Simulation-based design optimization of houses with low grid dependency

There is a significant growth in the utilization of renewable energy in the built environment. Due to the intermittent nature of most renewable energy sources, energy mismatch problems between on-site generation and demand both in hourly and seasonal levels is unavoidable. In addition, energy-pricing policies are leading to less or no Photovoltaic (PV) feed-in-tariffs in the near future and/or even providing incentives to uphold self-consumption. Therefore, it is essential to enhance the building designs in a way to improve the utilization of on-site generated energy and to decrease the dependency on the nearby energy grid.

In this study, performance optimization of various residential building designs is carried out considering future policy scenarios. The objective is to minimize the dependency on the nearby energy grid and to maximize the self-consumption. To achieve this, a performance-based design support approach is proposed. A simulation framework is presented to conduct the performance assessment. The developed design support approach is demonstrated using a Dutch house that needs to be renovated considering homeowner as the primary decision-maker. The proposed approach can be used by designers and consultants in the design phase of a building to aid decision-makers in identifying future-proof building designs with low grid dependency.