ME3A: Software tool for the identification of energy saving measures in existing buildings: Automated identification of saving measures for buildings using measured energy consumptions

At present, actions for the rehabilitation of cities, districts and buildings are being promoted for tertiary as well as for residential buildings. However, the difficulty of assessing the energy savings achieved after energy efficiency improvement measures (or even worse, a combination of them which have cross effects) with enough certainty is well known. The tendency in order to solve this issue is the use of building's energy performance simulation tools, either detailed or simplified. Nevertheless, the estimation of the energy consumption made by these tools differs from the measured values, due to either the case definition or the assumptions taken into account. This publication aims to present a solution for both of the above mentioned problems, by using a simulation tool which has been corrected with climatic and consumption measured data. This tool has been developed within the framework of the project ME3A-Energy Efficiency Improvement of Buildings in Andalusia (2014-2016), funded by the Regional Government of Andalusia. The main development work is the correction of the simulation tool using consumption data counters monitored in the building, so this development is tested in three building and this paper shows the results of one of them. The benefits presented by this tool are the result of the previously carried out research, which was focused on the automated generation of baselines through which the estimated energy situation made by the official tool and the real measurement can be corrected. These baselines are stated in terms of the main energetic parameters that define a building. In this way, they are converted into a diagnostic protocol with which energetic indicators and the expected reference values can be compared. This methodology shows as a result the optimal rehabilitation project in economic and energetic terms. It is worth mentioning that the developed tool is integrated as a complement within the existing methodology of energy certification (CE3). Therefore, apart from drawing data from the building definition and its systems (performed by the official tool), it allows to obtain the modified official certificate once the optimal rehabilitation project has been chosen.