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The existing stock of institutional buildings constructed before current thermal regulation codes is known to be high-energy consuming. To make energy savings, retrofitting solutions have to deal with important transformations of those buildings (e.g. envelope, energy systems) and with better-suited management solutions. Such technical solutions quite often neglect occupants' comfort. The present work aims to develop and implement an energy audit protocol to tackle simultaneously the questions of thermal comfort and energy efficiency for higher education buildings. Our transverse approach allowed us to achieve a complementary view of the building under examination, including its operating conditions. At any rate, capturing the full complexity of a building-system (building energy devices, management strategies, and occupancy and behaviours impacts) requires a broad perspective and points to the limits of key-in-hand audits and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, with the advancement of construction technology, saving energy use of the building has been considered as one of the fields of environmental sustainability. The use of green cover and plants on the buildings is a suitable passive method that leads to the replace reduced urban green spaces and reduce the problems caused by the effect of the urban heat island (UHI) and improve the energy performance of buildings by reducing the indoor temperature, regulating humidity and creating thermal insulation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reduction of energy consumption through the green walls of an educational building in Gorgan (Csa climate). For this purpose, first, a building designed on the university site, and the effects of two methods of constructing green walls by using three different plant species were simulated. For comparison, thermal data of a building with a direct green facade in the same climate was measured as an experimental sample, and the results were used in the simulation. The effects of using two methods of a green wall with three different plant species (Sedum, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, Hedera helix) were simulated, which Sedum has had better results than other species. The final results showed that the latent heat of the building is increased by green walls and less significant heat is generated in the environment than buildings without green cover. Also, in buildings with living green walls, compared to buildings with direct green facades, the thermal transmittance of the wall is reduced due to more material layers. The results show that some types of green walls reduce heat loss, and finally the total energy use of the building. The green wall has a more efficient effect on the buildings with a simple form and the limited number of interior spaces. In general, depending on the variables of each building, the use of green walls with plant species is different. It is better for a building before design, to determine the most appropriate method of constructing a green wall and plant species to reduce the energy usage according to project factors and climate type of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PCM application as a passive retrofit system on an educational building was analyzed. • PCM application to the shading system resulted in a cooling energy savings of 44%. • Different PCM melting temperatures did not affect the energy savings. • PCM shading applications are more economical than conventional shading. • Further research to reduce heating energy consumption is needed for shading. To improve the energy performance of existing buildings, retrofits may improve the energy efficiency or decrease energy demand. Many studies have been conducted on passive retrofit systems using phase change materials (PCMs). In this study, the objective is to analyze the energy performance and thermal comfort of an educational building with a shading system in South Korea. When PCMs were applied to the shading system, the cooling energy consumption decreased by 44%, and the number of hours of thermal comfort improved by 34%. The melting temperature of the PCM did not play a significant role in reducing the building energy consumption when the PCM was applied to the shading system. In the economic aspect, although the PCM shading application requires more additional investment, the simple payback period (SPP) of the PCM shading application is lower than the building without PCM. Therefore, the PCM shading application to A Hall is a successful retrofit that has more energy efficiency and thermal comfort, and has a lower SPP. However, the increase in heating energy consumption due to the shading application in winter could not be overcome. This implies that further research on the shading system in cold climates are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]