# Building Information Modelling and Energy Simulation for Architecture Design
## 6 Application of the Methodology on an Existing Case Study
### Simulation Results
Anyway, some possible interventions aimed at reducing the consumption of individual apartments and improving the performance of the entire building are listed below:  
* Addition of an insulating layer in the roof slab; the second and last level are those affected by greater heat losses; this occurs at the roof level, as can be seen from the thermography; thus acting on the attic, inserting an insulating layer that does not alter the aesthetic and structural components of the building, the consumption and costs for heating these apartments would be reduced;
* of the ground floor slab in contact with the ground; the consumption of the ground floor apartment, compared with the consumption of the apartment on the first level, is higher; it is hypothesized that improving the contact between the ground and the attic through the insertion of a crawl space, consumption can be reduced and made similar to that of the apartment on the first level;
* strengthening of the insulation package of the external cavity walls; currently the walls have an air gap and by blowing in insulating material their thermal transmittance values could be improved, thus reducing heat loss;
* replacement of fixtures; for this intervention two solutions could be opted for: (i) The first involves the complete replacement of the current fixtures with fixtures, similar in materials, but with double glass and thermal break; (ii) the second, if the first cannot be carried out due to the protected nature of the building, provides for the maintenance of the current wooden frames and for the replacement of the single glass with a double glass, capable of guaranteeing an improvement in the performance of the fixture. By updating the BIM model with the new parameters, the BEM model will also be updated automatically. So, the energy simulation calculation can be quickly started. The consumption of the apartment at the ground floor after the application of the retrofit actions is 12,243.32 kWh; while before the ideal retrofit actions was 16,349.43 kWh. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & & **Ground Floor** & **1 st Floor** & **2 nd Floor** \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Geometry Data} & Gross Floor Area [m\({}^{2}\)] & 67.68 & 67.67 & 67.7 \\  & Treated Floor area [m\({}^{2}\)] & 56.3 & 56.3 & 56.3 \\  & Building shell area [m\({}^{2}\)] & 78.09 & 75.74 & 132.41 \\  & Ventilated Volume [m\({}^{3}\)] & 135.41 & 135.41 & 135.41 \\  & Glazing ration [\%] & 16 & 16 & 9 \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Heat Transfer Coefficients} & Eloors [W/m\({}^{2}\)K] & ante & 2.18–2.18 & - & - \\  & post & - & - & - \\  & & ante & 1.04–3.74 & 1.04–3.74 & 1.04–3.74 \\  & External [W/m\({}^{2}\)K] & post & 0.43–3.74 & 0.43–3.74 & 0.43–3.74 \\  & & ante & 2.35–5.70 & 2.35–5.70 & 2.35–5.70 \\  & Openings [W/m\({}^{2}\)K] & post & 1.81–2.48 & 1.81–2.48 & 1.81–2.48 \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Internal Temperature} & Min (06:00, 29) [\({}^{\circ}\)C] & ante & 6.59 & 6.3 & 4.52 \\  & post & 6.07 & 6.61 & 5.96 \\  & ante & 14.3 & 15.32 & 15.57 \\  & Annual Mean [\({}^{\circ}\)C] & post & 14.33 & 14.62 & 14.37 \\  & Max (19:00 05 August) [\({}^{\circ}\)C] & ante & 20.36 & 21.83 & 27.99 \\  & post & 18.6 & 18.65 & 18.91 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{Unmet Load Hours} & \multirow{2}{*}{Heating [hrs/a]} & ante & 127 & 126 & 124 \\  & post & 128 & 126 & 128 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{Annual Supplies} & \multirow{2}{*}{Heating [kWh]} & ante & 16,249.43 & 14,766.44 & 22,253.95 \\  & post & 12,243.32 & 11,741.08 & 13,873.37 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{Peak Loads} & \multirow{2}{*}{Heating (19:00 14 December) [kW]} & ante & 10.22 & 10.05 & 15.03 \\  & post & 9.11 & 10.27 & 10.06 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Geometric characteristic of the analyzed apartment and simulation result ante and post ideal retrofit action. The apartment on the first floor adjoins two heated rooms, both at floor and ceiling level, with an annual consumption of 14,766.44 kWh, before the ideal retrofit actions, and of 11,741.08 kWh, after the ideal retrofit actions.