scholarly journals Are LEED-Certified Buildings Energy-Efficient in Practice?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Amiri ◽  
Juudit Ottelin ◽  
Jaana Sorvari
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Energy Resources ◽  
Search Result ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Energy Aspects

Depletion of natural resources and climate change are undoubtedly the biggest challenges that humankind faces today. Here, buildings have a crucial role since they consume the majority, i.e., 30% to 40% of the total energy resources. Green building certification is one of the solutions to limit the energy use in buildings. In addition, it is seen to indicate a consideration for sustainability aspects in construction. LEED is the most widely used certificate worldwide. However, recently some critics have raised doubts about LEED and whether it actually implies sustainability. Most of the criticism has been targeted to the energy aspects of LEED. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on the usefulness of LEED: is it really beneficial for the environment, and is it worth of the money and time invested on the certification process? In this study a critical analysis of the literature to find an answer to this question is presented. Altogether 44 peer reviewed articles dealing with the abovementioned issue were selected out of 164 search result. Based on the studied material, the different aspects of LEED from the viewpoint of energy-efficiency are discussed. From the 44 reviewed articles, ten articles state that LEED certificate indicates energy efficiency while eight papers end up with an opposite conclusion. The rest of the papers do not take any stand on this matter. The study showed that energy efficiency of LEED-certified buildings is questionable especially at lower levels, i.e., certified. Therefore, it is recommended to modify the Energy and Atmosphere category of LEED in order to improve the actual energy performance of buildings.

scholarly journals Achieving a More Sustainable and Fair Society: How Individual and Collective Action Shape the Energy Efficiency of Buildings / Conseguindo uma Sociedade Mais Sustentável e Justa: Como a Ação Individual e Coletiva Molda a Eficiência Energética dos Edifícios

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Parejo-Navajas
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
Use Behavior ◽  
Development Objective

AbstractThe behavior of occupants in buildings has an enormous impact on their energy consumption. Despite the efforts to improve the energy efficiency in buildings, there are still many barriers that need to be overcome. Behavior change measures -to improve the energy performance of buildings- are focused on both, the design and the use and operation of buildings. If we are really committed to achieving the sustainable development objective to improve our society’s well-being, special attention should be put into energy use behavior as it has been proven to be an effective way for improvement. ResumoO comportamento dos ocupantes em edifícios tem um enorme impacto no seu consumo de energia. Apesar dos esforços para melhorar a eficiência energética nos edifícios, ainda há muitas barreiras que precisam ser superadas. Medidas de mudança de condutas - para melhorar o desempenho energético dos edifícios - são focadas tanto no design como na utilização e operação de edifícios. Se estamos realmente empenhados em alcançar o objetivo de desenvolvimento sustentável para melhorar o bem-estar da nossa sociedade, uma atenção particular deve ser proporcionada em relação as condutas que influem no uso cotidiano de energia, uma vez que se provou ser um meio eficaz de progresso.

Evaluation of Cooling, Heating, and Power (CHP) Systems Based on Building Energy-Rating

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Fumo ◽  
P. J. Mago ◽  
L. M. Chamra
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Energy Star ◽  
Star Rating ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings

Cooling, Heating and Power (CHP) systems are a form of distributed generation that uses internal combustion prime-power engines to generate electricity while recovering heat for other uses. CHP is a promising technology for increasing energy efficiency through the use of distributed electric and thermal energy recovery-delivery systems at or near end-user sites. Although this technology seems to be economically feasible, the evaluation and comparison of CHP systems cannot be restricted to economical considerations only. Standard economic analysis, such as life cycle economic analysis, does not take in consideration all the benefits that can be obtained from this technology. For this reason, several aspects to perform a non-conventional evaluation of CHP systems have to be considered. Among the aspects to be included in a non-conventional evaluation are: power reliability, power quality, environmental quality, energy-efficient buildings, fuel source flexibility, brand and marketing benefits, protection from electric rate hikes, and benefits from promoting energy management practices. Some benefits of these non-economical evaluations can be transferred into an economic evaluation but others give intangible potential to the technology. This paper focus on a non-conventional evaluation based on energy-efficient buildings, which is associated to energy conservation and improvement of the building energy performance rating for government energy programs like Energy Star and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Results show that the use of CHP systems could improve the Energy Star Rating in more than 50 points. The Energy Star Rating is significant on the LEED Rating as a building can score up to 10 points of the 23 available in the Energy & Atmosphere category on energy efficiency alone. As much as 8 points can be obtained in this category due to the Energy Star rating increment from the use of CHP systems. Clearly the use of CHP systems will help building owners to reach the benefits from these energy programs while improving the overall energy use and energy cost.

