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A comprehensive framework to quantify energy savings potential from improved operations of commercial building stocks

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  • Azar, Elie
  • Menassa, Carol C.

Abstract

While studies highlight the significant impact of actions performed by occupants and facility managers on building energy performance, current policies ignore the importance of human actions and the potential energy savings from a more efficient operation of building systems. This is mainly attributed to the lack of methods that evaluate non-technological drivers of energy use for large stocks of commercial buildings to support policy making efforts. Therefore, this study proposes a scientific approach to quantifying the energy savings potential due to improved operations of any stock of commercial buildings. The proposed framework combines energy modeling techniques, studies on human actions in buildings, and surveying and sampling methods. The contributions of this study to energy policy are significant as they reinforce the role of human actions in energy conservation, and support efforts to integrate operation-focused solutions in energy conservation policy frameworks. The framework's capabilities are illustrated in a case study performed on the stock of office buildings in the United States (US). Results indicate a potential 21 percent reduction in the current energy use levels of these buildings through realistic changes in current building operation patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Azar, Elie & Menassa, Carol C., 2014. "A comprehensive framework to quantify energy savings potential from improved operations of commercial building stocks," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 459-472.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:67:y:2014:i:c:p:459-472
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.12.031
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Azar, Elie & Nikolopoulou, Christina & Papadopoulos, Sokratis, 2016. "Integrating and optimizing metrics of sustainable building performance using human-focused agent-based modeling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 926-937.
    6. Yamaguchi, Yohei & Kim, Bumjoon & Kitamura, Takuya & Akizawa, Kotone & Chen, Hemiao & Shimoda, Yoshiyuki, 2022. "Building stock energy modeling considering building system composition and long-term change for climate change mitigation of commercial building stocks," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    7. Hou, Jing & Liu, Yisheng & Wu, Yong & Zhou, Nan & Feng, Wei, 2016. "Comparative study of commercial building energy-efficiency retrofit policies in four pilot cities in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 204-215.
    8. Azar, Elie & Al Ansari, Hamad, 2017. "Framework to investigate energy conservation motivation and actions of building occupants: The case of a green campus in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 563-573.
    9. Walsh, Angélica & Cóstola, Daniel & Labaki, Lucila Chebel, 2018. "Performance-based validation of climatic zoning for building energy efficiency applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 416-427.
    10. Bischof, Julian & Duffy, Aidan, 2022. "Life-cycle assessment of non-domestic building stocks: A meta-analysis of current modelling methods," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    11. Ying Xie & Yisheng Liu, 2022. "Tripartite Evolutionary Game Analysis of Stakeholder Decision-Making Behavior in Energy-Efficient Retrofitting of Office Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-22, September.
    12. Hamed Nabizadeh Rafsanjani & Changbum R. Ahn & Mahmoud Alahmad, 2015. "A Review of Approaches for Sensing, Understanding, and Improving Occupancy-Related Energy-Use Behaviors in Commercial Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-34, October.
    13. Ahmed Al Amoodi & Elie Azar, 2018. "Impact of Human Actions on Building Energy Performance: A Case Study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    14. Perwez, Usama & Yamaguchi, Yohei & Ma, Tao & Dai, Yanjun & Shimoda, Yoshiyuki, 2022. "Multi-scale GIS-synthetic hybrid approach for the development of commercial building stock energy model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    15. Ruparathna, Rajeev & Hewage, Kasun & Sadiq, Rehan, 2016. "Improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock: A critical review of commercial and institutional buildings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1032-1045.
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