Simulation-assisted evaluation of potential energy savings: Application to an administrative building in France

The case study presented here falls within a project of feasibility studies to improve the
energy efficiency, the carbon footprint and the environmental impacts of several
administrative buildings in France.
The first part of the paper briefly presents the data obtained during a classical audit and
inspection procedure: the description of the building in term of design, the HVAC system
characteristics, the occupancy and operating profiles and the control strategy applied. The
second part of the paper gives the first results obtained using an evidence-based calibrated
building energy simulation model to analyze the actual building global consumption but also
analyze the local consumptions (heat pumps, air handling units, terminal units, lightings,
pumps,...).
The last part of the paper then demonstrates the possibilities given by the building energy
simulation model to evaluate potential energy saving scenarios through different examples.
The advantages and drawbacks of the applied methods and tools are also discussed.