Single-family Buildings Research Articles

Analysis of a single-family building life cycle – case study

Increasing the ecological awareness of society has contributed to the fact that the natural environment is no longer perceived only as a resource, but above all as a system necessary for protection and preservation for the future generations. Particular branches of industry, as well as consumption, cause multidimensional environmental damage. One of the industries that raise the standard of living, but also plays a significant role in environmental degradation is the construction industry. It is, therefore, necessary to strive to mitigate the effects of erecting building objects. The article made an environmental assessment of the life cycle of a building using the One Click LCA software, which was officially approved by BRE to categorize objects according to the Mat 01 procedure. The evaluation covered the production of construction materials, transport, construction process, use of a residential building, maintenance, repairs and replacements, operating energy and water consumption, total energy consumption and demolition phase.

Calculation of initial and long-term heating costs for a nearly zero energy single-family building over 30 years

In practice, during the design stage of a building, only the initial costs are taken into account. These costs are also discussed with the customer and optimised with the aim of reducing them. It is the global costs over a longer period that show the real difference in the total expenses of living in a particular house, however. In this study, one newly built, nearly zero energy single-family building was studied in detail using a comparative global cost calculation methodology. The most popular insulation materials, construction types, types of windows, and types of floor construction in Latvia are included in the calculation of the costs. The results demonstrate that initially cheaper building means lower global costs during the analysed 30-year operating period due to initial costs are significantly higher than all other costs including energy costs, meaning that changes in construction type and building materials affect the initial cost more than the long-term energy costs. In parallel, different modern heating systems (including heat pumps) were included in the analysis to calculate and compare heating expenses. The results show that almost all the heating systems have the same energy costs regardless of fuel type for the 30-year period, however, the initial costs of these systems vary due to the different used technologies. Therefore, only the sum of the initial and long-term energy costs provides objective information about heating systems that are optimal in the long-term.

Practical Implementation of the Indoor Environmental Quality Model for the Assessment of Nearly Zero Energy Single-Family Building

The article presents a practical implementation of the indoor quality model. The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) model, including its essential elements (TCindex—thermal comfort, IAQindex—indoor air quality, ACcindex—acoustic comfort and Lindex—daylight quality), is used to evaluate a case-study single-family building built with the nearly zero energy (NZEB) standard. The results of comfort sub-indices based on the measured indoor parameters are aggregated into one IEQindex value representing the predicted building occupants’ satisfaction in percentage terms. The author’s intention is to use the proposed model in broader civil and environmental engineering practice, especially in terms of supporting the energy performance certification. The results obtained using the IEQ model were also compared with the results obtained with a similar method based on the comprehensive assessment system for built environment efficiency (CASBEE) approach for the same building.

Conventional versus modular construction methods: A comparative cradle-to-gate LCA for residential buildings

Traditional on-site and modular off-site methods are the main construction methods in the residential building sector. Regardless of different advantages and disadvantages offered by each of these two construction methods, the overall environmental trade-offs between them are still unclear. This paper applies a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) to benchmark the environmental performance of conventional and modular construction methods. To this end, three single-family buildings (one conventional and two modular) designed and constructed in the Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada, were used as representatives of typical houses built by on-site and off-site methods in the region. The required data such as raw materials, material and workforce transportation, and energy resources was collected from the corresponding homebuilders through a questionnaire survey. Then, the environmental impact measures such as global warming potential were calculated through LCA analyses. Subsequently, the calculated impact measures along with their importance weights were incorporated into an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based framework to develop a set of environmental impact indices for the material production phase, the construction phase, and summation of these phases (i.e., cradle-to-gate). Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed to eliminate the human subjectivity involved in AHP. Eventually, individual impact measures and also the developed impact indices were compared and contrasted between the benchmarking buildings. The analyses revealed that construction of the first modular building resulted less environmental impacts than the other two buildings. Nevertheless, the lowest environmental performance was due to the second modular building. This disclosed that none of the modular and conventional construction methods is the absolute option for environmentally friendly construction. However, implementation of strategies such as optimal designs and decrease in material and worker transportation of both modular and conventional building projects and increase in annual production of modular manufacturing centers can reduce the material and energy consumption and the subsequent environmental impacts. This paper also provides a basis to create a benchmarking database by adding future LCA studies for new modular and conventional building projects.

