Methodology for evaluating the energy renovation effects on the thermal performance of social housing buildings: Monitoring study and grey box model development

•A methodology for assessing social housing thermal performance is presented.•A reference dwelling is monitored in detail for three months.•A grey box model of the dwelling is developed using monitoring data.•Energy consumption can be evaluated using developed grey box model.•High quality data sets related to the dwelling thermal performance are provided.

Grey box models are a solution for evaluating and quantifying the effect on building thermal performance of different energy saving measures. They are usually used to predict a building thermal performance, and applied to energy systems. This paper presents the application of a grey box model to evaluate the thermal performance of a reference social housing building, focusing on its potential to evaluate the thermal performance of building passive elements (building envelope). A methodology to be used by public administration (to evaluate the effectiveness of a given energy renovation work) is also proposed. Firstly, a monitoring carried out in an empty social housing dwelling during 3 months is presented. Afterwards, a grey box model development is carried out using obtained monitoring data. Model development as well as some general model results are presented and evaluated. Finally, a methodology proposal to be applied by public administration is presented. By monitoring and developing a grey box model of a social housing building, this research aims to explore the possibilities of grey box models as a tool to represent in an accurate way the thermal performance of a dwelling, focusing on evaluating building passive elements and their effects on building energy consumption.