The Impact of Degradation on a Building’s Energy Performance in Hot-Humid Climates

Abstract

To date, energy consumption in buildings accounts for a significant part of the total amount of energy consumed worldwide. The effect of ageing and degradation of various building components is one of the least studied reasons for the possible increase in energy consumed in buildings over time. In addition, there is a clear lack of practical guidelines that would help specialists take this factor into account. In this paper, an attempt is made to assess a possible change in the energy performance of buildings due to the degradation of their various components (insulated glass units, thermal insulation, airtightness, solar reflectivity of the building envelope, and photovoltaic modules). Detached and apartment buildings in hot-humid climates with reference to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were considered. The study was based on simulation research using EnergyPlus, in which the initially collected data on the possible deterioration of the properties of various building components was used for dynamic thermal simulation of selected buildings. The results showed an increase in energy consumption for cooling in detached houses might reach up to 9.53–38.4% over 25 years for more airtight and insulated buildings and 12.28–34.93% for less airtight and insulated buildings. As a result, certain patterns of changes in energy consumption for cooling buildings were established, based on which a set of guidelines was developed. These guidelines can help specialists in various fields better understand the trends in the energy performance of buildings under the influence of degradation processes and take appropriate measures.

The Effect of Degradation on Cold Climate Building Energy Performance: A Comparison with Hot Climate Buildings

“…It should be mentioned that two types of buildings were studied by the level of airtightness and insulation (more or less airtight and insulated buildings) in each of the case studies. It is worth noting that the difference in U-value and airtightness between the two types of buildings was approximately two times greater (a similar gradation was adopted in the work [14] in a hot-humid climate).…”

“…The issue of getting the right data throughout the life cycle of buildings in order to decarbonise the building materials sector was also noted in [4]. The first part of this work [14] presents an extensive analysis of the existing evidence on the deterioration of the initial properties of various components of buildings. The following are the established key patterns of degradation in different environmental conditions.…”

“…It is important to take into consideration that the existence of a large number of inefficient buildings is due not only to the fact that these buildings were built in accordance with outdated codes and standards, but also to the natural processes of ageing and degradation that constantly occur in them. Based on the above, the major research question can be established, first identified in [14], on how to take into account the dependence of energy demand in buildings on the unavoidable degradation processes already at the design stage in order to reduce their negative effect in the long run. Accordingly, one of the main objectives of this study was to create practical recommendations for cold climate conditions that will allow specialists in various fields to assess the possible risks of increasing energy consumption over the course of time and apply relevant steps.…”

“…However, when exposed to cold temperatures, in particular with frequent freeze-thaw cycles, irreversible structural changes also occur, causing a significant deterioration in the properties of materials. In this way, this study of the effect of degradation on cold climate building energy performance will also allow a comparative analysis of previously identified patterns of operational behaviour of buildings in a hot-humid climate [14].…”

“…In this work, the factor of degradation and ageing of buildings is investigated in terms of its impact on the increase in energy demand over time. As in the first part of this research [14], this study also attempts to give practical importance to the results, namely, to develop technical guidelines that will not only help to more clearly understand the essence and intensity of degradation processes in buildings, but also allow the application of specific measures to minimise such an impact on energy demand in buildings over the course of time. This will contribute to the fact that buildings can be designed from the very beginning in such a way as to reduce operational carbon dioxide emissions, and as noted in [2], "they will require no future renovation work to improve their performance."…”