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Novel Research on Energy Audit and Energy Performance Management of Buildings and Processes

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 4198

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tomasz Szul

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 30-149 Krakow, Poland
Interests: energy modeling of buildings; energy efficiency; energy audit and certification; economics of energy technologies

Dr. Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Bialystok University of Technology, Bialystok, Poland
Interests: energy efficiency of buildings and enterprises; energy audit; energy certification; renewable energy sources; energy consumption; exploitation of energy sources

Prof. Dr. Sławomir Kurpaska

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Production and Power Engineering, University of Agriculture, Krakow, Poland
Interests: engineering issues related to devices, mainly in greenhouses; engineering; Environmental Science; energy earth and planetary sciences; agricultural and biological sciences

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Energy efficiency means the amount of energy saved as determined by the measured or projected consumption both before and after making improvements to it, while ensuring the normalization of external conditions affecting energy consumption. This definition applies to all branches of the European economy; however, it particularly affects the construction sector, which is a huge consumer of energy, consuming more than 40% of the total final energy and emitting 40% of the CO₂ in the EU. Therefore, it has become vital to look for methods to rationalize the costs of thermal and electrical energy consumption. These measures are taken not only to improve user comfort, but also energy efficiency and, importantly, safety. The optimization of energy consumption and the related energy efficiency have recently been studied in depth in virtually all aspects of life. These issues, in a special way, also affect buildings and their infrastructure, as they are one of the most energy-intensive zones of human functioning. In recent years, there has been noticeable progress in technological solutions used in residential buildings, from architectural solutions to heating technology. This situation determines the need for a new approach to the design phase of the planned facilities, and in the case of existing buildings, their modernization and adaptation to modern trends and requirements. Therefore, it has become important to conduct research in the field of already available systems and search for new functional systems for climate control in buildings. All this is aimed at reducing electricity and heat consumption.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the latest developments related to the theory, design, modeling, application, control and monitoring of energy efficiency in buildings and manufacturing processes. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

All aspects of data-driven modeling for predicting and forecasting energy in buildings and manufacturing processes;
Energy modeling that takes into account the impact of user behavior on final consumption;
Methods for optimizing the control of HVAC systems;
Methods of selecting variables for modeling energy consumption;
Thermal energy storage systems;
Impact of RES systems on power quality;
Optimization of process control systems;
Energy-efficient and near-zero energy buildings;
Low-emission heating systems;
Deep thermo-modernization;
Reducing energy consumption and costs;
Energy efficiency;
Modernization of heat sources.

Dr. Tomasz Szul
Dr. Joanna Piotrowska-Woroniak
Prof. Dr. Sławomir Kurpaska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

energy auditing of buildings
energy modeling
HVAC control optimization
modernization of heat sources
renewable energy sources
selection of independent variables for energy consumption modeling
data-driven modeling
deep thermo-modernization

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4719 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comprehensive Framework for Data-Driven Building End-Use Assessment Utilizing Monitored Operational Parameters

by Mohsen Sharifi, Amin Kouti, Evi Lambie, Yixiao Ma, Maria Fernandez Boneta and Mohammad Haris Shamsi

Energies 2023, 16(20), 7132; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207132 - 18 Oct 2023

Viewed by 720

Abstract

The availability of building operational data such as energy use and indoor temperature provides opportunities to enhance the traditional building energy performance calculation. Disaggregated building energy use facilitates informed decision-making to identify cost-saving measures efficiently at the individual building and building stock levels. The existing energy performance analysis techniques with measured input data in the literature are fragmented. Moreover, they frequently approach this issue with varying degrees of complexity depending on the available input data, expertise, and time. The procedure of choosing an appropriate method is often cumbersome with limited indication of the usefulness of the outcomes. This study proposes a data-driven framework for end-use load disaggregation through techniques that exploit various kinds of building consumption data. The results demonstrate the use of different techniques for varied applications. Calibrated theoretical calculation, data-driven heat loss coefficient (HLC), and energy signature curve (ESC) are among the proposed methods in the framework that facilitate individual, and urban scale energy decomposition. It is observed that different methods yield unalike outcomes, while their performance is predictable. While the HLC methods are flexible but also highly sensitive to the input parameters, the ESC needs high-frequency time series but provides stable energy decomposition. The ESC is efficient for large-scale analysis and the HLC method for detailed case-specific applications. Calibrated theoretical energy decomposition has a simple workflow and can supplement the current energy performance assessment method, although it entails sufficient input data. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research on Energy Audit and Energy Performance Management of Buildings and Processes)

