Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Building and Environment 39 (2004) 195–199 www.elsevier.com/locate/buildenv Amethodologyforathermalenergybuildingaudit PantelisN.Botsaris a ; * ,SpyridonPrebezanos b a Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Energy Systems, Democritus University Of Thrace, Xanthi, Greece b Buildings Energy Certication Center, Xanthi, Greece Received 14 March 2003; received in revised form 6 August 2003; accepted 20 August 2003 Abstract Thepresentpaperintroducesanewmethodforthecerticationoftheenergyconsumptionofabuildingrecordingits“energybehavior”. The method utilizes energy indices such as Index of Thermal Charge or Index of Energy Disposition to simulate the heat losses of the building and the heat ow because of the temperature dierence (T ) from the inner to outer space. The present method and the algorithm that is implemented could be used as a part of a building energy audit or as a single audit method. Additionally it could be used for the inspection of the energy eciency in public or municipal buildings. The forenamed method is currently under investigation by the present research team. ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Energy saving; Energy technology; Energy audit; Building construction 1. Introduction The consumption of energy for the heating of buildings intheEuropeanCommunity(EC)represents40%oftheen- ergy produced [1]. In Greece, heating in the domestic sec- tor represents 61% of total energy consumption [1]. Apart from consumption, the combustion of liquid and gas fuels for the heating of buildings, as well as the increasing use of small conditioning units, burden the environment by re- leasing combustion gases (CO 2 , CO, SO 2 ,NO X , HC) and smoke [2]. Also, the increased mortality of adults reported in recent years in Europe is attributed to the continuous degrading of the environment. The energy consumption in 1995–2010ispredictedtocontinue[1].Asaresult,Europe will face ever-bigger environmental problems than those it faced in the 20th century. In reality, the overlooked deci- sionoftheECmadeinKiotoforthereductionoftransmis- sion of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 8% between 1990 and 2010 will not be achieved and, on the contrary, there is an expected increase by 6% [1]. For the reduction of energy consumption, its ratio- nal, long-lasting use is fundamental, and it generally * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: leeboss@mailcity.com (P.N. Botsaris), sprev@otenet.gr (S. Prebezanos). requires the existence of analytical facts and tools for decision-making in all individual areas. The achievement of the above-mentioned goals regarding the heating of buildings, the production of hot water, steam and hot air, is currently under investigation by the present work and research team. This work is based on the interpretation of the behavior of the source of thermal energy, i.e. of the operation and cessation time of the source, a behavior during which the source deterministic follows those factors that inuence it [3,4]. The “decoding” of the behavior of the source is the key point in saving energy and protecting the environment. This point supported by modern technology operates as a powerful, safe and economical calculating tool. 2. Theoretical approach of indices 2.1. Index of thermal charge (ITC) The most important part of this method is the index of thermal charge (ITC). The thermal charge of a building for theheatingofitsspaceswhenisinathermalbalance,fora given moment in time is given by Q H = E B =t A(QF; QV; QE) : (1) 0360-1323/$-see front matter ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2003.08.016