Assessment of the impact of Building Automation and Control Systems on energy savings: the case study of the World Trade Center in Grenoble

The European Commission has developed a long-term strategy to obtain a highly energy performance of buildings and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in order to achieve the ambitious goals of a sustainable and carbon-neutral Europe. Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. Recognizing this significant impact, improving the energy efficiency of buildings has become a crucial aspect of the EU's endeavors to achieve the target of at least 60% emission reductions by 2030 in the building sector in comparison to 2015 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This thesis fits into this context, considering the energy-plant retrofit of a non-residential office building, with the purpose of examining the impact of Building Automation and Control (BAC) systems on energy savings, showcasing how Building Management System can effectively optimize heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning systems, lighting, and other building components. The building taken into consideration is the World Trade Center (WTC) in Grenoble, a case study of the iBECOME project, funded by the EU, in which I’m working as project manager for Schneider Electric company, one of the ten partners involved. Schneider Electric is participating in all aspects of the iBECOME project, with responsibility for leading the teams developing the Virtual BMS architecture and its application. This document deepening analyses the WTC, providing an overview of the building, its construction details, and usage patterns. It also introduces the software tool IES Virtual Environment (IESVE), which aids in building energy modelling and simulation. Using the digital twin of the building created for the iBECOME project, different scenarios are taken into consideration to assess their impact on energy consumption. Results of dynamic simulations are provided, including system electricity consumptions, heating and cooling loads, thermal comfort indicators like Predictive Mean Vote, total carbon emissions, and yearly heating and cooling bills. The methodology section of this document delves into the BAC factors method presented in the standard UNI EN ISO 52120, which is used to determine the BAC efficiency class of the building for each scenario, based on its performance and its BAC functions. The study explores the development of a business model and conducts a comprehensive technical-economic evaluation of the BMS to assess its feasibility and economic viability. The study highlights the potential cost savings and return on investment associated with implementing the BMS, the advantages in terms of energy efficiency, comfort, and environmental impact are quantified, providing a solid basis for decision-making.