Energy Simulation and Analysis for Optimizing Residential Building Efficiency

Abstract

This thesis investigates energy performance and summer thermal comfort in a residential building located in Espoo, Finland. Architectural drawings and measured energy consumption data for the housing complex were collected from property management sources. A dynamic simulation model of Building C was developed in IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (IDA ICE) based on redrawn AutoCAD plans and technical specifications. As measured energy data were available for the entire housing complex, an area-based allocation approach was applied to estimate Building C’s share using the floor-area ratio derived from the site plans. The simulation model was calibrated by comparing simulated delivered energy with the allocated 2024 reference values for Building C. In addition, measured district heating consumption data were analysed using Python to examine the relationship between Heating Degree Days (HDD) and heating energy demand. After validation, an improvement scenario was analysed where mechanical cooling was introduced to mitigate overheating and photovoltaic (PV) panels were added to offset the additional electricity demand. The results show that overheating indicators improved significantly after the cooling and PV solution, while the annual PV production exceeded the introduced annual cooling energy demand, supporting the concept of improving summer comfort without increasing purchased energy on an annual basis