Assessment of Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) Systems for Energy Efficiency in Administrative Buildings in Hot and Dry Climate

Combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems have garnered significant attention as a cost-effective solution for reducing energy consumption in buildings due to their ability to provide higher thermal efficiency compared to single power generation systems. This study focuses on modeling and evaluating the energy consumption of an administrative building within the University of Kashan, alongside the output values of a nearby CCHP power plant. The consumption values of the university’s central administrative building have been obtained using available measuring devices. Also, the validity of the modeling results has been assessed using Design-Builder software. Additionally, the study investigates the role of the CCHP system in the building in terms of energy production and consumption by comparing the building’s consumption with the production of CCHP electricity and heat. The simulation results indicate that the total annual energy consumption of the office building is 182.67 kWh/m$^{2}$, while the values recorded by the engine room measuring devices show 199.75 kWh/m$^{2}$. This suggests a potential discrepancy between the simulated and measured values, with the simulated value being approximately ten percent lower than the measured value. Possible factors contributing to this variance include discrepancies in people’s activity models used in the simulation software and the actual consumption behavior patterns. Furthermore, the study highlights that the 1 MW CCHP system can meet the thermal and electrical needs of a 3-story administrative building, such as the central administrative building of the University of Kashan, while also being able to supply excess electrical energy to the grid. This underscores the potential of CCHP systems in effectively addressing energy demands in buildings.