Reduction of operational carbon in existing buildings through energy efficiency
Research Team


Our Motivation:
By 2050, every building in the world should be carbon neutral. Yet, today’s buildings consume 1/3 of global energy and will continue to do so in the coming decades unless strategic action is taken. Therefore, to meet our energy targets by 2050, we need to minimize the operational carbon in existing buildings by at least 60% [1]. In the US, this translates to an increase of annual energy efficiency retrofits by 1500% for residential buildings alone [2]. This is a major challenge, as we need to take into consideration each building’s unique set of operational characteristics. Meanwhile, solutions must be simple to execute, affordable, and scalable.

Research Contribution
A robust analysis framework is needed that will enable us to quickly and easily evaluate the potential of an existing building to become an energy efficient and/ or energy autonomous living environment through the use of well-established and innovative technologies.

Problem
Practical Problem
About 42% of a building’s energy use stems from its heating and cooling loads, and a significant percentage of these loads is determined by the energy loss that occurs through the building envelope. Therefore, a lot of attention has been given towards improving building envelope thermal performance. Yet, both conventional and innovative strategies lead to similar energy savings, with the best-case scenario being a 50% reduction in energy consumption [4].
Because of this, to achieve carbon neutrality in existing buildings, we need to shift our attention towards investigating technologies that promote on-site renewable energy generation (e.g. solar panels/ wind energy) and home electrification (e.g. heat pumps/ thermoelectric generators) [5] [3].

Solution
A multi-objective computational design framework that 1) analyzes different energy efficiency intervention strategies, 2) proposes a series of actionable suggestions to minimize carbon emissions, 3) aims to maximize home electrification, and 4) aims for energy autonomy.

Added Value For The Industry
The developed framework will help AEC professionals make faster and more informed decisions in the context of residential energy efficiency retrofits.
Additionally, the framework will consider the implementation of mature as well as more innovative on-site energy harvesting technologies that could prove to be efficient and scalable solutions in the context of retrofitting in the near future.
Finally, insights from the developed framework could be integrated into existing design toolkits.

Timeline
Date |
Activity |
Outcome |
Spring 2022 |
Research became awarded: "Framework for Operational Carbon Reduction in Existing Buildings”. |
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2022 Oct - Dec |
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2023 Jan - Mar |
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2023 Mar - Jun |
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2023 Jul - Aug |
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2023 September |
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If you want to participate in the project please reach out to Eleni Alexandraki.

Sources
- “Net Zero Carbon Buildings Three Steps to Take Now.” Arup, https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/net-zer….
- Nadel, Steven, and Adam Hinge. Mandatory Building Performance Standards: A Key Policy for Achieving Climate Goals. 22 June 2020, https://www.aceee.org/white-paper/2020/06/mandatory-building-performanc….
- Chandel, Rahul, et al. “Prospects of Sustainable Photovoltaic Powered Thermoelectric Cooling in Zero Energy Buildings: A Review.” International Journal of Energy Research, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/er.8508.
- Kamel, Ehsan, and Ali M. Memari. “Residential Building Envelope Energy Retrofit Methods, Simulation Tools, and Example Projects: A Review of the Literature.” Buildings, vol. 12, no. 7, 2022, p. 954., https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12070954.
- Walker, I. S., Less, B. D.,Casquero-Modrego, N.(2022). Pathways to HomeDecarbonization in the US. Proceedings of the 2022 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings.American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), 21-26 August, Pacific Grove, CA