scholarly journals Toward efficient energy consumption in middle income housing buildings in Egypt

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-189
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Rizk Hegazy
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Analysis ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Efficient Energy ◽  
Hot Weather ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Current research pays special attention to the application of approaches that promote sustainable design in a built environment and ensure energy efficiency. In this context, the form of housing buildings is an important parameter that has a meaningful impact on the use of energy in housing buildings. Hence, this research attempts to study the impact of the form of housing buildings on energy efficiency taking into account the mid-hot weather conditions in one of the middle-income housing buildings in new communities in Egypt. To achieve the research aim, a comparative analysis is carried out using parametric numerical analysis—DesignBuilder energy analysis—to compare the various hypothetical proposals for different building configurations. The study determines that the efficiency of energy use in buildings depends to a large extent on their forms that will help urban designers and planners to propose the best energy performance in the form of housing buildings in the stage of conceptual design suitable for other environmental, social and economic urban planning issues. These results should be incorporated into the building codes adopted in Egypt’s new cities in order to reach more energy-efficient housing buildings in Egypt.

A comparative meta-analysis of residential green building policies and their impact on overall energy consumption patterns

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naim Jabbour
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Residential Energy ◽  
Residential Energy Consumption ◽  
The Eu

Data shows residential energy consumption constituting a significant portion of the overall energy end use in the European Union (EU), ranging between 15% and 30%. Furthermore, the EU’s dependency on foreign fossil fuel-based energy imports has been steadily increasing since 1993, constituting approximately 60% of its primary energy. This paper provides an analytical re-view of diverse residential building/energy policies in targeted EU countries, to shed insight on the impact of such policies and measures on energy use and efficiency trends. Accordingly, the adoption of robust residential green and energy efficient building policies in the EU has increased in the past decade. Moreover, data from EU energy efficiency and consumption databases attributes 44% of total energy savings since 2000 to energy upgrades and improvements within the residential sector. Consequently, many EU countries and organizations are continuously evaluating residential building energy consumption patterns to increase the sec-tor’s overall energy performance. To that end, energy efficiency gains in EU households were measured at 1% in 2000 compared to 27.8% in 2016, a 2600% increase. Accordingly, 36 policies have been implemented successfully since 1991 across the EU targeting improvements in residential energy efficiency and reductions in energy use. Moreover, the adoption of National Energy Efficiency Actions Plans (NEEACP) across the EU have been a major driver of energy savings and energy efficiency. Most energy efficiency plans have followed a holistic multi-dimensional approach targeting the following areas, legislative actions, financial incentives, fiscal tax exemptions, and public education and awareness programs and campaigns. These measures and policy instruments have cumulatively generated significant energy savings and measurable improvements in energy performance across the EU since their inception. As a result, EU residential energy consumption trends show a consistent decrease over the past decade. The purpose of this analysis is to explore, examine, and compare the various green building and energy-related policies in the EU, highlighting some of the more robust and progressive aspects of such policies. The paper will also analyze the multiple policies and guidelines across targeted European nations. Lastly, the study will assess the status of green residential building policies in Lebanon, drawing from the comprehensive European measures, in order to recommend a comprehensive set of guidelines to advance energy policies and building practices in the country. Keywords: Building Policies; Residential Energy Patterns; Residential Energy Consumption; Energy Savings

Design Optimization of Energy Efficient Office Buildings in Tunisia

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pyeongchan Ihm ◽  
Moncef Krarti
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Heating And Cooling

