Building Retrofitting through Coupling of Building Energy Simulation-Optimization Tool with CFD and Daylight Programs

Mehrdad Rabani, Habtamu Bayera Madessa and Natasa Nord
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Mehrdad Rabani: Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway
Habtamu Bayera Madessa: Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway
Natasa Nord: Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: Simultaneous satisfaction of both thermal and visual comfort in buildings may be a challenging task. Therefore, this paper suggests a comprehensive framework for the building energy optimization process integrating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) daylight simulations. A building energy simulation tool, IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (IDA-ICE), was coupled with three open-source tools including GenOpt, OpenFOAM, and Radiance. In the optimization phase, several design variables i.e., building envelope properties, fenestration parameters, and Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system set points, were selected to minimize the total building energy use and simultaneously improve thermal and visual comfort. Two different scenarios were investigated for retrofitting of a generic office building located in Oslo, Norway. In the first scenario a constant air volume (CAV) ventilation system with a local radiator in each zone was used, while an all-air system equipped with a demand control ventilation (DCV) was applied in the second scenario. Findings showed that, compared to the reference design, significant reduction of total building energy use, around 77% and 79% in the first and second scenarios, was achieved respectively, and thermal and visual comfort conditions were also improved considerably. However, the overall thermal and visual comfort satisfactions were higher when all-air system was applied.

Keywords: building retrofitting; building performance optimization; CFD; daylight analysis; thermal and visual comfort (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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