Energy performance of a university building for different air conditioning (AC) technologies: a case study

The study uses four AC technologies to assess the energy performance—this is a case study of an educational building in Barranquilla, Colombia. The building currently has split AC technology high-energy consumers. Therefore, it was necessary to assess a replacement with more efficient technology. Be...

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Autores:
Balbis Morejón, Milen
Cabello Eras, Juan José
Rey Martínez, Francisco J.
Mendoza Fandiño, Jorge Mario
Rey Hernández, Javier M.
Tipo de recurso:
Article of investigation
Fecha de publicación:
2024
Institución:
Corporación Universidad de la Costa
Repositorio:
REDICUC - Repositorio CUC
Idioma:
eng
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.cuc.edu.co:11323/13700
Acceso en línea:
https://hdl.handle.net/11323/13700
https://repositorio.cuc.edu.co/
Palabra clave:
Air conditioning systems
Educational building
Energy performance index (EnPI)
Energy simulation
Life cycle cost (LCC)
Energy performance
Rights
openAccess
License
Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0)
Description
Summary:The study uses four AC technologies to assess the energy performance—this is a case study of an educational building in Barranquilla, Colombia. The building currently has split AC technology high-energy consumers. Therefore, it was necessary to assess a replacement with more efficient technology. Because of the non-seasonal climate in the building location, one month of monitoring of energy consumption was the reference for developing an energy model for the building using EnergyPlus and DesignBuilder software. The model was applied to forecast the building energy performance of our more efficient AC technologies available in the Colombian market, and valuable according to building specifications (Split, VRF, VAV, and Chiller). Results show a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 30% with the technology change and 15% savings in life cycle costs (LCCs), even though the building is already considered to have a low energy consumption according to national regulations. The findings of this study underscore the potential for widespread applicability across all types of buildings, regardless of their energy consumption profile, be it low, medium, or high. This extensive applicability not only highlights the adaptability and versatility of the technology but also underscores its significance in achieving substantial energy savings and cost reductions across the entire building industry, contributing to a more sustainable and economically efficient future.