Residential building energy optimization using EnergyPlus

Qianye Li

doi:10.54254/2977-3903/2025.29159

Research Article

Open Access

Residential building energy optimization using EnergyPlus

Qianye Li ^1*

¹ City University of Hong Kong

^*Corresponding author: qianyeli5-c@my.cityu.edu.hk

Published on 31 October 2025

AEI Vol.16 Issue 10

ISSN (Print): 2977-3911

ISSN (Online): 2977-3903

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Abstract

The building sector, especially residential buildings, accounts for a significant proportion of global energy consumption. Therefore, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is thus crucial. This research utilized EnergyPlus to perform simulation analysis on standard residential prototype models and adopted the multi-dimensional comparative study to evaluate the optimization effect under different cases, using Chicago as the simulation location. This research included both active design and passive design dimensions and conducted simulation analysis on energy consumption of heating, cooling, and the whole building. The active design involved a temperature setpoint schedule comprehensively considering occupant activities, comfort, and energy-saving performance. Passive design of the thickness and thermal conductivity of different wall layers were clustered, comparing positive and negative aspects through ±30% variations to ensure the effectiveness of the optimization plan. This indicates that among the various design factors, optimizing temperature setpoint can yield a larger energy-saving outcome compared with optimizing thermal conductivity and thickness. Compared to the baseline, changing the temperature setpoint in the active design based on occupant habits significantly reduces annual energy consumption by about 16%. In passive design, optimizing the wall console layer has a more significant effect when simulating changes in thermal conductivity and thickness. This conclusion can help building architects develop the most appropriate and effective solutions when designing and optimizing buildings to achieve the energy sustainability goal.

Keywords:

energy simulation, energyPlus, optimize building energy consumption, evaluate the optimization effects, energy sustainability, green building

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