Diagnosi energetica per edifici ad alta prestazione verso la validazione di modelli di calcolo. Caso di studio: edificio per uffici in Calle Apolonio Morales 29, Madrid.

This thesis takes part in the development of an experimental research project in the sector of the energy efficiency in building. It was devised within an agreement between the group search "Seminario de Construcción y Ecología (SCE)" of the Polytechnic University of Madrid and “Eneres Tecnológica S.L.”, company which works into sustainable energetic systems sector. Throughout this report, the themes of high energy performance buildings, energy modeling and simulation, environmental monitoring in workplaces, energy audit and energy diagnosis will be analyzed. It provides an overview of the EU-wide legislation, finally deepening science aspects along with practical issues acquired by the experience. Case study is the office building located at 29 Apolonio Morales street (Madrid), rehabilitated by Luis de Pereda Fernández according to energy efficiency criteria, through the installation of innovative building technologies and the use of renewable energy sources. The building is constantly monitored by an integrated system of sensors, managed by a computer control system. Along with the equipment provided by the UPM, it offered the opportunity to develop and validate calculation models of the building energy performance, carried out through dynamic regime calculation codes (DesignBuilder and Energy+). Several investigation methodologies were applied: - an instrumental one, aimed at the determination of measurable physical parameters (temperature, CO2, etc.); - an observational one, following the elaboration of a data collection plan; - a subjective one, based on questionnaires. Data classification was conducted according to several criteria, mainly depending on their function for the purpose of the analysis objectives and the energy software structure (input, output and comparison data). Data classification was conducted according to several criteria, mainly depending on their function - determined by the objectives of the analysis and the energy software structure (input, output and comparison data). The control system provides meteorological data, acquired by the weather station of the building. It allowed to create an appropriate weather file with external data that exactly characterize the geographic location and the analysis period. At first, the building’s energy model includes stationary information about the envelope (geometry and materials) and HVAC. The validation will be based on the definition of a users profile in every zone of the building, with on-site inspections at hourly or sub-hourly intervals. This step was useful to analyze the influence of occupants, equipment and lighting on internal energy gains, the natural ventilation and the solar radiation. In support of the validation, a thermographic analysis of the external and internal surfaces of a representative zone of the building was also conducted at hourly intervals, during a typical day of the week. The investigation was completed with a questionnaire about thermal comfort to assess employees wellness perception. The adopted procedure and the objectives are themselves the results of a logical process which was defined during the whole experience. The intent to concentrate the analysis on a typical winter week is to offer a clear reference for the procedure definition – since its validation is also one of the objectives of this work – and to pave the way to the exploration of new investigation possibilities. The analyzed office building is not actually the only subject of study: it offers the opportunity to be itself a means for the validation of the methodologies application. At the same time, these are the means to perform a energy consumptions analysis of the building and for the validation of its energy performance calculation model.