Coupling Effect of Space-Arrangement and Wall Thermal Resistance on Indoor Thermal Environment of Passive Solar Single-Family Building in Tibet

In areas where solar energy is abundant, such as the Tibetan plateau, passive solar buildings are attracting more and more attention and becoming a popular form of rural building. However, it is often difficult to achieve the satisfactory indoor thermal environment in a local rural passive solar single-family house. In order to improve the indoor thermal environment of passive solar buildings through building design, a systematic study of rural single-family buildings in Tibet was conducted. The basic parameters were investigated on the outdoor thermal environment, space-arrangement, envelope structure, and the indoor thermal environment. The building model considering space-arrangement modes was developed based on the survey data in multi-space passive solar buildings. The general physical and mathematical analysis models of multi-space passive solar buildings were established based on the heat transfer theory. Furthermore, the effects of space-arrangement and exterior wall thermal resistance on indoor air temperature were analyzed by numerical simulation. Results show that the indoor air temperature of the passive solar building is influenced by space-arrangement and wall thermal resistance together. When the space-arrangement of the building model was changed from “north-south through type” (mode a) to “through and separation combination” (mode b) and “north-south separation” (mode c), the indoor air temperature of the living room increased from 8.8 °C to 10.6 °C and 11.6 °C, with increases of 20.5% and 31.8%, respectively. In addition, equally increasing the thermal resistance of exterior walls in different orientations has different effects on the indoor air temperature. In the space-arrangement mode c, comparing with the temperature increment of the living room and bedroom caused by increasing thermal resistance of the south wall and north wall, the temperature increment of the living room caused by increasing thermal resistance of the east/west wall increased by 151.7% and 32.7%, and that of the bedroom increased by 609.1% and 239.1% respectively. This study can provide a reference for the optimal design of passive solar buildings in solar energy abundant areas.

Effects of the tenants electricity law on energy system layout and landlord-tenant relationship in a multi-family building in Germany

Multi-family buildings (MFB) accommodate 53% of the German apartment stock. Although PV-systems on single-family buildings are widely implemented, the PV-potential on MFBs has barely been touched. Therefore, the German government introduced the Mieterstromgesetz, the tenants electricity law (TEL), in 2016. This law exempts electricity directly produced and consumed in a building from certain charges and taxes. Within the TEL framework, the landlord acts as the local electricity provider and can profit from selling electricity to the tenants and tenants can save electricity costs. This paper analyses the techno-economic effects of the TEL on the energy system layout of a MFB in Germany. Furthermore, it gives implications on how the TEL affects the tenant-landlord relationship. In this analyses, a MILP model is used to maximize the net present value (NPV) and determines the optimal layout and dispatch of the energy system. The model can choose to invest in PV, CHP and a battery storage system. Additionally, one to six electric vehicles (EVs) are integrated into the model. The novelty of this paper is the model-based analysis of the German Mieterstromgesetz considering EVs. The results show that the combination of PV and CHP is the most profitable system layout with NPVs up to 31.9ke. An optimized charging strategy increases the self-consumption rate and the NPV substantially compared to a fast-charging-strategy. Thus, the TEL can create a symbiotic relationship between landlords and tenants.

ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY PERFORMANCE AND THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF A SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

This study provides a comprehensive analysis on the impacts of passive and active design strategies with regard to energy efficiency and thermal comfort of a building in three different climate conditions, over a case study. A single-family building has been simulated to determine energy consumption and internal thermal comfort based on static (ISO 7730:2005) and adaptive thermal comfort (EN 15251:2007) criteria. A serious of simulations were conducted to optimize the building envelope by using Trnsys 17. The study carried out the results of different design options by the implementation of varied thermal mass, natural ventilation, shading, plant system and heat exchanger options for Lystrup, Paris and Rome climates. The results of simulations point out that a single building strategy without a promoter energy-driven strategy, is not enough to obtain an energy efficient building.

