Detailed monitoring as an essential tool for achieving energy performance targets in operation conditions: the HIKARI case study

Abstract

The case study is the HIKARI project, the first net zero energy city block in Europe, gathering offices, housing and shops. The three mixed-use buildings composing the 12 000 m² block pool their energy through shared innovative energy production systems coupled with large capacity energy storage units. HIKARI is fully monitored with more than 10 000 measurement points collected for several years of operating conditions. Through the identification and analysis of an energy consumption drift caused by the malfunctioning of a particular system, we demonstrate the importance of adopting a global approach when conceiving a building, especially if low energy targets are to be reached. The analysis of the monitoring results also highlights the value of detailed monitoring for identifying malfunctions, for assessing the relevance of the technical choices made during the design phase, and as an essential tool for achieving the objective of energy performance under operating conditions.