Are energy certification tools for buildings effective? A Spanish case study

Creating a common way of evaluating in energy efficiency among university students is one of the main aims of the European USE EFFICIENCY project. During this project university buildings have been classified with the national tools currently in force in each country that is participating in the project. The official tool for energy certification in Spain is CALENER. The present paper compares annual energy consumption levels obtained through CALENER simulation with real HVAC consumption levels in two buildings that are part of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Construction characteristics and utilization parameters of the buildings are presented as they have a considerable impact on the energy consumption levels. Factors which are subject to change in CALENER simulation in order to improve the energy certification of the buildings are also presented. Finally, the paper indicates areas of CALENER software which can be made more effective to provide better results.