Comparative analysis of the building energy performance patterns: A case study

Energy use has increased exponentially within past decades, raising global social, economic and environmental concerns that make it important to find ways to reduce its use. In developed communities, energy consumption in buildings contributes largely to the overall energy use; therefore, finding ways to more efficiently use energy in buildings would optimize energy consumption significantly. In this study, the energy performance and associated operating costs of a building were calculated and compared with those of experiments. DOE-2, a computer simulation program capable of detailed and quick energy consumption analysis of buildings, was implemented, and it was found that heat-producing energy was the major component of the energy expended in buildings. The results of this study revealed that the amount of energy used to produce heat in the case study building was greater than that of the experimental amounts, while the amount of electricity consumed was very close to that of the experimental amounts. The findings of this study identify the issues with the DOE-2 energy software, provide empirical evidence to validate the program, and give insight to designers to help them design buildings that are more energy efficient.