Search

Abstract Convenience stores are known to have higher Energy Use Intensities (EUIs) than most other commercial building types. However, convenience store energy performance analyses have not been systematically investigated. Moreover, current national convenience store benchmarks are inconsistent from one data base to another due to lack of relevant energy data. This paper assesses the energy performance of more than five hundred convenience stores in the same fleet in Eastern United States. The investigation aims to establish benchmarks for convenience stores with and without gasoline pumping stations. The main factors influencing the actual convenience store building energy use were determined. Multiple regression models were developed to find relationships between annual energy consumption per unit area and gross floor area, customer transaction count, building operating year, etc. The statistically characterized results are meant to serve as a reference data set in comparing the whole-building energy performance index for buildings of similar functionality. The statistical correlation analyses can strengthen the robust prediction of energy performance in convenience stores, enabling proper assessment of energy conservation measurements (ECMs) for convenience store operations, as well as guiding additional such energy performance studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper aims to study the various parameters that affect the energy performance of commercial buildings in Singapore. The parameters are diverse, ranging from characteristics of construction of the walls and windows, to the various system settings and types within the building. Building energy performance is measured via two key indexes, namely, the Envelope Thermal Transfer Value (ETTV) and the annual cooling energy requirement (E c). Parameters related to these two indexes are identified. An additional parameter, the solar absorptance of the wall, is further incorporated to calibrate the ETTV equation. A relative ranking on the functional parameters of ETTV has been performed to evaluate their effectiveness in lowering the ETTV of buildings. In addition, the impact of using cladding on ETTV is also studied. A correlation for E c, expressed in the form of a simple linear equation, has been developed. This correlation accounts for the internal building loads, envelope loads, operating schedules and efficiency of the cooling equipment. Finally, ETTV and E c have been employed to study the effects of chiller over-sizing and ventilation rates on building cooling energy. In the pursuit for better energy-efficient buildings, the approach presented in this paper contributes to the construct of sustainable energy-efficient built-environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A great number of low carbon technologies have been developed in the last decades. The use of such technologies promises good indoor environment for the building's occupants, lower energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, there are uncertainties related to payback periods and usability constraints of low carbon technologies. In addition, past and current research has shown differences between the expected and the actual performance of buildings, both in terms of energy consumption and indoor comfort. For a better understanding of differences between expected and actual performance of buildings, it is necessary to investigate the energy consumption, the behaviour of the occupants and their interaction with new technologies, and the resulting indoor comfort. Monitoring building performance can help to reduce the uncertainties related to the building performance of buildings. This paper presents an overview and classification of data collection methods to monitor the energy consumption, thermal comfort of occupants and the operation of buildings in use. Data collection methods and techniques are categorised and linked to specific methods to evaluate building performance and recommendations are made to set up building monitoring research. By identifying the most effective methods to monitor buildings, this research aims at embedding performance monitoring in standard practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a recent research effort to collect and analyze data pertaining to traditional bath buildings (“hammams”) in Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, Syria, and Algeria. Thereby, the energy performance of and the thermal comfort conditions in five such buildings were studied. Moreover, empirically calibrated building performance simulation models of a number of objects were generated in order to predict the consequences of alternative thermal retrofit measures. The results provide the opportunity for an objective assessment of the actual energy and indoor environmental performance of these buildings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The energy performance of buildings has become increasingly important in the general strive to reduce the overall energy use, which is manifested in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive launched by the European Union. An important first step is of course to identify and address buildings that have an energy saving potential. In order to achieve this, robust methods for evaluation as well as reliable energy key figures are needed. For a large majority of multifamily buildings in Sweden the available data of the energy use originates from the property holder. Unfortunately, the data is often limited to the energy that the property holder is responsible for. Thus, information from the tenants about their household electricity use, indoor temperatures, number of residents, etc., is missing. In this paper an evaluation was conducted on monthly consumption data registered by the property holders for over 100 multifamily buildings/real estates in Sweden. The used approach, based on the energy signature method, was developed for evaluating the energy performance of multifamily buildings in terms of the overall heat loss coefficient, K tot. To compensate for the missing data, different assumed consumption profiles have been used. The results shows that although the obtained value of K tot for an individual building is rather sensitive to the assumed consumption profiles of household electricity, the sensitivity is reduced if the evaluation is made in relative and not absolute terms. Thus, the use of consumption profiles could be a successful way to circumvent the present lack of a detailed knowledge of a buildings total energy use. In addition, an evaluation in relative terms instead of absolute values is also more correct, since available data in almost all cases does not support the determination of the true value of K tot. The use of an average consumption profile instead of a detailed knowledge is of course not desirable, but for fairly large buildings such an approach could be successful. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]