Uncertainty-based life-cycle analysis of near-zero energy buildings for performance improvements

Near-zero energy buildings( nZEBs) are considered as an effective solution to mitigating CO_2 emissions and reducing the energy usage in the building sector. A proper sizing of the nZEB systems( e. g. HVAC systems,energy supply systems,energy storage systems, etc.) is essential for achieving the desired annual energy balance,thermal comfort,and grid independence. Two significant factors affecting the sizing of nZEB systems are the uncertainties confronted by the building usage condition and weather condition,and the degradation effects in nZEB system components. The former factor has been studied by many researchers; however,the impact of degradation is still neglected in most studies. Degradation is prevalent in energy components of nZEB and inevitably leads to the deterioration of nZEB life-cycle performance. As a result,neglecting the degradation effects may lead to a system design which can only achieve the desired performance at the beginning several years. This paper,therefore,proposes a life-cycle performance analysis( LCPA) method for investigating the impact of degradation on the longitudinal performance of the nZEBs. The method not only integrates the uncertainties in predicting building thermal load and weather condition,but also considers the degradation in the nZEB systems. Based on the proposed LCPA method,a two-stage method is proposed to improve the sizing of the nZEB systems.The study can improve the designers "understanding of the components"degradation impacts and the proposed method is effective in the life-cycle performance analysis and improvements of nZEBs. It is the first time that the impacts of degradation and uncertainties on nZEB LCP are analysed. Case studies showthat an nZEB might not fulfil its definition at all after some years due to component degradation,while the proposed two-stage design method can effectively alleviate this problem.

New Building Typologies for Zero Energy Mass Custom Housing(ZEMCH)in More Sustainable Patterns of Development

Conferences and publications on Smart Cities and self-styled ecological buildings such as“Vertical Forests”,“Biophilic”building complexes and other similar are multiplying.But then,in reality,we continue to design as we have always done for the last ninety years:with the consolidated rules and formal solutions of international post-modern composition,in its various forms.The only attentions are(and not always)to super-insulate the envelopes,arrange photovoltaic panels on the roofs,make the systems smart and cover the facades and roofs with appropriate green washing.Even in the awareness that human settlements and cities are extremely complex phenomena,mostly determined by economic and social factors,rather than by conscious typological-settlement choices,perhaps the time has come to acknowledge that the traditional paradigms of design must be changed.First of all,the types of settlements must be renewed,because it is through their optimization that the greatest savings in terms of energy and sustainability can be achieved.The research presented here is the application of a ten-year study that involved the development of net Zero Energy Mass Custom Housing(ZEMCH)in specific context in southern Italy.The Innovation and Transparency of Tenders Environmental Compatibility(ITACA)Assessment Protocol,derived from the Green Building Challenge’s GBTool,was used as a design guide,which is normally used for the assessment and judgment of sustainability at the building scale and not of the urban design.The result is a settlement model in which network of pedestrian,cycle and public transport is fully integrated with adjacent urban areas;effective landscaping connects public and private green and kitchen-gardens/orchards everywhere;buildings are made with new semi-underground typologies;net ZEMCHs are made with local,recyclable materials with low impact or positive energy balance;wastewater and rainwater are collected,in-loco phyto-purified and reused;renewable energies(sun,earth,wind)satisfy remaining necessities,with a minimum of plant interventions.

Creation of Zero CO2 Emissions School Buildings Due to Energy Use in Crete-Greece

Decrease of energy consumption in buildings and increase of the share of renewable energies in them are currently technologically and economically feasible and it is promoted by E.U. policies. After 2019, all the new public buildings in EU countries must be near zero energy buildings reducing their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Use of various renewable energies for heat and power generation in school buildings in Crete-Greece can result in zeroing their fossil fuels consumption and CO2 emissions. Purpose of the current work is to investigate the possibilities of creating zero CO2 emissions school buildings in Crete-Greece due to operational energy use in them. A methodology which allows the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energies in school buildings is proposed. Solar energy, solid biomass and low enthalpy geothermal energy, which are abundant in Crete, can be used for that. School buildings in Greece consume significantly less energy, 68 KWh/m2 year, and emit less CO2, 28 kgCO2/m2 year, than the corresponding buildings in other countries. The installation cost of renewable energies systems in order to replace all fossil fuels used in school buildings in Crete-Greece and to zero their CO2 consumption due to energy use in them has been estimated at 47.42 - 87.71 €/m2, which corresponds to 1.69 - 3.13 €/kg CO2 saved.

