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Energy use in non-residential buildings - possibilities for smart energy solutions

Abstract

The first part of this report discusses the energy use in non-residential buildings through a
literature survey. The questions addressed are the division of energy use according to
different purposes, correspondence between measured and calculated energy use and future
trends in the energy use. The building categories discussed in more detail are office
buildings, commercial buildings, hospitals and educational buildings. The energy use in
these building types varies greatly, both considering the specific energy use, and energy use
according to the purpose. When comparing measured and calculated energy uses, big
deviations have been reported in all the discussed building categories such that the calculated
energy is clearly lower than the measured use for new buildings, and vice versa for old
buildings. To be able to understand this deviation and to better model the building energy
use, better measurement data, as well as more accurate input data are needed.
The second part of the report presents case examples of buildings and building complexes
with integrated energy solutions and systems for waste heat utilization. From the case studies
it could be concluded that such system solutions generally consist of and energy storage, heat
pumps, and a connection to the district heating system to cover the peak load. Utilization of
waste heat is seen as a good energy efficiency measure, enabling reductions in both heating
and cooling demands, as well as reducing the overall energy costs. Interaction of the energy
supply of different buildings for better utilization of waste heat is however so far little
practiced.
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Category

Report

Client

  • Research Council of Norway (RCN) / 228656
  • Research Council of Norway (RCN) / 502000471

Language

English

Author(s)

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Energy Research

Year

2015

Publisher

Sintef Energi AS

Issue

TR A7510

ISBN

978-82-594-3640-5

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