Energy Analyses of Multi-Family Residential Buildings in Various Locations in Poland and Their Impact on the Number of Heating Degree Days

Abstract

Reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry is one of the daunting challenges to be addressed in the context of global warming. The purpose of these analyses was to examine how the energy class of a multi-family residential building regarding thermal insulation and type of ventilation affects the usable energy demand for heating and ventilation purposes, the length of the heating season, and the amount of demand for energy consumed by auxiliary devices. This article presents the energy analyses of multi-family residential buildings with identical technical parameters located in different locations in Poland. For research purposes, a total of 354 energy balances were compiled, covering 59 meteorological stations, 3 types of ventilation systems, and 2 building insulation standards. This article presents the ways in which the location and energy class of buildings affect the length of the heating season and the demand for energy required for heating and ventilation purposes. The results of the analyses carried out in this article show that the location and the energy class of the building have a significant impact on the demand for primary energy (EP). As a result, it was concluded that when designating a reference building for the energy rating system, its location should be taken into account and reference buildings should be designated considering climate zones.

Analysis of the Energy, Environmental and Economic Efficiency of Multi-Family Residential Buildings in Poland

“…The results of the previously published research by the authors of this article somewhat fill this knowledge gap, providing information on the influence of the type of ventilation system, the energy class of building envelopes and the type of heating system in demand for non-renewable primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions (including CO 2 ) for an exemplary location in Poland [61]. In the publication [62], the authors of this article also analyzed the influence of the location of the building in Poland on the demand for electricity consumed by auxiliary devices of heating systems (heating system circulation pumps, auxiliary drives of heat sources, drives of control systems) and on the length of the heating season, as well as on the number of HDD degree days in the heating season. Interesting results were obtained in the above-mentioned research, and the emergence of new, interesting scientific threads has become an inspiration for further research in this field of knowledge.…”

“…For the purposes of the study, multicriteria analyses were performed for the design of a three-story multi-family residential building with a rectangular plane (37.9 m × 12.0 m), a built-up area of 455 m 2 and a height of 9 m [61,62]. The building compactness index A/V e is 0.46 [1/m].…”

“…The usable energy demand of the building was determined for two energy classes of the building envelope (A, B) according to the assumptions presented in the paper [61,62]. The main assumptions for the energy classes of the building envelope are presented in Table 1.…”

Ventilation Methods for Improving the Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency of Multi-Family Buildings in Central Europe

“…Each of the 20 flats with varying degrees of use and the building as a whole were assessed. Many previous studies in this area were based mainly on static calculations [39,40], which did not take into account the instantaneous variability of the ventilation airflow in rooms on different floors of the building and the diversified schedule of occupancy, which did not allow for a reliable assessment of the instantaneous level of indoor air quality. Even if the calculations were carried out in dynamic external climate conditions, most studies assumed a constant infiltration air exchange during the year.…”