Predictive multi-hazard hurricane data-based fragility model for residential homes

Multi-hazard hurricane data-based fragility models are able to represent multiple predictor variables, be validated based on observed data, and consider variability in building characteristics and hazard variables. This paper develops predictive hurricane, multi-hazard, single-family building fragility models for ordered categorical damage states (DS) and binary complete failure/non-complete failure using proportional odds cumulative logit and logistic regression models, respectively. In addition to their simplicity, these models are able to represent multiple hurricane hazard variables and include variable interactions, thus improving model fitting and damage prediction. Surveys of physical damage in coastal Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina (2005) and high-resolution numerical hindcast hazard intensities from the Simulating WAves Nearshore and ADvanced CIRCulation (SWAN + ADCIRC) models are used as model input. Prediction accuracy is expressed in terms of cross-validation (CV) and evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV).Thirty-nine combinations of global damage response variables were investigated. Of these models, six DS and one complete failure model met the evaluation criteria. Maximum significant wave height was the only significant hazard variable for the DS models, while maximum 3-s gust wind speed, maximum surge depth, and maximum water speed were found to be significant predictors for the complete failure model. Model prediction external accuracy ranged from 81% to 87%.

Energy Performance Certificates and Historic Apartment Buildings: A Method to Encourage User Participation and Sustainability in the Refurbishment Process

ABSTRACT This article presents and discusses the challenges of refurbishing historic apartment buildings by correlating findings from research projects LEAF and CulClim. Our aim is to shed light on how residents can partake in and optimise the refurbishment process after energy performance certificates (EPC) have been conducted. The background is that historic apartment buildings are generally more complex than single family buildings with respect to the energy efficiency process as they often have multiple owners with different priorities. The case studies from Norway and Sweden have conceptually contrasting energy performance certificate (EPC) systems. Identified advantages and shortcomings concerning both systems are discussed. In Sweden, the restrained recommendation of measures can lead to national mitigation targets not being realised. In Norway, excessive and unqualified recommendations risk reducing the cultural heritage values of the existing building stock as well as having a negative environmental impact on greenhouse gas emissions. A bottom-up approach incorporating the resident’s objectives is presented and discussed. Results suggest that improved EPC-systems and a broadened procedural approach to decision making will ease the process and improve the outcome of the refurbishment with respect to both energy and heritage aspects.

Predictive Analytic for Estimating Electric Consumption of Smart Grid Platform in Residential Single-Family Building using Support Vector Regression Approach

This present paper attempts to corroborate the theoretical expert knowledge model-based data with the data-driven method in order to optimize energy efficiency use by high fluctuate occupants’ behavior level in typical residential single-family building at tropical country (i.e. Indonesia). Existing data set gathered from field observation and finished computed with Building Performance Simulation (BPS) software tools. The methodology for data-driven knowledge is using supervised machine learning with support vector regression technique, hence the physical engineering data become training data for learning purpose. Predicting algorithm is done in sequential minimal optimization for regression task (SMOreg), a library for support vector machine integrated in WEKA software with using radial basis functions (RBF) as the kernel. Moreover, electric bills are included to forecast future economic value of using smart grid technology.

Changes in Functional and Spatial Layouts of Polish Single-Family Houses

The article presents the evolution of functional and spatial layouts of single-family houses in Poland, with particular emphasis on the functions of a contemporary house. Singlefamily housing constitutes a significant part of the construction market in Poland. The way of forming functions in single-family buildings in the historical cycle has characteristic features resulting from the culture of the society in a given period. The functional and spatial layout of each object is an important part of its architecture. Architecture is the art of organizing space in order to satisfy the material and spiritual needs of man. Building is an essential part of this organization. When we describe the architecture of a building, we mean its form – construction of the body, function, structure and detail, texture and colour. However, a casual observer primarily perceives the appearance of the building – its body and the way it is finished. The construction of the building is usually hidden, invisible to the observer. The investor and future user most often put in the first place the functional layout. The estates of single-family houses are an important part of the modern city landscape. Such estates may consist of free-standing, semi-detached, terraced and atrium buildings. They are developed on the basis of individual projects designed for a specific user, or based on repetitive projects, selected by the investor in cooperation with the architect, from project catalogues of various architectural studios. At the same time, the developer’s estates are being designed, offering ready-made houses, which the future user chooses without the participation of the designer. The most interesting in terms of the functional arrangement and spatial solutions are the projects of unique houses located in atypical situations, both within cities and on their outskirts. In each of these cases, the future user – investor in a decisive way draws attention to the functional layout of the building. The customs prevailing in society, the structure of the family and the style of family life in a given historical period had decisive influence on shaping the functional and spatial systems of single-family buildings. At present, in the era of globalization present in all areas of life, there have been significant changes in the way of life of the family that affect the functional and spatial layout of single-family houses. Global standards in creating the function of buildings are thus being adopted.

