Exploring the ambiguity associated with the actual magnitude of the energy performance gap in buildings

This paper investigates the magnitude of the energy performance gap in buildings, defined as the discrepancy between measured and simulated energy use. It highlights the ambiguity surrounding the actual size of this gap, particularly given the variety of benchmarks against which actual energy consumption can be compared. A comprehensive case study is presented, involving the development of four thermal energy models using four different dynamic energy simulation tools to further examine discrepancies among simulation tools. Multiple simulation scenarios are explored to assess how varying inputs influence the size of the gap. The results reveal significant differences between simulated results from different tools for heating and total electricity consumption, as well as notable deviations from measured energy performance.