Exploring the impact of evaluation methods on Global South building design—A case study in Brazil

Abstract

Energy simulation is a valuable tool for evaluating and improving the thermal performance and energy efficiency of buildings during the design phase. Common evaluation methods are thermal load (TL), degree-hour (DH), and design days (DD). The choice of method and its settings may vary depending on regional factors and researchers’ preferences, leading to diverse and often incompatible metrics and results. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of these evaluation methods on the assessment of buildings’ performance and, consequently, on design choices. For this purpose, this study compared the results of the 3 evaluation methods and different settings for 3 different wall systems, 4 ranges of comfort temperature, and 2 residential models located in the 8 Brazilian bioclimatic zones. As result, the best and worst wall systems varied depending on the evaluation method and the threshold / setpoint temperature range considered. Warmer regions showed greater variability in the results. We noticed that it is not possible to compare and interpret results from different evaluation methods, and that the variation of only 1 °C in the setpoint temperatures can lead to entirely different practices being considered the best for a given building model. In conclusion, the most suitable evaluation method is the one that best portrays the operation and dynamic reality of the building to be designed, and building regulations and standards can occasionally lead to unrealistic assessments.