The role of the design and operation of individual heating systems for the energy retrofits of residential buildings

The feasibility of individual natural gas fired boiler-based heating systems in the retrofitting of buildings constructed in the 50-60 s in Bilbao (northern Spain) is evaluated in this paper. A holistic approach through dynamic simulations using TRNSYS is employed for the purpose. An existing dwelling previously monitored and used to validate the model applied is selected as a case study. 54 different scenarios are evaluated, which arise from the combination of 3 different envelope options, 2 types of heat production units, 3 heat production temperatures and 3 comfort temperature set-points. The cases are evaluated in terms of energy results, economic aspects, and the influence of user behaviour. Regarding the latter, the influence of the potential rebound effect is also evaluated. The results show energy savings nearby 10% when condensing boilers are compared with high efficiency boilers. In relation to hot water production temperature, energy savings between 5 and 10% are found when the temperature is lowered from 60 to 50 °C. The greatest impact on energy consumption is related to the occupants' behaviour: reductions up to 89% are achieved if the indoor temperature set-point is lowered 2 °C. This is reinforced with the results related to the rebound effect, which show significant differences on energy consumption values. These evidences demonstrate that the user behaviour is an essential feature to be considered in studies regarding buildings energy performance. As a consequence, the holistic approach herein employed emerges as a key tool to be applied in further works related with the topic.