3. Energy Demand Analysis

The energy demand analysis is performed following a methodology that comprises three main stages (Fig. 3.1). In the first stage, the input data for the simulation process is set up, making a distinction between two groups: Climate data and what has been called “test models”. On one side, the 9 different climate zones in which Chile is divided into by the Chilean building standard are considered; these zones cover all the existing climate contexts in the country and have been called “climate scenarios”. For each of these 9 zones, files containing the current climate data have been compiled. These files have been “morphed” according to the predicted climate scenarios for 2020, 2050 and 2080, producing a new set of climate files for these future years. These files will be used as the external conditions for the calculation of the energy demand. On the other side, test models have been defined following the parameters of the TDRe standard; some variables have been fixed while those related to the building shape and the enclosure will be set as free and studied in this research.