure the same energy use, but the differences also remain if cost-optimal solutions are applied. This study developed a new equation for the assessment of building envelope optimal insulation in different climates for office buildings. The developed method suggests determining actual degree days from simulated heating energy need and the thermal conductance of a building, avoiding in such a way the use of a base temperature. The method was tested in four climates and validated against cost-optimal solutions solved with optimization. The accuracy of the method was assessed with sensitivity analyses of key parameters such as window-to-wall ratios (WWRs), window g-values, costs of heating, and electricity. These results showed that the existing square root equation overestimated the climate difference effect so that the calculation from the cold climate U-value resulted in less insulation than cost-optimal in warmer climates. Parametric analyses revealed that the power value of 0.2 remarkably improved the accuracy as well as performance worked well in all cases and can be recommended as a default value. Sensitivity analyses with a broad range of energy costs and window parameters revealed that the developed equation resulted in maximum 5% underestimation and maximum 7% overestimation of an average area-weighted optimal U-value of building envelope in another climate. The developed method allows objectively to compare optimal insulation of the building envelope in different climates. The method is easy to apply for energy performance comparison of similar buildings in different climates and also for energy performance requirements comparison.

Bonding of nano-modified concrete with steel under freezing temperatures using different protection methods

Concrete bond strength with steel re-bars depends on multiple factors including concrete-steel interface and mechanical properties of concrete. However, the hydration development of cementitious paste, and in turn the mechanical properties of concrete, are negatively affected by cold weather. This study aimed at exploring the concrete-steel bonding behavior in concrete cast and cured under freezing temperatures. Three concrete mixtures were cast and cured at -10 and -20oC. The mixtures were protected using conventional insulation blankets and a hybrid system consisting of insulation blankets and phase change materials. The mixtures comprised General Use cement, fly ash (20%), nano-silica (6%) and calcium nitrate-nitrite as a cold weather admixture system. The mixtures were tested in terms of internal temperature, compressive, tensile strengths, and modulus of elasticity. In addition, the bond strength between concrete and steel re-bars were evaluated by a pull-out test, while the quality of the interface between concrete and steel was assessed by thermal and microscopy studies. In addition, the internal heat evolution and force-slip relationship were modeled based on energy conservation and stress-strain relationships, respectively using three-dimensional (3D) finite-element software. The results showed the reliability of the proposed models to accurately predict concrete heat evolution as well as bond strength relative to experimental data. The hybrid protection system and nano-modified concrete mixtures produced good quality concrete-steel interface with adequate bond strength, without need for heating operations before casting and during curing under freezing temperatures down to -20oC.

Оцінювання динкаміки енергопотреби будівель масової забудови з урахуванням ексергетичної моделі теплового комфорту

Для країн пострадянського простору, для яких характерні будівлі масової забудови, забезпечення умов комфорту з мінімізацією енергоспоживання є основною задачею сьогодення. Ефективне використання енергоносіїв в будівлях потребує інструментів для управління споживанням. Рівень опалення залежить від великого числа факторів, значна частина з яких має мінливий характер у часі, тому для забезпечення умов комфорту та якісного використання енергії доцільним є використання динамічного моделювання енергетичних характеристик будівлі. У роботі створено групу репрезентативних приміщень для будівель масової забудови та проведено динамічне моделювання енергетичних характеристик для температурного режиму повітря в приміщеннях t int 20 та 22 о С, що є типовою температурою для житлових та соціальних об’єктів, а також проведено уточнюючі модельні розрахунки енергопотреби на опалення при комфортній температурі t com у програмному середовищі Energy Plus . Регресійна модель для визначення комфортної температури створена на основі ексергетичного підходу (ексергетична модель теплового комфорту), що є актуальним дослідженням сьогодення та дозволяє якісно оцінити споживання ексергії людським тілом та оцінити оптимальні умови теплового комфорту, які залежать від теплофізичних властивостей огороджень, орієнтації, середньої радіаційної темпеератури тощо. Авторами встановлено, що енергопотреба на опалення розрахована для умов t int =20°С або t com майже не відрізняються в річному розрізі, але врахування добових коливань середньорадіаційної температури дозволяє підібрати графік зміни навантаження на систему опалення з урахуванням тепловідчуттів людини та орієнтації приміщень за сторонами світу. Аналогічні дослідження для умов t int =22 °С та t com , показують, що комфортна температура повітря t com буде проходити нижче t int =22 °С протягом всього опалювального сезону та дозволить не лише забезпечити умови комфорту, але й досягти економії. Для приміщень Пн орієнтації енергопотреба зменшується на 12 %, для Пд – на 19 %. Ключові слова: енергопотреба, умови комфорту, динамічне моделювання, комфортна температура, енергетичні характеристики будівель

Sensitivity Analysis of the Thermal Energy Need of a Residential Building Assessed by means of the EN ISO 52016 Simplified Dynamic Method

