A Comparison of Programmed Controlled Existing System vs. Electric Resistive Heating for a University Building in Newfoundland

Buildings consume in excess of 30% of the total energy worldwide. In the Canadian context, commercial and institutional buildings contribute to around 14% of the overall energy usage, and space heating emerges as the predominant end-use category, constituting approximately 57% of this consumption. This underscores a considerable potential for energy savings in the realm of building energy consumption. This paper compares the energy consumption for space heating at the Core Science Facility (CSF) of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada. The analysis contrasts the current system, utilizing hot water from fuel oil-fired boilers, with a proposed system suggesting the replacement of the oil-fired boiler with an electric resistive boiler, by employing a building energy model (BEM) created with the OpenStudio application. The findings indicate that beyond the anticipated enhancements in energy efficiency, a supplementary energy saving of approximately 7% is attainable through the proposed transition. Comparing the simulation outcomes with actual data reveals that the projected consumption from the Building Energy Model (BEM) is lower than the actual figures. This difference is attributed to the model’s development, which involved distinct considerations and assumptions compared to the actual conditions such as construction materials, building occupancy, infiltration and exfiltration, interconnected buildings, energy usage by equipment and lighting, HVAC system energy consumption, and transmission losses through piping which can significantly influence the building’s energy consumption.