Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Office Building Typologies in Temperate Zones Based on Dynamic Simulations

Annual energy consumption has surged due to suboptimal energy efficiency, resulting in an electricity supply shortage in Sulaimani, an Iraqi city in a temperate climate zone. This mixed-methods study aims to optimise energy efficiency in Sulaimani’s office buildings using IDA Indoor Climate and Energy (IDA ICE) dynamic simulation software v4.8. First, we collected data and developed 204 scenarios based on three prevalent plan typologies, linear (T1), concentric (T2), and courtyard (T3), utilising common materials such as Alucobond (M1), cement plaster (M2), Styropor (M3), and a curtain wall (M4). Afterwards, we performed relevant analyses employing External Venetian Blinds (EVBs) to reduce cooling load and/or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) to reduce heating load. Notably, the results proved that EPS was more effective than EVBs in reducing both heating and cooling loads in the temperate climate zone, achieving reductions of up to 38% for T1. Meanwhile, EPS contributed to a heating load reduction of up to 52% for T3, and this adversely impacted overall energy consumption. Both EVBs and EPS could reduce total energy consumption by up to 30% in T2. In conclusion, the total energy consumption increased in temperate climate zones when EVBs were utilised, but this effect varied based on the various typologies of office buildings.