Developing a model and software for energy efficiency optimization in the building design process: a case study in Turkey

Authors: ÖZGÜR BAYATA, İZZETTİN TEMİZ

Abstract: Buildings are responsible for 40% of the primary energy consumption in the world. Recent studies have revealed that the energy efficiency and environmental impact of buildings are two very important criteria to consider during the process of building design for the future of our world. By considering the initial investment cost and its importance for investors, a problem with three objective functions has emerged with 16 building energy systems and 24 construction material alternatives. The aim of this work is to develop a methodology and software to solve multiobjective building optimization problems. Thus, two different software tools have been developed using MATLAB. The first tool, the Building Energy Consumption Calculation Program, is used to calculate the building's annual energy consumption according to the Turkish standard for thermal insulation requirements for buildings, initial investment costs, and CO$_{2}$ emissions. The second tool, the Building Energy Optimization Program, is a multiobjective optimization program that uses the NSGA-II genetic algorithm to minimize objectives. With the help of the programs in question, multiobjective optimization of a sample building has been conducted. The results demonstrate that the developed model and software tools are generic, feasible solutions that can be implemented in a reasonable timeframe; thus, they can be adapted to a large range of building optimization problems and will be useful for decision makers.

Keywords: Building energy efficiency, multiobjective optimization, genetic algorithm,

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