An Investigation into the Use of Building Energy Performance Simulation Tools in the Early Stages of Building Design in the UK

Abstract

With the urgent need to design more energy-efficient buildings, Building Energy Performance Simulation (BEPS) tools have been rapidly evolving since the 1960s to provide reliable methods of modelling and predicting the energy performance of buildings. Despite persistent attempts to provide enhanced tools suitable to early design stage (EDS), there is still no clear indication of the level of uptake or suitability of such tools. This research investigates the use of BEPS tools in the early stages of building design in UK practice with a view to proposing ways in which they could be better enhanced and deployed. The study tackles objectives including understanding BEPS tools usage within the context of building design process in the UK; conducting an extensive investigation into the available BEPS tools and trending application methods; taking both wide and detailed snapshots of the uptake of tools. The exploratory study involvesreviewing hundreds of publications and around 200 tools; questionnaire surveys where 217 and 201 responses were collected from architects and practices respectively; using semi-structured interviews with nine key practitioners covering eight low-energy building case studies. The study has shown that there is currently a vast array of BEPS tools; 64 were categorised based on criteria such as cloud simulation and plug-in options. Also, a list was formed displaying 66 publications (between 2008 and 2019) that applied BEPS tools using novel trending methods such as Artificial Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms. It is concluded from the findings of the study that there is relative increase in the uptake of BEPS tools at the EDS. However, the engagement of tools with the EDS is rather a complicated issue influenced by multiple interrelated factors. The conclusion suggests that the core hindrance of early uptake is the lack of development of tools in a way that is compatible with the nature of EDS and its workflow, and that there are not yet tools developed enough to facilitate using limited data with a simple way of input while accommodating the complexity of projects. The available tools that are reaching towards overcoming these problems e.g. Integrated Environmental Solutions-Virtual Environment (IES-VE), Sefaira, Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) and Ladybug still have limitations due to either lack of user-friendliness, lack of analytical capabilities, or temptation towards oversimplifying the project parameters to fit into the tool. This is also resembled in the nature of projects in which tools are used; the nature of EDS does not usually allow for accommodating BEPS tools except in limited occasions where the project type or scale would allow for dilution of the obstacles. Implications of these limitations are found to be also present in other factors related first, to the nature of the two stage building regulatory system in the UK, and second to the organisational structure of project.