MULTI-VARIABLE OPTIMIZATION MODELS FOR BUILDING ENVELOPE DESIGN USING ENERGYPLUS SIMULATION AND METAHEURISTIC ALGORITHMS

Abstract The paper presents the method of optimal design of the building envelope. The influence of four types of windows, their size, building orientation, insulation of external walls, ceiling to unheated attic and ground floor on the life cycle costs in a single-family building in Polish climate conditions is analyzed. The optimization procedure is developed by means of the coupling between MATLAB and EnergyPlus. The results using three metaheuristic methods: genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, and algorithm based on teaching and learning are compared. The analyses have shown the possibility of reducing the life cycle costs through the optimal selection of the building structure. The high initial investment (above the required standard) pays off in the long run when using a building.

Ecological and financial aspects of gas boiler co-operation with alternative energy sources for multi-family buildings

Due to intensive economic and industrial development in the last decades, resulting in environmental degradation and too fast depletion of natural resources, there is an increasing interest in implementing sustainable development principles, i.e. meeting human needs with environmental considerations. The construction industry is a major consumer of energy in the world, so it is justified to aim at reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency and maximizing the use of waste energy and renewable energy. In the case of residential buildings, one use the most energy for heating of water for utility purposes and for central heating purposes. Not large multi-family residential buildings are characterized by similar parameters of energy needs as single-family buildings, which results primarily from the nature of use. The main difference between single and multi-family buildings is the area per capita. Smaller area reduces energy consumption for room. On the other hand, the higher demand for hot water follow the larger number of inhabitants. As a primary source of heat in urban areas, there are currently used solid fuel boilers, gas boilers or using system heat. Owing to the smog phenomenon, old coal boilers are being modernized to reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere. In this publication, the example of hot water installation in a multi-family building shows what effects will be achieved if we use alternative sources such as solar collectors or heat pumps for traditional gas water heating systems. For each of the two variants, the approximate investment outlays and costs associated with the operation of the system in the variant were estimated and the estimated annual emissions from the incineration of natural gas

Energy saving and reduction of emissions in heating residential buildings in Poland – potential and selected activities

The communal and living sector, to the extent that it is the sub-sector of buildings with a majority share of residential buildings, on average, account for approximately 41% of total energy consumption in the European Union. Due to a large share in the total energy consumption, the buildings sector has a significant potential to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings and thus significantly reduce emission of air pollutants. One way is through thermal modernization. The article presents the expected energy and environmental effects of measures which adjust the existing residential buildings to the requirements in force in Poland since 2021. It has been assumed that the energy demand for heating buildings will be limited to the level of 55 kWh/(m2year) for multi-family residential buildings and 60 kWh/(m2year) for single-family residential buildings. The calculations show that it is possible to reduce energy consumption for heating of residential buildings by over 70%, which will result in a reduction of the total air pollutant emissions from housing heating, in relation to the situation in 2011. The article indicates existing reserves in thermal modernization activities and related problems based on the analysis of selected parameters of residential buildings.

The delayed effects of flooding a residential building – case study

The work describes the case of a single-family residential building, which suffered a breakdown due to flooding. Flooded water in the nearby watercourse, did not reach the building directly, but in its vicinity, but raised to a very high level the local groundwater table, which reached locally, even above ground level. This condition was maintained over a longer period of time, causing the soil moisture to rise, and thus its geotechnical parameters deteriorated. The consequence of this, the building underwent an uncontrolled and uneven settlement, which was accompanied by the formation of cracks on the walls. The effects of failure were presented and an attempt was made to identify possible causes of failure. Own study of the substrate was carried out in "in situ" conditions and verification of laboratory tests, and their results are presented on relevant charts and tables.