Optimal and cost-effective energy efficiency design and operation options are evaluated for office buildings in Tunisia. In the analysis, several design and operation features are considered including orientation, window location and size, high performance glazing types, wall and roof insulation levels, energy efficient lighting systems, daylighting controls, temperature settings, and energy efficient heating and cooling systems. First, the results of the optimization results from a sequential search technique are compared against those obtained by a more time consuming brute-force optimization approach. Then, the optimal design features for a prototypical office building are determined for selected locations in Tunisia. The optimization results indicate that utilizing daylighting controls, energy efficient lighting fixtures, and low-e double glazing, and roof insulation are required energy efficiency measures to design high energy performance office buildings throughout climatic zones in Tunisia. In particular, it is found that implementing these measures can cost-effectively reduce the annual energy use by 50% compared to the current design practices of office buildings in Tunisia.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF ENERGY EFFICIENT HEATING MODES ON BUILDINGS ENERGY USE BASING ON THE MATHEMATICAL MODELING

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Deshko ◽  
I. Bilous ◽  
N. Buyak ◽  
O. Petruchenko
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Heat Accumulation ◽  
Intermittent Heating ◽  
Building Engineering

Global trends of increasing the buildings energy efficiency are aimed at reducing energy use to nearly zero consumption (nZEB). Achieving the nZEB level requires the implementation of a set energy-saving measures to improve the thermophysical properties of fences, building engineering systems and the use of renewable energy sources. One of low-cost and energy-efficient measures to increase the level of energy efficiency of buildings is the introduction of energy-efficient intermittent heating modes of buildings. Usually, this measure is appropriate and possible after the thermal modernization of the building. Determining the energy performance of buildings for the introduction of intermittent heating modes requires the use of mathematical models. The paper compares the application of different mathematical models and methods for estimating thermal energy savings in thermal modernization and implementation of intermittent heating modes based on the quasi-stationary model according to DSTU B A.2.2-12: 2015, stadium model created on the basis of RETScreen software and dynamic model 5R1C according to EN ISO 13790 and EN 13786. Heat-accumulation properties of building enclosures in RETScreen are not taken into account, in DSTU B A.2.2-12: 2015 - are taken into account for external enclosures, 5R1C - both internal and external enclosures are taken into account. The calculation was made for a residential building and a gymnasium located in the city of Kyiv. The introduction of a set of measures for thermal modernization of building fences will reduce heat consumption by 60 and 35% for residential building reinforced and gymnasiums, respectively. Introduction of intermittent heating modes for buildings after thermal modernization / modern buildings allows to save on heating more than 15% - determined on the basis of RETScreen program, 10% - on the basis of dynamic grid model 5R1C, 22% - on the basis of quasi-stationary method according to DSTU B A.2.2- 12: 2015, for a residential building and a gymnasium building located in Kyiv.

A method for energy efficiency assessment during urban energy planning

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Regina de Casas Castro Marins
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Energy Planning ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Urban Energy

Purpose – Energy use in urban areas has turned a subject of local and worldwide interest over the last few years, especially emphasized by the correlated greenhouse gases emissions. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the overall energy efficiency potential and emissions resulting from integrated solutions in urban energy planning, in the scale of districts and neighbourhoods in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is based on the description and the application of a method to analyse energy performance of urban areas and support their planning. It is a quantitative bottom-up method and involves urban morphology, urban mobility, buildings and energy supply systems. Procedures are applied to the case study of Agua Branca urban development area, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Findings – In the case of Agua Branca area, energy efficiency measures in buildings have shown to be very important mostly for the buildings economies themselves. For the area as a whole, strategies in promoting public transport are more effective in terms of energy efficiency and also to decrease pollutant emissions. Originality/value – Literature review has shown there is a lack of approaches and procedures able to support urban energy planning at a community scale. The bottom-up method presented in this paper integrates a plenty of disaggregated and multisectoral parameters at the same stage in urban planning and shows that is possible to identify the most promising actions by building overall performance indexes.

scholarly journals Economic assessment of energy efficiency investments in dwellings = Evaluación económica de inversiones de eficiencia energética en viviendas

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Economic Assessment ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Economic Modelling ◽  
Evaluación Económica ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Definition Of

