DanBERA: A tool for Danish buildings energy renovation design and assessment

The paper presents the development and implementation of DanBERA tool for Danish buildings energy renovation design and assessment. Unlike the static tools used in the current building renovation market, DanBERA is based on dynamic energy performance simulations of case study buildings considering various building characteristics and specifications and taking into account the dynamic impact of occupancy and weather conditions. The tool uses a systematic and comprehensive renovation assessment methodology considering technical, economic and environmental impacts. A list of standard energy renovation measures is considered, targeting the building physical envelope upgrade in addition to energy systems performance improvement and installation of renewable energy systems. In addition, DanBERA provides a comprehensive assessment of various renovation measures and packages, yet using limited number of inputs including building type, indoor floor area, construction or last renovated year and location. The possibility of having a building ventilation system is also available. Four major building categories are included in the current version, single-story and two-story residential houses, residential apartments and office buildings. The tool implementation is demonstrated in the paper by considering 3 Danish case studies and reporting the renovation design and assessment results regarding energy consumption and indoor air quality.