Thermal simulation of retrofits to existing mass housing in Turkey for energy efficiency

Abstract

Energy consumption in the existing residential building stock in Turkey is currently excessive. Mass housing, comprising a major portion of the officially-registered residential stock, carries enormous potential for energy savings even in the short run. This paper describes a case study in a mass housing area in Izmir, Turkey, in order to demonstrate the possibility of significant energy savings by implementing case-specific energy-efficient retrofitting scenarios and relating them with the payback periods. Building energy analysis software was used to examine thirteen scenarios consisting of various combinations of four main retrofitting options: addition of extra insulation for building envelope, replacement of existing glazing, regulation of air infiltration rate and indoor set point temperature. These scenarios revealed that annual energy savings of up to 62% are achievable and that the customer payback period for the best retrofitting scenario is 34 years.