Evaluation and analysis of energy consumption in office buildings

Evaluation and analysis of energy consumption in office buildings. During the last years the national energy consumption of Luxembourg shifted noticeable towards the building sector In 1990 71 % of the total domestic end energy consumption was ascribed to industrial sector and only 20 % to the building sector The distribution changed significantly and in 2005 the energy consumption dedicated to industrial sector represented only 44 %, transport 25 % and the tertiary sector 31 % [1], which includes private and public households as well as non-residential buildings. The buildings account for 40 % of total energy consumption in the EU and there is an enormous energy saving potential. Therefore the EU-directive 2002/91/EG [2] requires from all EU Member States to save energy in this sector Hence the energy saving of buildings present an essential part of climate protection. Furthermore the new directive 2010/31/EG [3] requires from the Member States to tighten national standards and to draw up national plans for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings. But for a better understanding of energy flows in buildings and to develop energy saving concepts as well as to estimate possible energy savings of buildings a detailed analysis of energy consumption databases is an important precondition. The following field survey monitors 47 office buildings in Luxembourg. A separate gathering of electricity, heat and cooling energy consumptions allowed a detailed energetic analysis. A statistical analysis and interpretation of new buildings differentiated by energy sources as well as definition of energy relevant parameters like the window ratio, the construction method, the type of use or the kind of technical installations show the problems of typical existing office buildings. A final extrapolation to the population of all new office buildings in Luxembourg helps to estimate the energy saving potential.