Net-Zero Energy Buildings and Communities: Potential and the Role of Energy Storage

Net-zero energy buildings and communities, which are receiving increasing interest, and the role of energy storage in them, are described. A net-zero energy building or community is defined as one that, in an average year, produces as much energy from renewable energy as it consumes. Net-zero energy buildings and communities and the manner in which energy sustainability is facilitated by them are described and examples are given. Also, energy storage is discussed and the role and importance of energy storage as part of net-zero buildings and communities are explained. The NSERC Smart Net-zero Energy Buildings Research Network, a major Canadian research effort in smart net-zero energy buildings and communities, is described.

MOHAWK COLLEGE’S NET ZERO ENERGY AND ZERO CARBON BUILDING-A LIVING LAB FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN BUILDINGS

In recent years,large high efficiency and Net-Zero Energy Buildings(NZEB)are becoming a reality that are setting construction and energy benchmarks for the industry.As part of this significant effort,in 2018,Mohawk College opened the 8,981 m^(2)(96,670 ft2)Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation(JCPI)building in Hamilton,Ontario;becoming Canada’s largest NZEB and zero-carbon institutional facility.The building integrated a high-efficiency design,construction materials,and technologies;as well as renewable energy technologies to significantly reduce its annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.Furthermore,the JCPI building was also designed as a living lab where students,faculty,researchers and industry are able to monitor and validate the performance of this state-of-the-art facility.The building was designed to have an energy use intensity of 73 kWh/m^(2)·year(0.26 GJ/m^(2)·year);hence,potentially consuming approximately 80%less energy than the average educational service building in Ontario.This paper gives an overview of the design criteria and technologies that were considered to achieve this innova-tive building.

Simulation Technology of Environmental Impacts by Zero-energy Residential Buildings Based on Emergy Analysis Method

This paper presents a simulation technology of environmental impact for the building. By emergy analysis method,emergy costs of building( or construction engineering) can be calculated in the life cycle. It includes the engineering cost, environmental cost and social cost of building. Through integrating GIS technology with multi-agent technology,life cycle substance and energy metabolism of building( construction engineering) can be simulated and their environmental influence can be dynamically displayed. Based on the case study of entries works‘Sunny Inside'by Xiamen University in 2013 China International Solar Decathlon Competition,we discovered the changing pattern of surrounding environmental impact from waste streams of the zero-energy building and ordinary construction. The simulation results verified and showed the Odum principles of maximum power. This paper provides a new research perspective and integration approach for the environmental impact assessment in building and construction engineering. The result will help decision-making in design and construction engineering scheme.

Demonstration of the Nearly Zero Energy Building Concept

Nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) will become an obligatory energy efficiency standard in Europe. Following to common guidelines in European legislation, the countries investigated technical and economic framework for the preparation of detailed national technical definition of nZEB. Slovenia accepted the nZEB criteria in early 2015. This paper describes the technical and economic background for identification of economically viable concepts of highly energy efficient apartment building. The highrise demonstration building Eco Silver House revealed that meeting nZEB standards was not an easy task, not so much for technical reasons, but mostly due to the processes, inadequate skills, not fully compliant regulation and insufficient possibilities for interaction between the building and energy networks. Analysis of cost effectiveness showed that the Eco Silver House fulfilled minimal requirements of cost-optimal for apartment building with Net Present Value of 272 EUR/m2 and Primary energy use of 79 kWh/ m2?a in line with the Slovenian national cost optimal study of minimum energy performance requirements from the year 2014. At the time, the requirement of 50% share of renewables in final energy use is not fulfilled, but will be easily reached when EU2020 energy efficiency targets set in the Slovenian Energy Act regarding the RES share in district heating systems and public power grid will be gradually implemented. The demonstration project FP7 EE-HIGHRISE confirms that in spite of the barriers, the nZEB minimum requirements defined on profound theoretical studies can be met in practice.

