Effects of heat and electricity saving measures in district-heated multistory residential buildings

The effects of heat and electricity saving measures in district-heated buildings can be complex because these depend not only on how energy is used on the demand side but also on how energy is provided from the supply side. In this study, we analyze the effects of heat and electricity saving measures in multistory concrete-framed and wood-framed versions of an existing district-heated building and examine the impacts of the reduced energy demand on different district heat (DH) production configurations. The energy saving measures considered are for domestic hot water reduction, building thermal envelope improvement, ventilation heat recovery (VHR), and household electricity savings. Our analysis is based on a measured heat load profile of an existing DH production system in Växjö, Sweden. Based on the measured heat load profile, we model three minimum-cost DH production system using plausible environmental and socio-political scenarios. Then, we investigate the primary energy implications of the energy saving measures applied to the two versions of the existing building, taking into account the changed DH demand, changed cogenerated electricity, and changed electricity use due to heat and electricity saving measures. Our results show that the difference between the final and primary energy savings of the concrete-framed and wood-framed versions of the case-study building is minor. The primary energy efficiency of the energy saving measures depends on the type of measure and on the composition of the DH production system. Of the various energy saving measures explored, electricity savings give the highest primary energy savings for the building versions. In contrast to the other heat savings measures, VHR gives lower primary energy savings as it also increases electricity demand. Primary energy savings for the building versions are lower where the minimum-cost DH production system includes cogeneration unit compared to where the minimum-cost DH production system comprises heat-only boilers. The primary energy savings are mainly from peak and medium-load boilers even though these production units cover a small share of the total DH production. This study shows that it is essential to consider the interaction between end-use energy saving measures and supply systems for district-heated buildings, to estimate the primary energy efficiency of energy saving measures.