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Design and Optimization of Advanced Energy Systems in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 6686

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: design and testing of thermal systems and equipment (solar collectors, biomass hot water boilers/heaters, heat exchangers, air handling units, air outlets, radiators, convectors); indoor climate testing; energy performance assesment of buildings; heat and mass transfer in heat apparatus; numerical analysis; energy systems modeling

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: refrigeration and heat pumps, laboratory testing of components and system performance (ground source heat pumps with borehole heat exchangers, air source heat pumps, solar assisted heat pumps), thermal response test, natural refrigerants, energy efficiency

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Calculations of building energy performances are formally required to verify national minimum energy performance requirements on nearly zero energy buildings (nZEBs) within the legal procedure of obtaining building permit and issuing building energy performance certificate.

An assessment of nZEB energy performance imposes detailed dynamic calculations, comprising building elements and technical systems.  Low energy consumption requirements entail application of passive building design and alternative technical systems harnessing renewable energy, which altogether makes calculations even more complex.  The final aim is optimization of nZEB design.

However, there is a lack of experience and knowledge in this field among both designers and scientific community. Therefore, we invite original papers to this Special issue to contribute enhancing knowledge and skills in design and optimization of nZEBs.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • new calculation methods for energy performance assessment
  • numerical modelling and simulation of energy need and indoor climate
  • design optimization in terms of delivered/primary energy and total costs
  • advanced HVAC systems and components utilizing renewables
  • testing and measurements (indoor climate, equipment, systems)
  • smart building technologies
  • thermal storage systems
  • building envelope and phase change materials
  • lighting systems

Prof. Dr. Damir Dovic
Prof. Dr. Vladimir Soldo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Nearly zero energy buildings
  • Calculation methods
  • Numerical modeling and simulation
  • Design and optimization
  • Renewable energy
  • Testing and measurementskeyword

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 8080 KiB  
Article
Hourly Simulation of an Earth-to-Air Heat Exchanger in a Low-Energy Residential Building
by Piotr Michalak
Energies 2022, 15(5), 1898; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051898 - 04 Mar 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2090
Abstract
The earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a well-founded and verified solution used in modern buildings both for heating and cooling purposes around the world. However, there is a lack of studies on operation of such devices cooperating with ventilation systems of buildings in [...] Read more.
The earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE) is a well-founded and verified solution used in modern buildings both for heating and cooling purposes around the world. However, there is a lack of studies on operation of such devices cooperating with ventilation systems of buildings in hourly time step. In this study, the 5R1C thermal network model of a building from EN ISO 13790 was coupled with the EAHE model from EN 16798-5-1 to calculate hourly outlet air temperature. To improve the effectiveness of the considered solution, an additional algorithm was developed to choose between the EAHE outlet and ambient air as the source of ventilation air. Simulations were conducted in a spreadsheet for a low-energy single-family building. Ground temperature was compared with measurements taken in the considered location. The application of the EAHE with the proposed bypass resulted in a decrease in annual energy use for space heating and cooling from 14.82 GJ and 1.67 GJ to 12.74 GJ and 0.93 GJ, i.e., by 14% and 44%, respectively. Peak hourly heating and cooling thermal power decreased from 2.73 kW and 3.06 kW to 2.21 kW and 2.34 kW. Introduction of a bypass and switching between the EAHE and ambient air as the source of ventilation for the building resulted in annual energy savings of 123 kWh. Full article
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21 pages, 5611 KiB  
Article
Cost Optimal Renewable Electricity-Based HVAC System: Application of Air to Water or Water to Water Heat Pump
by Boris Delač, Branimir Pavković, Marino Grozdek and Luka Bezić
Energies 2022, 15(5), 1658; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051658 - 23 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2217
Abstract
This paper aims to determine cost optimality between heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems operating with air to water heat pumps (AWHP) and water to water heat pumps (WWHP). The analysis is performed for a certain number of heat pump units with [...] Read more.
This paper aims to determine cost optimality between heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems operating with air to water heat pumps (AWHP) and water to water heat pumps (WWHP). The analysis is performed for a certain number of heat pump units with fixed and variable capacity made by four manufacturers available on European market. Simulations are performed in Trnsys software. The results show that heat pump partial load efficiency should not be neglected in analysis of application while the difference in energy consumption and costs can be up to 17%. The requirement for performing analysis on a wider range of units is indicated, especially when heat pump systems with different sources are considered. HVAC system with AWHP units with capacity control is a cost optimal solution for case study nursery building operating on the Croatian coast. The application of the photovoltaic (PV) array sized to cover nonrenewable part of electricity consumed in HVAC system has a return period of 12 years. It is determined that seasonal efficiency indicators from relevant European database do not support unit operation. Full article
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31 pages, 31152 KiB  
Article
A Novel Dynamic Approach to Cost-Optimal Energy Performance Calculations of a Solar Hot Water System in an nZEB Multi-Apartment Building
by Filip Patrčević, Damir Dović, Ivan Horvat and Petar Filipović
Energies 2022, 15(2), 509; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15020509 - 11 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1453
Abstract
This paper presents the methodology for conducting a cost-optimal energy performance calculation of a solar hot water system, used for space heating and domestic hot water needs. The calculation is based on dynamic hourly methods, according to the new Energy Performance of Buildings’ [...] Read more.
This paper presents the methodology for conducting a cost-optimal energy performance calculation of a solar hot water system, used for space heating and domestic hot water needs. The calculation is based on dynamic hourly methods, according to the new Energy Performance of Buildings’ (EPB) set of standards EN 15316:2017, and a revision of the standard EN 15316-5:2017 from the year 2021, dealing with storage-tank water temperature calculations. The paper provides proposals for modifications to these newly introduced standards, in order to overcome the observed ambiguities and shortcomings. The calculation of annual energy performance of a building was performed on an hourly basis over a year for the reference of an nZEB multi-apartment building, for a climate area of the city of Zagreb, taking into account water temperature change in the layers of the storage tank connected to solar collectors and hot water boilers. The cost-optimal solution was then determined by varying individual parameters of the building technical system. The influence of these parameters on the energy efficiency of the building was analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the results were compared against those obtained by the Croatian calculation algorithm based on the previous set of EPB standards, EN 15316:2008, currently used EU-wide for the energy performance certification of buildings. The results indicated that the calculation methods of the present algorithm underestimated the consumption of building primary energy by 12%. The energy delivered by solar collectors was underestimated by 18%. Full article
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