Paul Cropper

ABSTRACT Climate change, government emission targets and unpredicatble rising energy costs mean that reducing building energy use and carbon emissions is becoming a priority for owners and occupiers. For the next forty years it is expected that United Kingdom (UK) aiports will largely be operating terminals that have already been built. Reducing their carbon footprint will require large scale retrofit. This paper describes a case study of the terminal building at East Midlands airport (EMA). A calibrated baseline simulation model is used to test a range of retrofit options; potential carbon footprint savings and economic implications have been evaluated for each option. Analysis also considers the effect of government targets and financial incentives. Despite being complex in form and function terminal facilities have many common features. It is intended that this research will contribute towards a retrofit pathway for UK airport terminal buildings.

"Whole building simulation is considered best practice when estimating impacts of large scale retrofit. The main aim of this paper is to illustrate the importance of a calibrated simulation model in this process. An evidence based methodology is used to calibrate a dynamic thermal simulation (DTS) model of the terminal building at Birmingham Airport with monthly utility data. A methodology has been demonstrated for the calibration of a very large building with highly variable occupancy and operating profiles. Methods for calculating model inputs from a combination of measured data and site survey results are also described. Potential economic and environmental outcomes were calculated for the model at each stage of calibration. Results confirm the importance of internal heat gains in the accurate simulation of this type of building and show large errors in estimated CO2 and cost savings from models that are not calibrated."

ABSTRACT Purpose: Dwelling retrofit strategies generally concentrate on measures to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. However, climate change projections predict increases in both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, including heat waves. It is predicted that by the 2040s severe heat waves similar to the European one in August 2003 may be expected to occur every year. Future guidance therefore needs to combine mitigation with adaptation in order to provide safe and comfortable dwellings, whilst also reducing heating energy use, within the available retrofit budget. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The research presented here used dynamic thermal simulation (EnergyPlus) to model a range of passive interventions on selected dwelling types to predict the effect on both dwelling overheating during a heat wave and annual space heating energy use. The interventions include modifications and additions to solar control, insulation and ventilation. Findings: Results demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions that reduce solar heat gains, with external shutters fitted to windows being the most effective single intervention in many cases. Solar reflective coatings also reduce overheating but lead to increased winter heating energy use, whilst wall insulation reduces heating energy use but can, in some cases, lead to increased overheating. The choice of wall insulation type is shown to be very important, with external insulation consistently performing better than internal for overheating reduction. The modelling further demonstrates that combined interventions can significantly reduce or in many cases eliminate overheating. Overheating exposure was found to vary significantly (up to a factor of ten times) between dwelling types. It can be significantly greater for residents who have to stay at home during the daytime, such as the elderly or infirm, and different interventions are sometimes more suitable in these cases. Originality/value: An innovative modelling methodology integrating overheating reduction, heating energy use and intervention cost has been developed and implemented for adapting UK dwellings to future heat waves. Other innovations include an automated approach for large volumes of simulations (over 180,000); a unique graphical interpretation method for presenting single and combined intervention results; and a user-friendly, interactive retrofit toolkit, which is available online for public access and free of charge. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Climate change projections indicate that the UK is expected to experience more frequent and more intense heat wave periods over the coming decades. Buildings frequently experience overheating even under the present climate, resulting in discomfort, health complaints and even mortality. Current house building rates are low, resulting in a need to adapt the existing building stock to provide more comfortable and safe environments. Dynamic thermal simulation computer modelling was used to assess and rank the ...

Multi-zone dynamic thermal simulation linked to a nodal airflow model, was used to assess and rank the effectiveness of selected passive heat wave mitigating interventions for reducing overheating during a heat wave period. The simulations were carried out for Victorian terraced houses in South East England using two different occupancy profiles: a family and an elderly couple and two different building orientations: front north facing and south facing. The ranking of interventions for bedrooms, where occupied hours are similar, ...

The effects of selected passive heat wave mitigating interventions were modelled for 19 th century terraced houses in the UK, using two different occupancy profiles: a family and an elderly couple. Computer simulation, using multi-zone dynamic thermal simulation linked to a nodal airflow model, was used to assess and rank the effectiveness of the interventions for reducing overheating during a heat wave period.