ACHIEVING THE NET-ZERO-ENERGY-BUILDINGS “2020 AND 2030 TARGETS” WITH THE SUPPORT OF PARAMETRIC 3-D/4-D BIM DESIGN TOOLS

INTRODUCTION The level of man-made CO_(2) emissions worldwide climbed to a new record of 30 billion tons in 2010.In 2011,at the COP17 U.N.Climate Change Conference in Durban,South Africa,high-ranking representatives from around the world met again to discuss solutions.For the building sector,numerous energy-efficiency market changes and benchmarking resolutions,like the mandatory E.U.“nearly Net-Zero-Energy-Building(NET-ZEB’s)2018 and 2020 regulations”for all new public and privately owned buildings are now set up to help minimizing carbon emissions and reverse the negative impact.1 In the United States,the American Institute of Architects(AIA)adopted the 2030 Challenge as a voluntary program,where participating buildings aim to achieve a 90%fossil fuel reduction by 2025,and carbon-neutrality by 2030.2 To accomplish these energy goals,designers must strive to best design and utilize the resources available on a site.However,are these goals of achieving carbon-neutral buildings possible?How can NET-ZEB’s become the curricular standard and practical routine in education and the profession?To date,the basic curricular design process components with integrated project delivery metrics for a robust 3-D/4-D-net-zero regulatory design framework are either incomplete or missing,However,formally-based curriculums have begun to weave carbon-neutral design tools into their pedagogy.This research paper critically compares how these new criteria for digital 3-D-building information modeling(BIM),and“Integrated Project Delivery”are mandating a better integration of collaborative carbon-neutral designs into the curriculum and practice of the profession.The majority of those in architectural academia have been using generative computation primarily for pure,aesthetic form-finding,without applying zero-carbon-energy-driven global performance metrics and CO_(2)e reduction strategies to reiterate derived carbon-neutral designs.The advantage of 3-D-parametric design is that it links variables,dimensions,and materials to geometry in a way that when an input or simulation value changes,the 3-D/4-D model automatically updates all life-cycle scenarios and components simultaneously.

Architecture Water-saving Design and Building Technique of Sponge Yard

The reclaimed water that we can use in daily life accounts for as much as 35 %,but we do not give it enough concern.The authors focus on the design methods and approaches of green buildings,which refer to water saving and environmental protection.In this paper,the authors illustrate the generating channels of reclaimed water in architecture design:rainwater collection integration design,sewage zero discharge of reclaimed water reused by biological technology,and sponge yard,thereby protecting environment.

OKANAGAN COLLEGE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABLE BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSERVATION

The Centre of Excellence at Okanagan College in Penticton,British Columbia is being designed as one of the most innovative and sustainable post-secondary facilities in the world.On schedule for design and construction to be complete by April 2011,the two-storey multi-purpose facility has a mandate to provide trades and technology training and professional development to students from the province of British Columbia and beyond.It is aimed at attaining the highest standard of sustainable building design,the Living Building Challenge.The building will support a syllabus with a focus on the design,installation,and support of sustainable building technologies and processes,and the development and application of alternative and renewable energy.The building itself will become an essential element of the educational programs that will reside there,a teaching tool for education on building trades and engineering technologies.In addition,the Okanagan Research Innovation Centre will be incorporated into the building,providing opportunities for start-up companies to develop and prototype new green technologies in a supportive and synergistic environment.This article will demonstrate that a project with this level of sustainable objectives is achievable at a cost comparable to conventional building design.It will address how this can be attained through an integrated design process,along with the numerous innovative features that have been incorporated into the building design to help it function with a small environmental impact,and a large educational one.

