Trial / Demo
Athens Unit Center offices used IESVE to perform a thorough energy analysis of the building loads and build an appropriate energy model which would enable them to achieve LEED certification and comply with the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 requirements.
This is a major renovation of an existing building located in a close proximity to the center of the city of Athens. The existing building has been converted to a modern 10-storey building (including three levels of underground parking areas) with a total floor area of 6,000 m2.
The design team used IESVE initially to perform a “simple box” analysis of the projected energy consumption of the building. This preliminary analysis enabled the design team to base their design on the targets of energy efficiency and energy savings. To achieve that, various alternative scenarios were tested; such as, glazing properties (U-values; g values etc.), heating and cooling temperature setpoints, shading blinds mounting angle variations etc. Through this process the design team managed to apply the most energy- efficient principles in the design and select the optimum materials and equipment.
Following that, a detailed energy model of the building was built and included all the design parameters, as those had been specified by the engineers. This building was created in total compliance with the requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 and was then compared to a Baseline model according to the same standard. Based on the simulation run on IESVE, the project ademonstrated energy savings of 25.8%; compared to the Baseline case. More specifically, the proposed design building would be expected to generate total savings of 137,000 kWh annually. It should be mentioned, that IESVE allowed the simulation of solar thermal hot water systems which helped increase the percentage of energy savings.
As a result, the project earned the points required that enabled it to achieve LEED certification to Gold level.
