Multi-Objective Decision-Making Tool for Envelope Energy Retrofitting Measures of Gated Community Housing in Egypt

Abstract

Due to climate change, Egypt has recently suffered from recurring electricity crises. Despite efforts made to increase electricity production in Egypt, recently, in the summer months, the energy demand has increased at unprecedented rates, especially in the housing sector. Therefore, the government and homeowners should work together to improve the energy performance of residential buildings. This paper aimed to develop a decision-making tool that helps homeowners choose optimal energy retrofit measures that suit their priorities. The study began with the data-collection and case study selection. Then, the thermal evaluation of the base case for dwellings in the case study was conducted through simulation runs using the DesignBuilder v7.1 software. Then, the optimal envelope energy retrofitting measures were determined, followed by a retrofitting-measure scenario simulation process. Then, the payback periods were calculated for all scenarios, and the tool database was developed using an Excel spreadsheet. Finally, the user interface for envelope energy retrofitting measures for gated communities (EERMGCs) tool was designed by Visual Basic for Applications. EERMGCs, the tool developed in this paper, is a simple, multi-objective and interactive tool that provides the optimal envelope retrofit measures according to user priorities, either a specific budget, the shortest payback period, the lowest possible costs, or the highest energy saving rate. The outcome of this research is developing a framework that can be considered a basis for developing decision-making tools for gated community housing in Egypt.