INFLUENCING PARAMETERS OF THE LIFE CYCLE COST-ENERGY RELATIONSHIP OF BUILDINGS

Buildings contribute around 45%of the world’s energy consumption.Reducing energy demand in buildings therefore plays a vital role in addressing the depletion of energy resources and associated environmental issues.Previous research explored the optimisations of the costs and energy consumption of buildings,but often overlooked the connections,tradeoffs and synergies between them.The aim of this paper is thus to develop a theoretical model of the influencing parameters of the life cycle cost-energy relationship(LCCER)of buildings using the Political,Economic,Sociocultural,Technological,Environmental and Legal(PESTEL)analytical framework.is study was carried out through a critical literature review,model development and validation through case studies with four zero or nearly zero energy building projects carefully selected from the European Union and Australia.The developed model addresses the buildings’LCCER by identifying the key influencing parameters and explicating the mechanisms(namely,the simultaneous and unilateral effects)by which the identified parameters affect such relationship.The important influencing parameters were found to reside in two aspects:(1)internal project designs covering building characteristics,building structure and function,and construction process,and(2)external environments covering climate,economic condition,occupant behaviour,policy and regulation,and buildings’lifespan focused in the studies.Various statistical correlations were found to exist between the costs and energy consumption of the studied cases.It is summarised that these correlations may be attributable to the synergy between the simultaneous and unilateral effects of the identified parameters.The developed model contributes a systemic approach to examining the building’s life cycle economics and energy in a comparative manner.

Comparative Analysis of Building Rating Systems and Occupant Rating Systems

To begin with, rating systems are a beneficial tool in determining the efficiency of a building’s ability to utilise its resources effectively. In this study, the two elements under comparison are the Building Rating Systems (BRSs) and Occupant Rating Systems (ORSs). The main objective of this paper is to be able to examine the most commonly applied international and national BRS and ORS and, based on that, discover the possibility of developing an integration of both the BRS and ORS into one rating system. Quite simply, a BRS is a method by which buildings are assessed and given a score based on numerous features such as the efficiency of each of the services, total energy consumption, and alternate options of consumption. There are various BRSs that are implemented globally, each with its own set of criteria and specifications. Thus, based on the analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of both types of rating systems, it could be deduced that a well-rounded rating system with all technical and non-technical aspects combined would be beneficial to both the efficiency of the building as well as the building occupants’ health and well-being.

MINNESOTA SUSTAINABLE BUILDING GUIDELINES:History,Effectiveness and Path for the Future.

INTRODUCTION The Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines is a progressive sustainability program for state funded buildings which serves as a model for sustainability in Minnesota buildings.The program was created by the State of Minnesota in 2001 and developed by a team led by the Center for Sustainable Building Research(CSBR)at the University of Minnesota.Unlike other green building programs,it focuses on measured performance improvements,using a list of required metrics instead of a menu of potential options.The program is structured to provide a feedback loop to the building design,construction and operations industry in the state.Elements of the program are used through all phases of the development of state-funded buildings in Minnesota from pre-design through design,and construction and for ten years of operations.It is continually updated and improved in collaboration with state agencies and industry stakeholders and could serve as a model for localized green building programs.

Adapting Integrated High Concentrated PV Modules and Evacuated Tube Collectors to Minimize Building Energy Consumption in Hot Climate

Energy consumption in buildings is considered a significant portion of gross power dissipation, so a great effort is required to design efficient construction. In severe hot weather conditions as Kuwait, energy required for building cooling and heating results in a huge energy loads and consumption and accordingly high emission rates of carbon dioxide. So, the main purpose of the current work is to convert the existing institutional building to near net-zero energy building (nNZEB) or into a net-zero energy building (NZEB). A combination of integrated high concentrated photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules and evacuated tube collectors (ETC) are proposed to provide domestic water heating, electricity load as well as cooling consumption of an institutional facility. An equivalent circuit model for single diode is implemented to evaluate triple junction HCPV modules efficiency considering concentration level and temperature effects. A code compatible with TRNSYS subroutines is introduced to optimize evacuated tube collector efficiency. The developed models are validated through comparison with experimental data available from literature. The efficiency of integrated HCPV-ETC unit is optimized by varying the different system parameters. Transient simulation program (TRNSYS) is adapted to determine the performance of various parts of HCPV-ETC system. Furthermore, a theoretical code is introduced to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed building when integrated with renewable energy systems. The integrated HCPV-ETC fully satisfies the energy required for building lighting and equipment. Utilizing HCPV modules of orientation 25? accomplishes a minimum energy payback time of about 8 years. Integrated solar absorption chiller provides about 64% of the annual air conditioning consumption needed for the studied building. The energy payback period (EPT) or solar cooling system is about 18 years which is significantly larger than that corresponding to HCPV due to the extra expenses of solar absorption system. The life cycle savings (LCS) of solar cooling absorption system is approximately $2400/year. Furthermore, levelized cost of energy of solar absorption cooling is $0.21/kWh. Hence, the net cost of the solar system after subtracting the CO2 emission cost will be close to the present price of conventional generation in Kuwait (about $0.17/kWh). Finally, the yearly CO2 emission avoided is approximately 543 ton verifying the environmental benefits of integrated HCPV-ETC arrangements in Kuwait.