Szczelność na przenikanie powietrza

The article describes the problem of lack of tightness to air leakage occurring in single-family residential buildings caused by air drafts. The author pointed out the most common places of occurrence of air drafts, the effects they can cause and the method of detecting and repairing the drafts. Design and construction work recommendations have been given to eliminate errors causing air drafts in buildings.

Impact of location characteristics on renewable energy production for a group of buildings

The climate in Poland is slightly disparate in each region. The differences in temperature not always come along with the intensity of solar radiation in 5 climate zones. South of the country is colder, but well irradiated by the Sun and northern regions have milder climate, but are less irradiated. This fact alone makes people consider the suitability and safety of using renewable energy sources such as air-to-water heat pumps, solar collectors and photovoltaics instead of more traditional, fossil fuel powered sources. This paper presents a comparison analysis of energy demand and the cost for heating in a group of single-family buildings by 4 variants (gas boiler, gas boiler and solar collectors, air-to-water heat pump, air-to-water heat pump and photovoltaics) in 5 chosen cities in each polish climate zone. Calculations were done for space heating and domestic hot water energy demand, CO2 emissions and cumulative costs for all variants and locations. The results confirm the inconsistency of polish climate and have shown profitability and utility of renewable energy sources.

Analysis of the Criteria for Selecting Heating Systems for Residential Buildings in Cold Climate

How to choose a heating system a residential building? That is an important question builders and owners of the buildings in Lithuania. The heating season in Lithuania starts by October 15th and ends on April 15th. During this period, the average outdoor air temperature is about 0°C. Many of the new single-family buildings in Lithuania are sold not completed as the new owners want to be free in choosing interior materials and engineering equipment. For this reason, many engineering decisions must be taken by the owner of the building, who is usually not a professional in the field of engineering. When choosing a heat source, it is always necessary to distinguish between many for and against arguments. Every heating option has both advantages and disadvantages. There is also a striking balance: the same heating method can never be either very comfortable and at the same time very cheap. When making a final decision, it is always recommended to compare the ratio of heat to the price and comfort, of course, taking into account energy and fuel price forecasts. The article provides information that helps the building owner to navigate in the field of different engineering solutions that affect the future maintenance costs, efficiency, environmental aspects and comfort level of the building. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.23.2.21359

IMPACT OF THE RES MICROINSTALLATIONS IN SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSES ON CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION REDUCTION

The article is an attempt to estimate the potential of reduction carbon dioxide emissions using microinstallation of renewable energy sources (RES) in single-family housing. Based on the energy demand of the building, statistical data including the average number of single-family buildings built per year and the average area of a single-family building, the forecasted national annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the implementation of microinstallations in single-family buildings was calculated. The research results indicated an annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the use of selected RES microinstallations only in the single-family housing sector at the level of 230,000 t/year.

Smart grid and PV driven ground heat pump as thermal battery in small buildings for optimized electricity consumption

The purpose of this paper is to show the possible increase of self-consumption of photovoltaic (PV) electricity production for a building by intelligent use of thermal masses in the building. TRNSYS simulations were carried out for an electrically driven ground heat pump in combination with PV, thermally activated building systems and water storage (TES) in small single-family buildings. Several different control strategies adapting set-temperatures in combination with different building types and heat capacities were investigated. For a single-family house with 8900 kWh space heating and domestic hot water demand per year and a 20 m2 PV system, the solar fraction (SF) increased from 11% for a standard configuration up to 61% with maximized use of overheating of the TES (2000 L tank) and the building mass. The running cost for the heat pump due to grid electricity consumption (0.18 EUR per kWh) decreased from 420 EUR per year – in the reference case without PV – to 373 EUR (SF = 11%) with PV, but in the standard configuration without PV self-consumption optimization, and to 69 EUR per year (SF = 61%) with PV self-consumption optimization, if the remaining PV electricity was completely sold at 0.05 EUR per kWh.