Uncertainty analysis and performance optimization of ultra-low energy operation in bamboo buildings: A scenario simulation study in Nanjing, China

The world faces urgent challenges including continuous increases in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and resource waste. Bamboo buildings, with greater potential for energy conservation and emission reduction, is gradually being emerging as sustainable buildings alternatives. However, details regarding the operational energy consumption and carbon emissions of bamboo buildings remain understudied. Therefore, analyzing and optimizing the uncertainty factors in bamboo buildings’ operational energy consumption to exploit their energy-saving potential becomes an important step in improving social acceptance of bamboo buildings. This research integrated EnergyPlus and JEPlus + EA to parameterize, optimize, and conduct sensitivity metric on factors such as orientation, window-to-wall ratio, shading, and bamboo panel properties. Results indicate that design optimization can reduce heating energy consumption in bamboo buildings by approximately 48.94–80.41 %, cooling energy consumption by approximately 46.83–58.44 %, and avoid over 45.15 % of energy waste and CO2 emissions. The minimum energy requirement for bamboo buildings is 121.51 MJ/m2, with CO2 emissions can be controlled to 21.79 kgCO2/m2. Bamboo roof thickness and conductivity were identified as the most sensitive factors influencing energy consumption and carbon emissions. These findings can address gaps in operational energy consumption and carbon emissions research for bamboo buildings. In practice, it helps operators scientifically manage the operational energy consumption.