从瑞士“DeltaZERO”零能耗大楼谈现代建筑节能技术

以瑞士"Delta ZERO"零能耗大楼为例,从绿色能源的获取、节能技术、降低能耗以及提高能源的利用率等方面,分析了零能耗建筑的主要设计理念与绿色设计方法,并介绍了"Delta ZERO"建筑在以上几个方面所采用的独特的零能耗技术。在此基础上,对我国节能建筑的发展现状进行了进一步的思考与分析。

Towards net zero carbon buildings:Accounting the building embodied carbon and life cycle-based policy design for Greater Bay Area,China

Carbon mitigation of buildings is critical to promote a net-zero society.The international society has vigorously promoted“Net Zero Carbon Buildings”across the globe,and accounting for building carbon emissions is critical to support this initiative.Embodied carbon,which represents carbon emissions from the entire lifecycle of the buildings,is fundamental for realizing the idea of zero carbon.However,only limited studies have been conducted so far that take into account the city scale.This paper aimed to act as a first try to account for the embodied carbon emissions in buildings in 2020 for the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area in China(GBA).We integrated remote sensing techniques such as night-time light data(NLT)and building material flows analysis to calculate and spatialize the newly generated building material stocks(MS).Based on the MS data,we further applied life cycle assessment(LCA)to assess the embodied carbon in the buildings.The results highlighted that over 163 million tons of embodied carbon in buildings of GBA are expected to be generated,from 497 million tons of newly generated building MS in 2020.The embodied carbon in each life cycle stage is valuable for further lifecyclebased policy designs for:(i)supporting the updating of the green building certification system with consideration of the embodied carbon;(ii)promoting the green building material application and certification;and(iii)reducing the embodied carbon intensity from compact urban planning policy,such as the urban agglomeration policies in GBA.The goal of this paper was to shed a light on reducing carbon emissions from the perspective of the entire lifecycle and promote the development of net zero carbon buildings in China and Asia-Pacific.

Review on the recent progress of nearly zero energy building frontiers in China

Energy efficiency improvement in Chinese construction has progressed rapidly over the past two decades.Nearly zero energy buildings(NZEBs),as an integrated solution for energy-efficient construction,have gained significant attention during China's 13th Five-Year Plan period,with continuous maturation of the technical system.In this study,a research framework built upon the accomplishments of China's National Key Research and Development Program is developed,and an in-depth analysis of the most cutting-edge research is provided by thoroughly reviewing the work conducted earlier.Developing NZEB in China has been categorized into three stages based on the characteristics of technological development:(1)definition and standards,(2)demonstration and promotion,and(3)cross-domain integration.This study discerns four noteworthy development trends by examining comprehensive data spanning the last decade from 100 NZEB and zero energy building.Further,a comprehensive analysis of essential technology advancements in line with these identified trends is performed.The issues and challenges arising from the increased application of renewable energy in the context of China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals have also been discussed.Finally,based on this analysis,the challenges and corresponding suggestions for future research directions were proposed to help guide future studies exploring emerging trends in the NZEB field.

