Linking design and operation phase energy performance analysis through regression-based approaches

The reduction of energy usage and environmental impact of the built environment and construction industry is crucial for sustainability on a global scale. We are working towards an increased commitment towards resource efficiency in the built environment and to the growth of innovative businesses following circular economy principles. The conceptualization of change is a relevant part of energy and sustainability transitions research, which is aimed at enabling radical shifts compatible with societal functions. In this framework, building performance has to be considered in a whole life cycle perspective because buildings are long-term assets. In a life cycle perspective, both operational and embodied energy and carbon emissions have to be considered for appropriate comparability and decision-making. The application of sustainability assessments of products and practices in the built environment is itself a critical and debatable issue. For this reason, the way energy consumption data are measured, processed, and reported has to be progressively standardized in order to enable transparency and consistency of methods at multiple scales (from single buildings up to building stock) and levels of analysis (from individual components up to systems), ideally complementing ongoing research initiatives that use open science principles in energy research. In this paper, we analyse the topic of linking design and operation phase’s energy performance analysis through regression-based approaches in buildings, highlighting the hierarchical nature of building energy modelling data. The goal of this research is to review the current state of the art of in order to orient future efforts towards integrated data analysis workflows, from design to operation. In this sense, we show how data analysis techniques can be used to evaluate the impact of both technical and human factors. Finally, we indicate how approximated physical interpretation of regression models can help in developing data-driven models that could enhance the possibility of learning from feedback and reconstructing building stock data at multiple levels.