Open AccessSelection of Energy Upgrades for Canadian Single-Detached Residential Households Based on Occupancy Profile
Author(s) -
Mehdi Kamal,
M. Mohammed Riyadh,
Rabia Zahid,
Anber Rana,
Mohammad Hāshim Kamali,
S. Sultana,
Kasun Hewage,
Muddasser Alam,
Rehan Sadiq
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/943/1/012026
Subject(s) - upgrade , occupancy , greenhouse gas , payback period , energy consumption , zero energy building , energy modeling , building energy simulation , roof , energy (signal processing) , environmental science , investment (military) , environmental economics , engineering , civil engineering , energy performance , computer science , economics , production (economics) , electrical engineering , ecology , statistics , macroeconomics , mathematics , politics , law , political science , biology , operating system
The use of energy efficient building systems can play a key role in reducing energy consumption and the adverse impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The occupancy profile of residential dwellings has a notable influence on the effectiveness of selecting appropriate energy upgrade retrofits. Building simulation models can be integrated to determine the impact of independent occupancy profile in realizing a building’s carbon mitigation target. In this paper, the most desirable energy upgrade retrofits are suggested for three different occupancy profiles by considering important economic parameters, such as the initial investment, payback period and environmental parameter such as GHG emissions. The three occupancy profiles considered were a single adult, couple without children and couple with children. For this purpose, a calibrated energy model was developed for a single-detached family household in British Columbia, Canada, which was equipped with power sensors for monitoring the real time energy data. From the calibrated energy model, three different energy upgrade retrofits (solar, window, and wall/roof insulation) were modelled for the occupancy profiles chosen and the most suitable energy upgrades were suggested. The results show that solar panels contributed the most in energy cost reduction and upgraded windows had the least GHG emission. With suitable financial initiative, the combination of all the three energy upgrades can be the best option in terms of environment and economy.