Zero Energy Hotels and Sustainable Mobility in the Islands of Aegean Sea (Greece)

The goal of this work is to evaluate and to give evidence to innovative and sustainable technologies applied in the construction industry to carry out self-sufficient energy and to use the surplus energy for the production of hydrogen vector. An architectural integration design along with high technological systems is performed. The intermittency of renewable energy sources along with climatic conditions dependency imposes to store the energy produced, since it is clean and having a big calorific value: the hydrogen vector is currently the better energy carrier. The energy to obtain hydrogen by dissociation of water is supplied by a photovoltaic (PV) system. Through the computations of the annual energy balance between building’s demand and supply energy, it is shown that the extra energy produced by the solar generation system is used also for the hydrogen sustainable mobility. The renewable systems, model’s design and case study are tackled for the bigger one of the Dodecanese islands in the South Aegean Sea: Rhodes (Rodos). The Zero energy building’s integrative design-based approach, applied to the Hotel Buildings type industry is targeted to have new hotels buildings, in the Mediterranean typical warm climate, with zero energy consumption. The designers, authors of this work, have studied a real case or pilot project of an hotel, in the resort formula, suitable to the Greek landscape, showcasing technologies and innovations supporting environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, electricity storage by fuel cells that are tools particularly applicable to hotel facility [1]. The feasibility of this case study or pilot project is aligned jointly to the target of Zero Emission and Energy Efficiency EU Policy, as imposed by EU Directives. The strategic position of Rhodes in a geographical point full of sun and wind renewable energy power, enables to ensure the clean energy production, the current interesting development of the hydrogen as energy vector in the buildings [2] and also to satisfy the demand of tourists’ accommodation by having at the same time zero energy costs. Moreover, the presence in the island of the best example worldwide of ancient and sustainable built environment (UNESCO World Heritage site), represents also the best motivation to give witness there of a zero impact environmental urban development through the adoption of these achieved scientific results for a major success of Zero Energy Buildings.

THE ESSENCE OF LOW-ENERGY AFFORDABLE HOUSING DESIGN STRATEGIESLearnt from Scottish and Canadian Homebuilders’Attempt and Experience

Nearly one-third of the Scottish population is struggling to heat their home properly today.There is an urgent need for the delivery of low-energy affordable homes.However,the homebuilding industry has no systematic way to deliver such unconventional homes,although the UK government has set out a bold“green”target that all newly-built homes be carbon neutral by 2016.Accordingly,this paper explores the status quo of today’s affordable homes being built in Scotland;and secondly,it extends the scope to the review of successfully commercialized low-to zero-energy affordable housing developments in Canada.This study emphasizes the significant impact of design choices on the delivery of low-to zero-energy affordable housing,including housing orientations and configurations;construction materials and systems,including renewable energy technologies;and internal planning,with due consideration to the time-related sun positions and the internal space day-lighting and heat gain potentials.In addition,the paper argues that the absence of clear definitions as to housing quality and affordability,and the lack of industry capacity for technical knowledge learning activities,are potential obstacles that limit the spread of sustainable zero-carbon homes in Scotland today.Moreover,the effect of the design charrette approach being practiced in Canada on the homebuilding decision making process was reviewed,with the aim of providing a base for further discussion on the applicability of Canadian low-energy affordable housing design techniques to sustainable zero carbon homes of the future in Scotland.

沈阳地区典型办公建筑运行阶段碳减排潜力研究

以沈阳某办公建筑为例,将GB 50189—2015《公共建筑节能设计标准》作为节能基准,对比分析多种近零能耗建筑技术情形对建筑碳排放的影响,并对其碳减排潜力进行评估测算。利用模拟软件Design Builder对沈阳市某办公建筑建立典型模型,通过模拟计算得到几种不同技术情形下的能耗强度。碳排放强度由不同类型能源碳排放因子与能耗强度计算得出。结果表明:可再生能源利用技术和暖通空调设备能效提升技术可明显减少碳排放,碳减排率分别可达到44.88%和39.99%;另外,建筑围护结构改造以及自然通风和自然采光结合技术,减排率分别为8.18%、7.22%。按照近零能耗建筑技术要求,综合6种技术情形,办公建筑运行阶段的减排率可达51.08%。