Assessment of the Energy Efficiency and Cost of Low-Income Housing Based on BIM Considering Material Properties and Energy Modeling in a Tropical Climate

Vicente Macas-Espinosa, Israel Portilla-Sanchez, David Gomez (), Ruben Hidalgo-Leon, Julio Barzola-Monteses and Guillermo Soriano
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Vicente Macas-Espinosa: Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Guayaquil, Av. Delta y Av. Kennedy, Guayaquil 090514, Ecuador
Israel Portilla-Sanchez: Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Guayaquil, Av. Delta y Av. Kennedy, Guayaquil 090514, Ecuador
David Gomez: Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Guayaquil, Av. Delta y Av. Kennedy, Guayaquil 090514, Ecuador
Ruben Hidalgo-Leon: Centro de Energías Renovables y Alternativas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador
Julio Barzola-Monteses: Centro de estudios en Tecnologías Aplicadas, Universidad Bolivariana del Ecuador, Km. 5.5 Vía Durán—Yaguachi, Durán 092405, Ecuador
Guillermo Soriano: Centro de Energías Renovables y Alternativas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-33

Abstract: This work analyzes the potential impact of thirteen passive and active factors on a low-income housing (LIH) model in a tropical climate. For this purpose, a study of material properties and energy modeling using Building Information Modelling (BIM) is carried out, which helps to evaluate these factors’ energetic and economic implications. Two significant assessments are highlighted, namely active and passive factor analysis and dominant factor analysis. The research studied the architectural design of a one-story house measuring thirty-six square meters outlined by the Ecuadorian Construction Standard (NEC) chapter 15 part 4. A 3D architectural model was generated using Revit 2024 simulation software and subsequently employed to establish an energy model used in Autodesk Insight Software 2024 to assess the factors influencing energy consumption and annual energy expenses. The analysis included a comparison with a model of the house based on the ASHRAE 90.2 standard. The active and passive factors were ranked according to their impact on energy efficiency in the model. The results show that Energy Use Intensity (EUI) has a higher reduction for the ASHRAE model of 4.63%, with 21.60% for the Energy cost. The active factors exhibited a greater impact on the energy performance of the LIH than the passive factors, with the PV-Surface coverage being the factor that generated the highest EUI reduction, with 39.66% and 78.51% for both models. The study concluded by emphasizing the importance of adopting active strategies to achieve energy efficiency and economical house design.

Keywords: energy efficiency; low-income housing; material properties; energy modeling; BIM; EUI; energy cost (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: 2025
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