A BIM-based method for Building Energy Intensity (BEI) evaluation

Abstract

Energy Usage Index (EUI) is used worldwide as a metric to evaluate and compare energy consumption of sustainable buildings. In Malaysia, EUI is referred as Building Energy Intensity (BEI) and it is adopted by different energy standards and green building rating systems. The preliminary evaluation of BEI in the Malaysian building sector is typically performed using an Excel-based tool known as Building Energy Intensity Tool (BEIT). This method has several limitations including but not limited to; (1) it supports only simplified building envelop configurations and (2) data input is manual and based on many assumptions. Due to the potential of Building Information Modelling (BIM), the opportunity for this method to adopt and benefit from BIM arises. Therefore, this research proposes a BIM-based approach for BEI assessment by integrating BEIT, BIM data and visual scripting to automatically extract the required data for BEI assessment and therefore overcome the current limitations. The applicability of the proposed system is validated in a BIM model of an office building. The proposed system provides a valuable decision support system for designers to analyze and compare the BEI of different design options.