Estimating a Building’s Energy Performance using a Composite Indicator: A Case Study

Abstract

Several studies have analyzed the integration of energy-saving strategies in buildings to mitigate their environmental impact. These studies focused mainly on a disaggregated analysis of such strategies and their effects on the building's energy consumption and thermal behavior, using energy engine simulation software (EnergyPlus, TRNSYS, and DOE2) or graphical interface software (DesignBuilder, eQuest, and ESP-r). However, buildings are complex systems whose energy behavior depends on the interaction of passive (e.g., location and construction materials) and dynamic (e.g., occupation) components. Therefore, this study proposes a composite indicator Building’s Energy Performance (BEP) as an alternative to deal with this complex and multidimensional phenomenon in a simplified way. This indicator considers energy efficiency and thermal comfort. The Electrical Engineering Building (EEB) of the Universidad Industrial de Santander was selected to verify the performance of the BEP indicator. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed for different mathematical aggregation methods and weighting values to test their suitability to reproduce the building behavior. Different simulation scenarios modeled with DesignBuilder software were proposed, in which the energy-saving strategies integrated with the building was individually analyzed. The results confirmed that the integration of the building's energy-saving strategies improved the BEP indicator by approximately 16%. It has also been possible to verify that the BEP indicator adequately reproduces the building’s energy behavior while guaranteeing comfort conditions. Finally, the Building Energy Performance indicator is expected to contribute to the integration of sustainability criteria in the design and remodeling stages of buildings.