Energy Analysis, Simulation, and Comparison of a Commercial Building Using Standard Approach and AECOsim

Abstract

In today’s world the construction industry consumes a huge amount of energy. Due to the extreme use, the nonrenewable resources are getting constantly depleted. Construction industry accounts for the emission of large quantity of greenhouse gases which leads to climate change and depletion of the ozone layer. This adverse effect on the environment triggers the need for sustainable construction techniques which reduces the total embodied energy and carbon emissions. Carbon emission and its ill effects on our planet has become one of the most trending points of discussion at this moment. Carbon emission is directly proportional to the energy consumed and generated. The research work consists of the calculation of initial cost and quantity estimates for the existing building and the various appliances and materials responsible for the energy consumption. Energy modeling and simulation was initially carried out to the existing commercial building which helped in recognizing the areas of concerns in terms of energy (For e.g., walls, slab, etc.). A suitable approach was selected to increase the energy efficiency of the selected existing building by the replacement of existing materials and inclusion of different methodologies. AECOsim software is used for the energy modeling and the simulation process of the buildings and the step by step procedure is discussed on how the whole process can be carried out. The results are then validated by comparing the results obtained from the software and the manual calculations. Savings of 49% in electricity consumption, 49% of CO₂ emission, 13.5% of embodied energy and 22.6% of infiltration loss was found when the results of both the buildings obtained from the AECOsim energy simulator software were compared.