Understanding the performance gap in energy retrofitting: measured input data for adjusting building simulation models

This paper focuses on exploring methods for reducing the gap between the expected and actual building energy performance by using simulation tools. The study has two purposes. The first is to quantify the relative effect of the different building parameters measured on the energy heating and cooling consumption compared with standard parameters through the adjustment of simulation models. The second is to develop an approach, based on three methods, for monitoring residential buildings, while also testing and calibrating methodologies for the simulation software. The approach developed is applied and tested in two real case studies (two apartments in two identically constructed buildings, one refurbished and the other not) in the city of Madrid, Spain. The analysis of the case studies shows that there is a four-fold difference in potential savings in energy for heating between models adjusted with standard and actual parameters. Moreover, the results reveal the significant impact of the use of actual weather data and users’ behaviour in the adjustment of simulation models and demonstrate the utility of the application of these methods.