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This paper investigates factors associated with variation in daily total (electricity and gas) energy consumption in domestic buildings using linked pre-COVID-19 smart meter, weather, building thermal characteristics, and socio-technical survey data covering appliance ownership, demographics, behaviours, and attitudes for two nested sub-samples of 1418 and 682 British households selected from the Smart Energy Research Laboratory (SERL) Observatory panel. Linear mixed effects modelling resulted in adjusted R2 between 63% and 80% depending on sample size and combinations of contextual data used. Increased daily energy consumption was significantly associated (p -value < 0.05, VIF < 5) with: households living in buildings with more rooms and bedrooms, that are older, more detached, have air-conditioning, and experience colder (more heating degree days) or less sunny weather; households with more adult occupants, more children, older adult occupants, higher heating temperature setpoints, and that do not try to save energy. The results demonstrate the value of smart meter data linked with contextual data for improving understanding of energy demand in British housing. Accredited UK researchers are invited to apply to access the data, which has recently been updated to include over 13,000 households from across Great Britain. This paper provides guidance on appropriate methods to use when analysing the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing concern about the scale and extent of the gap between predicted and actual energy performance of new and retrofitted UK homes has led to a surge in the development of new tools and technologies trying to address the problem. A vital aspect of this work is to improve ease and accuracy of measuring in-use performance to better understand the extent of the gap and diagnose its causes. Existing approaches range from low cost but basic assessments allowing very limited diagnosis, to intensively instrumented experiments that provide detail but are expensive and highly disruptive, typically requiring the installation of specialist monitoring equipment and often vacating the house for several days. A key challenge in reducing the cost and difficulty of complex methods in occupied houses is to disaggregate space heating energy from that used for other uses without installing specialist monitoring equipment. This paper presents a low cost, non-invasive approach for doing so for a typical occupied UK home where space heating, hot water and cooking are provided by gas. The method, using dynamic pattern matching of total gas consumption measurements, typical of those provided by a smart meter, was tested by applying it to two occupied houses in the UK. The findings revealed that this method was successful in detecting heating patterns in the data and filtering out coinciding use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green roofs help to regulate the urban climate not only by evapotranspiration but also because of their insulating effects leading to reduced energy demand in summer and winter. Microclimate models as ENVI-met allow to calculate effects of green roofs and their contribution to climate change adaptation. Most models are based on generalized assumptions concerning evapotranspiration, albedo, heat flux and u-value of green roofs. Building physics software as ArchiPHYSIK lacks of available data concerning green roofs. This paper provides a detailed description of seven different green roof systems (differing in thicknesses, materials and construction layers) and their insulating performance over a period of 15 months. This shall allow researchers to choose more specific data for their work and improve the accuracy of green roof simulations and energy efficiency calculations. The results show clearly, that green roofs, as “living dynamic systems” respond differently on climatic framework conditions. The calculated u-values range from 0.944 W/m 2 K – measured for a 12 cm thick one layer green roof – to 0.299 W/m 2 K of a 30 cm thick two layer green roof. The tested green roofs have been selected to be able to analyze the influence of different materials, construction types and thicknesses on insulation performance. Apart from construction thickness, water capacity of growing layer and drainage material, their pore volume and the application of drainage boards have been identified as relevant factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A comprehensive study about the integration of dynamic thermal insulation in building envelopes was proposed. • Available constructions, examination approaches, and investigated parameters by the literature were reviewed. • Dynamic thermal insulation savings would reach more than 40% compared to building envelopes with an equal alternative static thermal insulation. • A practical zero heat loss coefficient could be achieved by employing dynamic insulation realised by airflow. Dynamic insulation is a promising approach that allows the heat transmission rate through building envelopes to vary in a controlled manner over time. Dynamic insulation's primary function is to change the transmissivity of the building envelope according to the actual outdoor conditions. It is applicable in almost any climate condition. The fundamental contribution of this review paper is to collect and assess available literature on this topic for different dynamic insulation structures. Therefore, this article classifies the background of dynamic (active) insulation and offers a comparative investigation of the various mathematical models, experimental studies, and numerical simulations based on the historical evolution of thermal insulating strategies over time. Several existing structures for dynamic insulation realised by airflow were categorised based on the construction type, examined parameters, and investigation approaches. Some literature results revealed that low heat loss (U < 0.1) down to practically zero could be achieved by employing a dynamic insulation air type. Moreover, the associated energy savings could reach more than 40% compared to building envelopes with a static insulation alternative. The proposed evaluation will provide basic knowledge about the development and capabilities of dynamic insulation using air and identify potential research areas to pursue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The International Building Physics Toolbox (IBPT) is a software library developed originally for heat, air and moisture system analysis in building physics. The toolbox is constructed as a modular structure of standard building elements, using the graphical programming language Simulink. To enable development of the toolbox, a common modelling platform is defined: a set of unique communication signals, material database and documentation protocol. The IBPT is an open source and available on the Internet. Any user can utilize, expand and develop the contents of the toolbox. This paper presents structure and essence of the library. Potential applications of the toolbox are illustrated through examples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]