Optimization of the Energy-Saving Building Envelopes in Regional Climate

Abstract

For a large number of monolithic buildings in the Wenzhou area, serious cold air infiltration occurs at night due to the poor insulation performance of the enclosure structure. This results in the indoor temperature often falling below the thermal comfort zone, which is compounded by high relative humidity. Various types of energy-efficient buildings, considering different envelope structures (exterior walls, roofs, exterior windows, and shading designs), were constructed, taking into account both structural characteristics and residents’ energy consumption habits. The building environment and energy consumption during the transition period (i.e., summer and winter) were analyzed using the ideal solution similarity ranking preference method (TOPSIS) and the building energy simulation software, EnergyPlus 9.5. This analysis aimed to identify four energy-efficient building models closest to the ideal solution. Comparing the indoor environment parameters and load values of the energy-saving buildings with those of the basic building yielded the following results: the average building load of the energy-saving buildings was 79.48 to 122.00 W lower than that of the basic building. The average temperature difference between the exterior walls of the energy-saving buildings and the interior temperature was 0.6 to 1.45 °C lower than that of the basic building. Similarly, the average temperature difference between the exterior windows and the interior temperature of the energy-saving buildings was 0.56 to 0.98 °C lower than that of the basic building. Additionally, the average temperature difference between the roof and room temperature of the energy-saving buildings was 0.54 to 0.39 °C lower than that of the basic building. Furthermore, the average indoor temperature of the energy-saving buildings was 1.50 to 2.11 °C higher than that of the basic building. In addition, when compared with the basic building, the energy-saving buildings could save 5.66 to 16.39 kg of standard coal and reduce CO2 emissions by 1.60 to 4.47 kg during the transition period. The study of the energy-saving envelope structure combination form in Wenzhou provides a reasonable basis for building an energy-saving envelope structure combination form in the tropical monsoon climate area, which is of great significance for reducing building energy consumption.