There is growing interest in zero-energy and low-energy buildings, which have a net energy consumption (on an annual basis) of almost zero. Because they can generate both electricity and thermal energy through the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal collectors, and with the help of reduced building thermal demand, low-energy buildings can not only make a significant contribution to...

This paper describes the statistical analytics technology being developed to help K-12 public schools in New York City reduce the energy consumption. A multi-step statistical analysis procedure is proposed, to assess energy consumption and to identify energy saving opportunities for large portfolios of buildings such as the NYC K-12 public school buildings. The method borrows strength from and ...

BACKGROUND Architectural methods that take into account global environmental conservation generally concentrate on mitigating the heat load of buildings. Here, we evaluate the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that can be achieved by improving heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) technologies. RESULTS The Climate Change Research Hall (CCRH) of the National Institute for...

Buildings play an important role in the energy demand sector. Due to the increase of environmentalconcerns and renewable energy sources restriction, lighting control systems will play an important role in the reductionof energy consumption of the lighting without impeding comfort goals. Lighting control systems can control lightingconsumption according to the type of building, adequate luminanc...

Apartment owners in The Netherlands are struggling to successfully reduce the energy consumption of their apartment buildings. The energetic quality of especially the apartment buildings that are managed by Associations of Owners is lagging. A literature study and interviews with experts are used to identify two sets of issues that currently withhold Associations of Owners from improving the en...

There is an increasing need for automated fault detection tools in buildings. The total energy request in buildings can be significantly reduced by detecting abnormal consumption effectively. Numerous models are used to tackle this problem but either they are very complex and mostly applicable to components level, or they cannot be adopted for different buildings and equipment. In this study a ...

BACKGROUND Today, the International Energy Agency is working under good practice guides that integrate appropriate and cost effective technologies. In this paper a new procedure to define building energy consumption in accordance with the ISO 13790 standard was performed and tested based on real data from a Spanish region. RESULTS Results showed that the effect of air changes on building ener...

Efficiency-focused building designs reduce the use of materials and energy in building construction and operation. Planning for efficiency can help save money and improve building performance. This publication discusses several ways to improve the efficiency of agricultural buildings and provides further references for implementing those strategies. Topics covered include suiting a building to ...

Efficiency-focused building designs reduce the use of materials and energy in building construction and operation. Planning for efficiency can help save money and improve building performance. This publication discusses several ways to improve the efficiency of agricultural buildings and provides further references for implementing those strategies. Topics covered include suiting a building to ...