Context
Typically predictions of building energy performance that stem from simulation tools do not fully map measured energy performance from these buildings once constructed and in use. Whilst some discrepancy can be expected, often the difference is significant, with some authors reporting a magnitude of 2 or 3. This difference between predicted and measured energy performance is named the ‘energy performance gap’, and has been the subject of significant research efforts over the past decade.
Underlying the challenge of the energy performance gap are questions about the quality, credibility and ultimately utility of building performance modelling and simulation. In order to support the design and construction of buildings that meet quantified ambitions, to maintain customer confidence and credibility of the building engineering community, and to continue as a serious discipline, the building simulation community needs to reduce the energy performance gap to manageable dimensions, and be able to explain discrepancies between predictions and measurements. This is especially important if we move towards long term predictions with significant uncertainties, such as the performance of buildings subject to climate change. A good grip of the energy performance gap is also required for simulation to play a role in energy performance contracting.
Aims
This Special Issue intends to bring together recent developments that quantify the energy performance gap, explore underlying causes, and suggest approaches to reduce the magnitude of this gap. It will do this while taking into account that there are different types of energy performance gaps, such as a design performance gap, procurement gap, or regulatory performance gap, and that the magnitude and behaviour of these gaps may differ with different socio-economic contexts.
Topics of interest
Original research on the energy performance gap, aligned with the aims and scope of JBPS, focussing on the following subjects:
- Status and magnitude of the energy performance gap: work that assesses the current situation and developments in the field, developing the evidence base and deeper assessment of the challenge.
- Underlying causes for the energy performance gap: studies that explore the root causes of the energy performance gap, helping to capture and manage the different factors that lead to the gap.
- Model validation, verification and calibration: efforts in modelling and simulation that help to manage the gap, and which provide tools to manage the gap within the domain of scientific computing
- Novel approaches to reduce the energy performance gap: work that aims at managing the performance gap which sits outside the more traditional validation, verification and calibration efforts, for instance quality control on site, new legislative frameworks and similar
- District and urban energy performance gaps: studies at other spatial resolution levels
- Performance gaps in other domains than energy performance: work that looks at other domains where there is a discrepancy between predicted and measured performance, such as lighting, acoustics or indoor air quality.
It is important to highlight that the following topics are outside the journal's scope and will not be considered: case studies involving the routine application of commercially available building performance simulation tools that do not include validation or aspects that make a novel contribution to the knowledge base.
