Simulation-Based Analysis of Building Energy Consumption under Different Thermal Utilization Techniques

The relationship between climate variability and building energy consumption is critical for understanding future energy demand. This study examines the impact of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on building energy patterns in South Korea, with a focus on seasonal cooling and heating demands. By integrating long-term ERA5 reanalysis data (1979–2023) into a building energy simulation framework, we identified significant trends driven by climatic oscillations.When the PDO is in its negative phase, cooling energy demand in summer increases while heating energy demand in winter decreases, reflecting a shift in energy requirements due to regional climate anomalies. Conversely, the positive PDO phase results in reduced cooling demand and heightened heating demand, reversing these trends. These findings provide critical insights into the dynamic interplay between large-scale climate patterns and building energy consumption, highlighting the necessity of adaptive energy strategies to mitigate the effects of climate variability.Our results underscore the importance of including regional climate variability, such as PDO and ENSO phases, in building energy analyses to enhance predictive accuracy and inform sustainable energy policy development. The implications of these insights extend to infrastructure planning, enabling more resilient and efficient energy systems amidst a changing climate.

본 논문은 태양광 패널 복합 단열재에 적용된 PCM의 두께별 에너지 소비 절감 성능을 분석하는 것을 목표로 한다. 실증 건물과 EnergyPlus로 구현한 시뮬레이션 모델을 사용하여 건물의 냉난방 에너지소비량을 분석하였다. 그 결과 태양광 패널 복합 단열재 내 PCM이 실내 쾌적성에 큰 영향을 미치지 않고 건물의 에너지 소비량을 절감시켰다. 남쪽 벽면에 복합 단열재를 적용하는 경우, PCM의 두께 증가가 에너지 절감에 큰 영향을 미치지 않기 때문에 경제적 관점으로 보면 10 mm의 PCM이 건물에너지 절감에 효과적인 것으로 판단되었다. 하지만 전체 벽면에 복합 단열재를 적용하는 경우는 PCM의 두께가 두꺼울수록 에너지 절감에 효과적인 것으로 확인하였다.

Domain knowledge decomposition of building energy consumption and a hybrid data-driven model for 24-h ahead predictions

Port passenger station buildings (PPSD) are an important part of transportation buildings in China, which is characterized by large human flow, long operating time, high load of equipment and lighting. The characteristics and functions of PPSD lead to the high energy consumption. However, the energy consumption analysis of PPSD was deficient. In this paper, the characteristics of energy consumption of port passenger stations in cold regions and hot summer and warm winter regions in China were analyzed. Based on eQUEST, the building models of port passenger stations are established. The influencing factors of the building energy consumption were analyzed through orthogonal experiment with SPSS. Results show that the factors such as summer indoor design temperature, heat source form, air conditioning form, window to wall ratio and lighting control mode are the key factors affecting the energy consumption of port passenger station.

Application and development of solar energy in building industry and its prospects in China

Sustainability assessment of low carbon technologies–case study of the building sector in China

Since carbon neutrality requires reducing dependence on fossil fuels, an accurate analysis of final energy consumption is essential for an effective transition. According to major international reports, thermal energy accounts for approximately 50% of final energy consumption. However, in the Republic of Korea (Korea), the proportion of thermal energy, limited to heat supply, is only 1-2%. This discrepancy, due to a lack of national statistics and policies on thermal energy, highlights a significant difference from the international reality where thermal energy constitutes a major part of energy demand, posing challenges for formulating effective policies for carbon neutrality. This study aims to recalculate Korea’s national thermal energy statistics from an energy consumption perspective, using only the nationally recognized Energy Statistical Yearbook and its revised energy balance data, based on 2018 data. Final energy was categorized into nonelectric and electric thermal energy, and thermal energy consumption was calculated for the industrial, building, and transportation sectors. The key findings indicate that thermal energy accounted for 55% of final energy, with 46% from the non-electric sector and 9% from the electric sector. By sector, the industrial sector accounted for 37% and the building sector for 18%. Additionally, 68% of total energy in the industrial sector and 32% in the building sector was attributed to thermal energy. These figures closely align with estimates from previous studies that used more complex methodologies, demonstrating high reliability. The results suggest that thermal energy, particularly in the industrial and building sectors, should be prioritized for reduction and transition in the pursuit of carbon neutrality. This recalculation method of thermal energy statistics could enhance understanding of thermal energy, contributing to more efficient policy development and the establishment of an information system.

