Assessment of the technical potential for multifunction building zero-carbon renovation with EnergyPlus

Energy consumed in the building field accounts for 30–40% of social energy consumption in the entire world. The energy used in office-educational buildings, especially in developed countries, takes up a large proportion, because of the high occupant density, long running time and high brightness and comfort requirement. This research aims at predicting the renovation potential for office-educational building in the energy-saving aspect. One typical existing educational building in the UK has been chosen as the research object; EnergyPlus computer model, which accurately reflects the building style, material, structures and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system is established. After the simulation of energy performance and carbon emission of the original building, some insulation measures and renewable technologies (photovoltaics, solar thermal etc.) have been added as the renovation method. Then, theoretical calculation and computer simulation about the effect of the renovations above have been conducted to reflect the improvement. Carbon-saving effects of renovation methods were compared and analyzed. Only 2.2% of carbon emissions can be reduced by improving the air-tightness of the building and the U-value of windows, but great carbon saving achieved by adding renewable devices. About 40.8% of the carbon emissions reduced due to the application of all the renovation methods. The result of this study will provide some critical references for the choosing and prediction of renovation methods in the energy-saving field in the UK.