Analysis of Computer Simulation Software’s for Energy Audit in Albania

Abstract

Energy efficiency is one of the biggest challenges that energy sector is actually facing in Albania. Due to the design and construction of the existing building stock which is not in compliance with the laws and their regulatory, regarding energy performance, the residential sector has the highest electricity consumption with a share of 60% of the total electricity in the country, representing 30% of the total energy consumption. One of the best ways toward energy efficiency in buildings is through energy audit process. The aim of this paper is to present the detailed audit of a residential building by assessing the suitability of three different energy simulation tools for energy audit simulations in Albania. Applied simulation tools are: RETScreen Expert, iSBEM and Termolog. Based on data for a sample residential block located in Tirana, three different simulation models are developed using these three simulation tools. All three cases of simulation are referred to this residential block, in order to be able to compare the outputs obtained using the different tools. Furthermore, the benefits and drawbacks of the tools are analyzed based on the required input data and output data. Based on the result’s analysis, challenges of using each software for Albanian conditions and other consideration, this paper concluded in selecting the appropriate software to recommend for energy audit process in Albania.