In order to improve the energy performance of buildings, the need to value economically investments of energy efficiency associated with the rehabilitation of dwellings arises. This point of view provides an useful tool for analysts who start in the economic appraisal of energy efficiency investments. The present research gives a conceptual framework for the economic assessment of these types of investments in dwellings. As a result, it is possible to identify two techniques in the appraisals of this nature: dynamic and static approaches. Both methods contrast the benefits (energy savings) with the costs of investments over time. However, they differentiate the opportunity and the moment when investment must be carried out given an uncertainty scenario. This conceptual precision allows the study of several publications where different alternatives in retrofitting houses where evaluated, confirming the considerations that must be taken into account when economic modelling is made: the type of approach to be used (dynamic or static) and; at the definition of the investment alternatives and scenarios, the aspects of time, irrevocability and uncertainty.ResumenEn pro de la mejora del desempeño energético de los edificios, surge la necesidad de evaluar económicamente las inversiones de eficiencia energética asociadas a la rehabilitación de viviendas. Este punto de vista trata de ser una herramienta útil para analistas que se inicien en la evaluación económica de inversiones en eficiencia energética. La presente investigación muestra un marco conceptual de la evaluación económica de este tipo de inversiones en viviendas. Como resultado, es posible identificar dos enfoques presentes en los análisis económicos de esta naturaleza: el dinámico y el estático. Ambos métodos contrastan los beneficios (ahorros energéticos) con los costes de las inversiones en el tiempo. Sin embargo, diferencian la oportunidad y el momento en que la inversión debe realizarse dado un escenario de incertidumbre. Esta precisión conceptual permite estudiar varias publicaciones donde se evaluaron diferentes alternativas de reacondicionamiento en viviendas, confirmándose las consideraciones que deben tenerse presentes en momento de realizar la modelación económica: el tipo de enfoque a usar (dinámico o estático) y, en la definición de las alternativas de inversión y escenarios, los aspectos de tiempo, irrevocabilidad e incertidumbre.

scholarly journals ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, LESS STRAIGHT FORWARD THEN PRESUMED

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Hens
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Energy Conserving ◽  
New Construction

Since the 1990s, the successive EU directives and related national or regional legislations require new construction and retrofits to be as much as possible energy-efficient. Several measures that should stepwise minimize the primary energy use for heating and cooling have become mandated as requirement. However, in reality, related predicted savings are not seen in practice. Two effects are responsible for that. The first one refers to dweller habits, which are more energy-conserving than the calculation tools presume. In fact, while in non-energy-efficient ones, habits on average result in up to a 50% lower end energy use for heating than predicted. That percentage drops to zero or it even turns negative in extremely energy-efficient residences. The second effect refers to problems with low-voltage distribution grids not designed to transport the peaks in electricity whensunny in summer. Through that, a part of converters has to be uncoupled now and then, which means less renewable electricity. This is illustrated by examples that in theory should be net-zero buildings due to the measures applied and the presence of enough photovoltaic cells (PV) on each roof. We can conclude that mandating extreme energy efficiency far beyond the present total optimum value for residential buildings looks questionable as a policy. However, despite that, governments and administrations still seem to require even more extreme measurements regarding energy efficiency.

Energy Saving Policies for Housing Based on Wrong Assumptions?

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-83
Author(s):  
Henk Visscher ◽  
Dasa Majcen ◽  
Laure Itard
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Housing Stock ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Saving Potential ◽  
Energy Performance Of Buildings ◽  
New Buildings

The energy saving potential of the building stock is large and considered to be the most cost efficient to contribute to the CO2 reduction ambitions. Severe governmental policies steering on reducing the energy use seem essential to stimulate and enforce the improvement of the energy performance of buildings with a focus on reducing the heating and cooling energy demand. In Europe the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a driving force for member states to develop and strengthen energy performance regulations for new buildings and energy certificates for the building stock. The goals are to build net zero energy new buildings in 2020 and to reach a neutral energy situation in the whole stock by 2050. More and more research projects deliver insight that the expected impact of stricter regulations for newly built houses is limited and the actual effects of energy savings through housing renovations stay behind the expectations. Theoretical energy use calculated on base of the design standard for new houses and assessment standards for Energy Performance Certificates of existing dwellings differ largely from the measured actual energy use. The paper uses the findings of some Post Occupancy Evaluation research projects. Is the energy saving potential of the housing stock smaller than expected and should we therefore change the policies?

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