Energy waste: the challenge of decarbonising office buildings

Conference item

In Higher Education Buildings (HEBs), a significant gap exists between actual energy consumption, and designed and modelled expectations. The discrepancy has intensified in the post-COVID era, where hybrid and flexible working patterns can In Higher Education Buildings (HEBs), a significant gap exists between actual energy consumption, and designed and modelled expectations. The discrepancy has intensified in the post-COVID era, where hybrid and flexible working patterns can unpredictably affect operational energy demands and building usage. This paper discusses insights from two case studies in HEBs, focusing on performance gaps, operational energy waste, user practices, ind oor environmental quality, and the impact of hybrid working on energy demand. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including building monitoring and surveys with diverse user groups, provides a comprehensive understanding of these issues. Emphasis is placed on understanding the importance of operational patterns due to shifts in activities from flexible working and the need for sustainable energy management in HEBs. The results identify common performance gaps across both case studies that should be considered in future office building decarbonisation strategies. These gaps are divided into three interventional areas: occupancy, thermal comfort, and building characteristics. The findings also demonstrate the opportunity to mitigate energy waste by integrating a better understanding of the occupancy patterns in spaces (1), real-time thermal comfort satisfaction of occupants (2), and the combination of lower centralised thermal requirements with individual environmental control systems (3). These actions can effectively contribute to the decarbonisation of HEB by optimising energy management and suggesting strategic pathways for improvement in the context of evolving workplace dynamics. The methodological tools developed from these studies offer potential for application in other office buildings.

Authors: Suliman, A; Wheeler, S; Topouzi, M; Lizana, J

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Acceptance date: 2024-03-31
• Event title: 1st International Conference of Net Zero Carbon Built Environment (ZCBE 2024)
• Event location: Nottingham, UK
• Event website: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/low-carbon-energy-and-resources-technologies-research-group/international-conference-of-net-zero-carbon-built-environment.aspx
• Event start date: 2024-07-03
• Event end date: 2024-07-05
• Language: English
• Keywords: user practices; office buildings decarbonisations; energy efficiency; higher education buildings energy demand; IEQ monitoring; post-occupancy-evaluation