The EN ISO 52016-1:2018 technical standard has introduced a new simplified dynamic method for the calculation of the building energy need for heating and cooling. This new procedure combines a low amount of input data required, as for the previous quasi-steady and dynamic simplified methods of the withdrawn EN ISO 13790 standard, with an increased accuracy, which would reduce the gap with detailed dynamic methods. This work is part of a broader research activity aimed at investigating the new simplified dynamic model and highlighting its strengths and weaknesses, in terms of accuracy and robustness. Specifically, the work addresses the parameters that have a great influence on the final results and the effects of uncertainties in input data. To this purpose both standard and tailored energy performance assessments have been applied, in particular in the first one a continuous operation period of the space heating system was supposed, and in the second one an intermittent operation system was chosen. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to quantify the variation of the heating and cooling loads with the set-point temperature, the windows physical properties, the heat capacity and the thermal transmission properties of opaque components, as well as the occupancy related input parameters, such as the internal heat gains and the ventilation flow rate. The analysis was applied to a multi-unit residential building located in Rome and built in the first half of the 20th century. The results outline absolute relevance of the set point temperatures. The significance of occupant behaviour and the importance of the correct definition of the component thermal properties is also pointed out through the comparison between the standard and tailored assessments.

Тепловий режим будівлі з пасивною системою опалення

One of the largest energy consumers for many countries over the world is the housing and communal sector, so energy saving and the use of renewable energy in this sector make it possible to achieve significant energy savings. The realization of the energy saving potential is complicated by the great diversity of the existing housing stock, which requires an individual approach in solving the problems of energy saving and energy supply of buildings. The experience of Sweden, Finland, Germany and the USA in the use of passive solar heating systems is useful for Ukraine. These systems, when properly designed, have an efficiency of up to 60% and cover more than 50% of the heating load. However, the insufficient number of publications on the efficiency and implementation of passive solar heating systems for the climatic conditions of Ukraine caused the need to simulate the thermal mode of the building with such system to determine the possibility of energy needs covering. A building model has been created using the MatLab/Simulink software. This model allows determining temperatures of enclosure structures and indoor air in connection with variable environmental parameters, such as solar radiation, ambient air and soil temperatures. The solar irradiation to the building's exterior enclosure structures was calculated for each hour of the day during the year for Kherson's climatic conditions. Based on the simulation results, the indoor air temperature oscillations amplitudes, time displacement in heat input to the building, energy needs and duration of heating and cooling periods are determined. The thermal modes of the three residential building variants are compared: without a passive solar heating system, with the Trombe wall and the Trombe wall and shading shutters. It has been determined that using of the Trombe wall reduces heating energy need of 76.9%, but leads to a significant room overheating during the warm period of the year and, consequently, to increasing of cooling energy need by 3.4 times. It is shown that using of the Trombe wall with shading shutters leads to reducing the energy demand for both heating and cooling. Keywords: Trombe wall, energy need, heating, cooling, enclosure structures.

Cost-Optimal Plus Energy Building in a Cold Climate

The main objective of this article is to propose possible requirements for cost-optimal plus energy building in a cold, heating dominated climate. The open question is what is more cost-effective: reduction of energy demand or increase of production from renewable energy sources. The target of the research was to check which solution has the lowest investment and maintenance costs. The analysis was made for a single-family house located in central Poland, including three different energy standards: WT2021 with energy need for heating ≤100 kWh/(m² year), NF40 with energy need for heating ≤40 kWh/(m² year) and NF15 with energy need for heating ≤15 kWh/(m² year)). Air and ground source heat pumps were used as a heat source and a photovoltaic system for the production of the electrical energy. For each case the investment and running costs were calculated very precisely, taking into account heating, ventilation, domestic hot water and auxiliary systems. Global cost for a 30-year period showed that house variants with air source heat pumps are more cost effective. The investment, replacement and maintenance cost related with energy systems have the biggest share in the global cost. Reaching the plus energy standard was possible only in the case of low-energy standard NF40 and NF15. Based on this research the proposed requirements for plus energy single-family residential buildings in central Poland are the following: the final (delivered) electrical energy demand (including heating, ventilation, domestic hot water and auxiliary systems) <45 kWh/(m² year) and the on-site electrical energy production >45 kWh/(m² year).

Energetic impact of preheating of fresh air in added convex window

During the renovation of an existing building keeping the original window and installing an added convex window is beneficial for the reduction of heating energy demand, furthermore this solution is free of the disposal and/or recycling of demolition waste. The energy need for heating can be further reduced, if the natural ventilation of the premise is through the buffer zone of the added convex window. In this case the fresh air is pre-heated in the buffer zone, increasing the utilised passive solar gain of the building. Measurements were carried out on experimental huts for analysis of this impact. Dynamic simulations of the huts have been carried out as well. In this paper the results will be presented, which proves the energetic effect.

