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Data for Urban Scale Building Energy Modelling: Assessing Impacts and Overcoming Availability Challenges

Author

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  • Solène Goy

    (School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland)

  • François Maréchal

    (Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1951 Sion, Switzerland)

  • Donal Finn

    (School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland)

Abstract

Data are essential to urban building energy models and yet, obtaining sufficient and accurate building data at a large-scale is challenging. Previous studies have highlighted that the data impact on urban case studies has not been sufficiently discussed. This paper addresses this gap by providing an analysis of the impact of input data on building energy modelling at an urban scale. The paper proposes a joint review of data impact and data accessibility to identify areas where future survey efforts should be concentrated. Moreover, a Morris sensitivity analysis is carried out on a large-scale residential case study, to rank input parameters by impact on space heating demand. This paper shows that accessible data impact the whole modelling process, from approach selection to model replicability. The sensitivity analysis shows that the setpoint and thermal characteristics were the most impactful for the case study considered. Solutions proposed to overcome availability and accessibility issues include organising annual workshops between data users and data owners, or developing online databases that could be populated on a volunteer-basis by data owners. Overall, overcoming data challenges is essential for the transition towards smarter cities, and will require an improved communication between all city stakeholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Solène Goy & François Maréchal & Donal Finn, 2020. "Data for Urban Scale Building Energy Modelling: Assessing Impacts and Overcoming Availability Challenges," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-23, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:16:p:4244-:d:399884
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    2. Simone Ferrari & Federica Zagarella & Paola Caputo & Giuliano Dall’O’, 2021. "A GIS-Based Procedure for Estimating the Energy Demand Profiles of Buildings towards Urban Energy Policies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-16, September.
    3. Małgorzata Szulgowska-Zgrzywa & Ewelina Stefanowicz & Agnieszka Chmielewska & Krzysztof Piechurski, 2023. "Detailed Analysis of the Causes of the Energy Performance Gap Using the Example of Apartments in Historical Buildings in Wroclaw (Poland)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-19, February.

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