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16 pages, 2731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Economic and Energy Analysis of the Operation of Windows in Residential Buildings in Poland

by Zbigniew Kowalczyk and Marcin Tomasik

Energies 2023, 16(19), 6810; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16196810 - 25 Sep 2023

Viewed by 770

Abstract

This article presents the results of the economic and energy analysis of the operation of five types of windows in residential buildings. The aim of this study was to determine (a) to what extent the construction and various insulation parameters of windows affect the operating costs of buildings, when using different heating systems, (b) to what extent the significant cost of purchasing windows with better insulation is compensated by lower building operation costs (heating and the lifecycle of windows), (c) how the temperature difference inside the building affects heat loss through windows and, as a result, heating costs when using different heating systems. Five types of windows were selected for detailed analysis: a double- and a triple-glazed PVC window, double- and triple-glazed wooden window, and triple-glazed aluminum window. When wooden double-glazed windows are replaced with aluminum windows, the return on investment occurs in just 2 to 4.4 years. It was also found that of the five types of windows tested, the total economic balance of the operation period is the most favorable for PVC windows, regardless of the type of glazing and the heating system. The operating costs of PVC windows in a model residential building are over 30% lower than in the case of wooden windows and almost 20% lower compared to aluminum windows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research on Energy Audit and Energy Performance Management of Buildings and Processes)

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16 pages, 1972 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Changes in Electricity Generation from Renewable Energy Sources after Poland’s Accession to Structures of the European Union

by Daniel Zbroński, Henryk Otwinowski, Aleksandra Górecka-Zbrońska, Dariusz Urbaniak and Tomasz Wyleciał

Energies 2023, 16(12), 4794; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124794 - 19 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 940

Abstract

Poland, which has been a European Union member since 2004, has undertaken compliance with its commitments to increase its share in the generation of energy from renewable sources. The target set for 2020, which is to attain a share of 15 percent of the gross final consumption of energy coming from renewable sources, has been met by Poland. The new targets for 2030, incorporated in the draft the Energy Policy of Poland 2040, assume an increase to at least 23 percent of the proportion of energy obtained from renewable sources in the gross final energy consumption. On the basis of data from the Central Statistical Office, the authors of this work analysed the changes in electricity generation based on renewable energy sources. In the period of 2004–2021, it was stated that the percentages of individual renewable sources constitute 43.7% for wind energy, 35.3% for solid biofuels, 14% for hydropower, 4.2% for biogas, 2.5% for solar energy, and 0.3% for other sources (municipal waste and liquid biofuels). In addition, this work indicates the maximal relative changes in production and the maximal changes in the portion of production, in addition to the annual and periodic rate of changes in the production of these energy sources in Poland. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research on Energy Audit and Energy Performance Management of Buildings and Processes)

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22 pages, 2791 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal-Mass and Microbiological Analysis of Forced Air Flow through the Stone Heat Accumulator Bed

by Sławomir Kurpaska, Katarzyna Wolny-Koładka, Mateusz Malinowski, Klaudia Tomaszek and Hubert Latała

Energies 2023, 16(11), 4456; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114456 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 895

Abstract

Heat storage in systems integrated with renewable energy sources in facilities can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, cut maintenance costs, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and other objects. One of the possible solutions is the use of a stone heat accumulator for short-term heat storage and the use of this deposit in the ventilation process of the facility. During short-term air flow through the porous material from which an accumulator bed is made, there is an exchange of heat and mass between the flowing air and the bed particles. In the long term, the use of an accumulator can lead to an increase in dust and the development of pathogenic microorganisms, endangering human life and health. Therefore, understanding the factors influencing the efficient use of a stone deposit is very important. The aim of this study is to calculate the changes in thermal-mass parameters in the air flowing out of the stone accumulator and to assess the effect of long-term stone accumulator use on the content of microorganisms and dust concentration in bioaerosol. The application of the heat storage system in the stone bed leads to the formation of strictly controlled microclimatic conditions, and the tested air does not constitute a threat to the people staying in the object. The concentration standards of PM10 and PM2.5 exceeded the limit values (PM2.5 = 20 μg∙m⁻³ and PM10 = 40 μg∙m⁻³), and, thus, the air in the studied greenhouse was classified as polluted. The analysis also showed that, for the analyzed conditions, a 20% increase in the initial temperature of the accumulator bed results in a nearly 20% increase in the outlet air temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Research on Energy Audit and Energy Performance Management of Buildings and Processes)

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