Validation process of energy performance simulation a Turkish school building case

Buildings produce one-third of the world's carbon emissions. It is estimated that the energy needs of buildings will increase by 40% until 2040 unless measures are taken. A significant portion of the energy in Turkey is consumed by non-residential construction sectors such as educational buildings. Therefore, efforts to improve the energy performance of educational buildings are essential to minimize the environmental impacts of the building stock. Building's energy simulation provides the possibility of testing various scenarios to define their pros and cons. However, the difference between the simulation results and the actual energy consumption should be minimized in practice. The study aims to monitor energy consumption and validate the simulation results of typical school buildings in Istanbul, Turkey. The approach consists of creating dynamic energy performance simulation models and validating with onsite measurements, energy bills and climatic data of the measurement period. At the first step, the detailed schedule of the occupants and mechanical systems, the building envelope materials, the lighting system, devices information, capacity, and efficiency values of mechanical systems and electrical equipment were obtained and defined in the DesignBuilder software. The U-values of the exterior walls were obtained through in-site measurements. In the next step, interior temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 in the building was measured based on related standards and regulations (ISO 7726 and ASHRAE Guideline 14). As a result, the validated energy model based on a comparison of simulation and measured data can be applied and tested to achieve a high energy performance level in the school building.