Urban residential energy switching in China between 1980 and 2014 prevents 2.2 million premature deaths

In the western United States, 27% of electricity demand is met by hydropower, so power system planners have a key interest in predicting hydropower availability under changing climate conditions. Large-scale projections of hydropower generation are often simplified based on regression relationships with runoff and they are not always ready to inform power system models due to the coarse time scale (annual) or limited number of represented power plants. We developed an enhanced process-based hydropower model to predict future hydropower generation by addressing the commonly under-represented constraints, including (1) the ecological spills, (2) penstock constraints to provide flexibility in electricity operations, and (3) biases in hydro-meteorological simulations. We evaluated the model over the western United States under two emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) and ten downscaled global circulation models. At the annual time scale, potential hydropower generation is not projected to change substantially, except in California. At the seasonal time scale, systematic shifting of the generation patterns can be observed in snowmelt-dominated regions. These projected annual and regional trends are comparable to other regression-based relationships. However, the representation of more complex operations and constraints tend to reduce the uncertainties inherent to climate projections at seasonal scale. In the Pacific Northwest region where hydropower is the dominant electricity source, our predicted future change of hydropower generation is about 10% less than the regression-based projections in spring and summer. The model can also capture the seasonal non-stationary in hydrologic changes. The spatio and temporal scales of the model, increased accuracy and quantification of uncertainty allow one to use the products to inform power system models toward supporting energy sector planning activities and water-energy trade-offs.

Analysis on Campus Energy Consumption and Energy Saving Measures in Cold Region of China

To analyze the effect of energy conservation policies on energy consumption of residential buildings, the characteristics of energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort were investigated in detail in Tianjin, China, based on official statistical yearbook and field survey data. A comprehensive survey of 305 households indicates that the mean electricity consumption per household is 3215 kWh/a, in which annual cooling electricity consumption is 344 kWh/a, and the mean natural gas consumption for cooking is 103.2 m3/a. Analysis of 3966 households data shows that space heating average intensity of residential buildings designed before 1996 is 133.7 kWh/(m2·a), that of buildings designed between 1996 and 2004 is 117.2 kWh/(m2·a), and that of buildings designed after 2004 is 105.0 kWh/(m2·a). Apparently, enhancing the performance of envelops is effective in reducing space heating intensity. Furthermore, the results of questionnaires show that 18% of the residents feel slightly warm and hot respectively, while 3% feel slightly cold in winter. Therefore, the electricity consumption in summer will rise for meeting indoor thermal comfort.

Analysis of typical public building energy consumption in northern China

With the relevant requirements of energy-saving and green buildings put forward by our country, carrying out the building energy consumption analysis is the premise and foundation of implementing energy-saving improvement of the existing buildings. Nowadays, modern office buildings, whose energy consumption structure and proportion are relatively stable, are widely used. The energy review work of an existing office building in severe cold region is carried out. Investigation and statistics on the general situation of buildings, the general situation of energy consumption and water system consumption and the total energy consumption are implemented. Based on the audit, the energy consumption situation and characteristics in a certain year are analysed. According to the characteristics of energy-using structure, the energy-saving potential of buildings is analysed, and the reasonable energy-saving opinions and suggestions are proposed to provide theoretical support for the energy-saving management of office buildings in severe cold areas.

With the peak of carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality, China is placing greater emphasis on energy expenditure. Office buildings occupy a prominent position in building energy consumption, which is one of the main energy consumption areas. Taking an administration building in Chengdu as an example, this article simulates the building energy consumption based on Design Builder software, examines the variables influencing energy consumption, and suggests energy-saving strategies combined with fresh ideas for sustainable architectural design. The results showed that the modeling building was a high-energy-consuming building, with an energy consumption of 724,857.59 kWh, and a unit area energy consumption of 288.17 kWh/m2 in Chengdu. For energy conservation and emission reduction, this article proposes the following three energy-saving measures. The first is to apply heat recovery technology for air conditioning systems. The second is photovoltaic glass, which provides partial electricity demand for buildings and reduces dependence on traditional energy sources. The third is roof greening, which utilizes the plants to purify the air and beautify the environment. The results showed that the heat recovery technology in air conditioning systems reduced the total energy consumption of buildings from 642144.04 kWh/m2 to 502937.83 kWh/m2, photovoltaic glass reduced 552243.87 kWh/m2, and roof greening reduced to 635947.35 kWh/m2. All of these have good energy-saving and emission reduction effects. The above three strategies not only help reduce building energy consumption, but also provide substantial support for China to achieve carbon neutrality.

In these days, importance of HVAC system in office building is steadily growing in terms of thermal comfort and energy savings. As a energy efficient heating and cooling system, system air-conditioner which can be controlled distinctly and has a high COP is more widely adopted nowadays. However, the features and advantages of system air-conditioner were not reported well because system air-conditioner did not describe yet by conventional simulation methods such as TRNSYS, e-Quest, Energyplus, etc. In this study, by using the TRNSYS program which is able to show module implementation and building energy consumption analysis, system air-conditioner module will be proposed and validated through comparison between the simulation results and measurement results.