Evaluation and comparison of building performance in use through on-site monitoring and simulation modelling

In recent years in Europe, the improvement of the energy efficiency in buildings has been constantly addressed as a priority. In order to achieve this goal, the first step is to have a calculation method that determines the energy performance of buildings. For this purpose, dynamic thermal simulation programs are used. However, numerous studies (Branco, Lachal, Gallinelli, & Weber, 2004; Burman, Mumovic, & Kimpian, 2014; Johnston, Wingfield, & Miles-Shenton, 2010; Majcen, Itard, & Visscher, 2013) have shown that the measured energy performance of buildings does not correspond to the simulated performance. This is referred to as the “performance gap” and thus, the predictive potential of these tools is reduced. This paper is part of a research that aims to study the differences between measured and simulated thermal performance through two case studies. Monitoring equipment was installed in two flats located in two originally identical residential buildings, but one of them has been recently refurbished. Both buildings are located in the city of Madrid, Spain. In this paper, we showed only the results the refurbished building. This investigation shows how in-situ measurements and energy monitoring procedures in buildings in use can be used to adjust energy simulation models in order to bring the results closer to the actual thermal performance of buildings.