A Case Study for Estimation of Heating Energy Requirement and Fuel Consumption in a Prototype Building Using Degree-Day Method in Kocaeli

Abstract

Energy is a requirement of all industrialised nations, and variations in its availability can be dangerous and disruptive. The majority of the energy consumed in buildings is spent for heating and cooling to ensure the thermal comfort of human beings in all parts of the world. Energy analysis plays a vitally important in the design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at affordable and efficient cost in residential areas. Buildings are in need of heating in cold weather. The mean daily outside air temperature is an important guide in predicting the amount of fuel needed to heat residential buildings. The amount of fuel required to heat an area, a city or a region can be accurately forecasted based on the outside air temperature. One of the well-accepted methods internationally is the heating degree-day (HDD) method, which is employed for the energy analysis. This paper considers for İzmit, the capital district of Kocaeli province, which is located on the western coast of Turkey and aims to calculate the annual heating energy requirement and natural gas consumption at a base temperature of 15oC by considering different type of glass, glazing area percentage (GAP), air exchange rate (ACH), and the number of people (n) living in a prototype building. It was predicted that in the worst condition (single-glazing), natural gas consumption would be about fourfold higher than the best condition (triple-glazing) if it is thought that 60 people live in an apartment building.