BIM-based workflow for energy audits

Abstract

Energy audits play a crucial role in energy retrofit projects for existing buildings, as the accuracy and completeness of the collected data strongly affect the reliability of the design energy model. The present paper thus proposes a new BIM (Building Information Modelling)-based workflow to better manage data collection in an energy audit process, to minimize data losses and inconsistencies. The proposed framework is based on the use of a simplified BIM Model, linked to an external database (for data storing) and to a webpage (for in-situ data acquisition). This can be used as a geometrical and nongeometrical data container to implement a reliable model for energy simulations. The efficacy of the presented BIM-workflow has been successfully validated through a survey on window fixtures for a real case study.