Energy analysis of a public services building: North Aveiro School, Portugal

Abstract The goal of this paper is to undertake an energy performance analysis of the North Aveiro School (ESAN) building, located in the municipality of Oliveira de Azeméis (Portugal). This building uses HVAC technologies that are unusual in Portugal, such as ground source heat pumps associated with floor heating and ventilation with air preheating, using solar panels and heat recovery. Although these technologies were intended to provide thermal comfort conditions with low energy consumption, they have failed to do so. A thermal dynamic simulation of the building was made using the DesignBuilder software, including features such as envelope, lighting, occupancy, equipment and HVAC systems. Based on the building model and the analysed results, the researchers found that the heterogeneity of the glazed surfaces, the the differences in thermal loads in the different rooms, and the three shared cooling systems cause major thermal imbalances and difficulties to provide thermal comfort conditions in the building. This study can be applied to other buildings, especially buildings located in regions with broad daily and/or seasonal thermal amplitudes, which need both heating and cooling. This study is important because it demonstrates that with good planning, it is possible to design buildings with energy efficient thermal comfort strategies.摘要 本研究旨在对位于葡萄牙奥利维拉迪阿泽梅什市的北阿威罗中学（North Aveiro School，ESAN）建筑开展能源性能分析。该建筑采用了在葡萄牙境内较为罕见的暖通空调（HVAC）技术，例如集成地板采暖与空气预热通风的地源热泵，搭配太阳能板与热回收系统。尽管此类技术的设计初衷是在低能耗前提下实现热舒适环境，但实际运行效果并未达到预期目标。研究团队采用DesignBuilder软件对该建筑进行了热动力学模拟，建模范围涵盖围护结构、照明系统、人员占用情况、室内设备及暖通空调系统等要素。基于所建立的建筑模型与分析结果，研究人员发现：玻璃幕墙的不均质性、不同房间热负荷的差异，以及三套共用冷却系统，是引发建筑内部严重热失衡、难以保障热舒适环境的主要诱因。本研究可推广至其他同类建筑，尤其适用于存在显著日/季节温度波动幅度、同时需要采暖与制冷的区域建筑。本研究的重要价值在于证明：通过合理的规划设计，即可构建兼具节能性与热舒适策略的建筑。