Multi-objective energy optimization of a trade center based on genetic algorithm using environmentally-friendly materials

Abstract

Abstract It is very important to optimize energy consumption in buildings. The first step of the present study involved an EnergyPlus simulation of a trade center building in Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Tabriz, Iran, and selection of the city benefiting the most from the radiant ceiling cooling system. The objective functions and design parameters were then determined in EnergyPlus and a multi-objective optimization was performed based on non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) in jEPlus + EA to establish the building in the selected city. Effective parameters in building optimization included building orientation as the only continuous variable and discrete variables such as insulation, facade, window and shading. Efforts were also made to select environmentally-friendly materials. The objective functions to be minimized comprised the total annual energy consumption of the building and the discomfort hours of the occupants. NSGA-II was used based on the proposed parameters to minimize the energy consumption considering cost and comfort constraints, and Pareto charts were employed to select the final solution. Cooling loads and energy consumption were then recalculated. The final solution was found to decrease the energy consumption by 52%, the cooling load by 37.3% and the hours of discomfort by 17.4%, compared to those of the initial design.