Energy performance of single family houses in Serbia: Analysis of calculation procedures

Energy certification of buildings in Serbia was introduced in 2011 and energy label depends on energy need for heating per unit floor area of heated space, calculated by the fully prescribed monthly quasi-steady-state method defined by ISO 13790. In the Republic of Serbia, most of families live in single-family houses built before the energy certification of buildings was introduced. Therefore, the estimation of energy performance of the existing buildings is important for labeling, and evaluation of energy saving measures and energy strategies to be implemented. This paper examines the applicability of monthly method defined by National legislation on the existing buildings stock in Serbia, by comparing it to the more accurate dynamic simulation method. Typical single-family houses are taken as a test case, since they are responsible for about 76% of energy consumption for heating. The results show that the dynamic simulation method estimates 21% to 54% higher energy need for heating, compared to the monthly method. Also, the monthly method estimates up to 13% higher savings by typical building envelope energy saving measures, compared to the dynamic simulation. This paper recommends improvement in procedures for calculation of building energy performance index to better assess energy consumption, effects of energy saving measures, and create solid background for developing and implementing of energy saving strategies.

Mathematical Models for Determination of Specific Energy Need for Heating and Cooling of the Administrative Building

According to the building energy balance, most of the resources are spent on maintaining a comfortable indoor microclimate. To estimate the energy resources rational use and to determine building energy efficiency, specific indicators are used per unit area and/or volume.In this paper, a comparative analysis of various approaches to determination of energy need for heating and cooling that have been used or are introduced in Ukraine and the peculiarities of different climatic data application is carried out. The differences in application of considered methods are established. The analysis of various averaging time intervals (monthly, daily average and hourly) for climatic parameters change in dynamic models during the heating period application influence on heating and cooling load change is carried out. Specific energy need has been established according to different methods and a comparison with the current normative values in Ukraine has been made.

The influence of thermal bridge calculation method on the building energy need: a case study

The goal of the paper is to compare two different methods of calculating the linear transmittance of thermal bridges in order to evaluate the building energy need for heating. As a case study, it was considered an existing non-isolated residential building of ‘70 years consisting of 30 housing units. All the construction details of the building are known. The energy analysis of the building was carried out using a commercial software. The linear transmittance of the thermal bridges was determined both by the catalogue, provided by the software itself, and by the numerical finite-element evaluation according to UNI EN ISO 10211 standard using a 2-D numerical simulator. Through numerical analysis it is possible to evaluate in a detailed way all the thermal bridges present in the building and therefore it is possible to evaluate the approximation induced by the use of the catalogue. Results show that the detailed analysis leads to a transmission heat exchange through thermal bridges about eight times greater than that estimated through the catalogue and consequently to a higher building energy need of about 12%. The heating energy needs per unit area of the individual housing units were also compared.

Daylighting and energy performance design for single floor commercial hall buildings

PurposeElectric lighting accounts for a large share of energy consumption in commercial buildings. Utilization of daylight can significantly help to reduce the need for artificial lighting, increase workers productivity, customers’ satisfaction and consequently improve sales. However, excessive use of glazing and absence of lighting controls can contribute greatly to higher energy need for heating and cooling and cause undesired glare effects. Thus, optimizing the size, position and materials of external glazing, with the addition of deflectors and dynamic artificial lighting, can become key aspects in the design of sustainable low energy buildings. The purpose of this paper is to analyze daylight potential and energy performance of a hall-type commercial building, situated in the cold climate of Finland, by utilizing different combinations of skylights, windows and lighting controls.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have used computer simulations to estimate daylight and energy performance of a single floor commercial building in relation to various combinations of skylights and windows with variable glazing materials, light deflectors and zonal lighting controls.FindingsThe results show that electric light energy saving potential ranges from a negligible 1.9 percent to a significant 58.6 percent in the case of glass skylights and wall windows using multi-zone lighting control. Total delivered energy ranges between increase of 1.5 and 21.2 percent in the cases with single zone lighting control and between decrease of 4.5 percent and increase of 4.5 percent in the cases with multi-zone control. The highest decrease in primary energy consumption was 2.2 percent for single zone and 17.6 percent for multi-zone lighting control. The research underlines the significant potential of electric light energy savings using daylighting strategies that, including the control of direct solar access for glare and internal gains, can be more than 50 percent.Originality/valueThis research combines accurate daylight and energy assessment for commercial hall buildings based in cold climate region with multiple design variations. The novelty of this work is the consideration of interior elements, shelves and deflectors, in the calculations. This is made possible through the combined use of validated simulation platforms for detailed annual daylighting and electric lighting calculation (Radiance and Daysim) and energy analysis (IDA-ICE, Equa Simulation AB). This method allows to obtain a reliable assessment of the potential of using natural light sources in buildings.