Energy and cost evaluation of nZEB in different climates, a view on retrofitting to nZEB

摘要

This paper considers the predicted energy consumption of a theoretical building located in Manchester, UK. This building is of identical geometry to the nZEB demonstration building in Herten, but is built to 1995 UK standards. The predicted effects of a number of refurbishment options ( including the installation of HVAC systems and heat pumps) are presented. The results of the dynamic calculation demonstrate that installing a HVAC system with heat pumps in a brand new building will substantially reduce the end use energy demand and assist in achieving net zero energy performance. Although increasing building envelope thermal resistance will further reduce end use energy consumption, it is not as effective on its own as using the heat pump HVAC. Life cycle cost analysis of each of the scenarios demonstrates that constructing a building to extreme insulating levels is not cost optimal compared to using very efficient HVAC systems. However, the disadvantage in cost is small and the extra expenditure can be justified on environmental grounds.