INNOVATIONS

The Dynamic Perspective of the Energy Performance Certification (EPC)

Innovations

E-DYCE Digital Energy Performance Certification is rather complementary and not competitive to traditional EPC methodologies, advising for buildings’ swift energy optimization and realization of savings, helping a better approach to the matter

Traditional EPCs

Require reliability to maximize usefulness and gain market credibility

Lack of understanding for the benefits of the EPCs

Practical and high quality EPCs are the prerequisite for any buildings policy; EPCs are embedded into national refurbishment policies

EPC could serve as renovation roadmap and function as a valuable tool to monitor the renovation rates

On site data gathering procedures must secure quality of the data. Checks for input data plausibility (missing, incorrect, incomplete data) check).

E-DYCE Dynamic EPC

Reduction of performance gap, credible and transparent calculations

Clear and user-friendly feedback about the building performance; specific optimization steps suggested

Data generated to be used to draw useful and accurate conclusions for environmental policy makers for policy more aligning with societal, environmental and market needs

Reliable cost- effective renovation roadmaps will be created. Renovation actions will be reflected by the building actual performance for better accounting of renovation rates and to adjust policies/incentive programs.

Data security and technological neutrality will be ensured. Even Real-time data monitoring and control over large number of buildings with by low-bandwidth requirements and prediction capabilities, will be achieved through edge computing.

Innovation 1. Improved assessment reducing or eliminating the performance gap with real time optimization

The current labelling evaluates the intrinsic performance of the building and the technical installation choices. The proposed E-DYCE methodology extends the assessment to the building operation excluding good and expensive energy choices, but promoting cheap low-tech technologies, and/or passive operation strategies taking advantage of cloud databases, connected devices, dynamic climatic data and predictions available on the cloud.

Moreover, the user behaviour is often the reason for the major performance gaps and a The change in user behaviour due to feedback from E-DYCE will allow for correction and creation of updated user behaviour database.
In contrast to existing EPCs, with E-DYCE it will be possible to optimize in real time, manage peak demand and grid communication in real time, conduct short term forecasts in real time and modify the building’s operation according to its predicted performance, allowing to maximize the effect of low tech, passive solutions and free running operation.
So, in E-DYCE the first level is to adjust calculation approach to dynamic one. The second level is to optimize building based on its real operation under current boundary condition. The third level is to be able to predict performance when applying renovation strategies. The fourth level is to be able to take account for predictive control of the building by using statistical data and weather forecasts.

Innovation 2. Free running potential

Steady-state approach can be used to define the expected energy need of a building under constant HVAC efficiency and building operational schemes.

Nevertheless, it is not able to include the effect of passive low-energy solutions on the free-running potential of a building, as ventilative cooling is reducing the HVAC energy consumptions. The E-DYCE platform will surpass this problem, being on the one side based on dynamic simulation and monitoring, and on the other side able to to define the free running potential of a building and its current real-time usage by building users, suggesting potential actions.

Innovation 3. Technology neutral and technology scaling

E-DYCE is designed to be a technology neutral methodology, as its core components (data collection, intelligent framework and user feedback) are not specific to a type of technology and can be substituted with components of own choice.

The data collection stage is centered on defining common data formats and integration processes whilst the intelligent components and simulations platform have similar requirements; user feedback is similarly a very versatile and adaptable process. Furthermore, the abundance of data that is available and will be exploited in the dynamic simulations, (remotely controlled units, smart sensing and metering, weather compensation and predictive control, communication between building systems and building user – ICTs) will now contribute to the EPC assessment opening new opportunities.

Equally, low-tech buildings (traditional, heritage or low-income houses) will not be excluded in DEPC; they altogether will be exploited in the dynamic simulations with real time higher data frequencies, which will effectively eliminate the performance gap. The users will receive reliable feedback and will be able to adjust their behaviour to optimize performance based on the free running model.

Innovation 4. Consideration of different data frequency for enhanced performance and comfort

Traditional EPC are only taking into account the building energy performance, omitting indoor environment (comfort) and health related aspects.

More Dynamic evaluation of the building should allow for evaluation of the indoor environment, energy, and control strategies, so different data collection frequencies will allow real time optimization and performance gap elimination; minute data can measure energy parameters, hourly/daily data could serve to address indoor environment condition in the building, monthly average/cumulative data could serve to address control strategies and energy use, and yearly cumulative data could serve to address energy performance of the apartment/building. Finally, approaches of comfort measurement and free running and natural ventilation through user interaction, will increase the possibility to include passive and hybrid system potential in the reduction of energy consumptions

Innovation 5. User/operator - human smartness

Building users/operators have difficulties in relating energy use of the building with their actions as energy bills arrive relatively seldom and not correlate with the instantaneous actions.

Moreover, energy bills do not present the historical performance that is weather corrected. Still, energy operation of the large share of the building stock to a very high extent depends on human (tenant/janitor) smartness or lack of it. In E-DYCE, the objective is to include users in the building operation by using active feedback from sensing and metering technologies and providing feedback to the user in a simple, understandable, and clear manner.
Nowadays, instead of being only consumers, buildings are becoming prosumers that interact with the grid. Current labelling provide a static number describing expected annual total energy use per square meter of floor area, but this level of frequency is not sufficient to asses building potential for energy flexibility and prosumer nature, as this is supported in E-DYCE to be done with fine frequency, for example assisting in ability of shifting peak hours for heating, cooling and electricity demand, ability to operate building without mechanical resources for securing thermal and atmospheric comfort, namely free running and ability of smart passive technologies to remedy heating and cooling demand.