End-use consumption provides more detailed information than total consumption and reveals the mechanism of energy flow through a given building. Specifically, for weather-sensitive energy end-uses, it enables the prioritization and selection of heating and cooling areas requiring investigation and actions. One of the major barriers to acquiring such heating and cooling information for small- and medium-sized buildings or low-income households is the high cost related to submetering and maintenance. The end-use data, especially for heating and cooling end-uses, of such-sized buildings are a national blind spot. In this study, to alleviate this measurement cost problem, two weather-sensitive energy disaggregation methods were examined: the simplified weather-related energy disaggregation (SED) and change-point regression (CPR) methods. The first is a nonparametric approach based on heuristics, whereas the second is a parametric approach. A comparative analysis (one-way ANOVA, correlation analysis, and individual comparison) was performed to explore the disaggregation results regarding heating and cooling energy perspectives using a measurement dataset (MEA) from eleven office buildings. The ANOVA results revealed that there was no significant difference between the three groups (SED, CPR, and MEA); rather strong correlation was observed (r > 0.95). Furthermore, an analysis of the building-level comparison showed that the more distinct the seasonal usage in the monthly consumption pattern, the lower the estimation error. Thus, the two approaches appropriately estimated the amount of heating and cooling used compared with the measurement dataset and demonstrated the possibility of mutual complements.

In this study, a comparative economic analysis was conducted for typical greenhouses, plant factories with natural and artificial light, and those with only artificial light, based on the insulation, artificial light, and photovoltaic (PV) installation costs. In addition, the results of research on primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the use of fossil fuels were presented. By comparing the case-wise annual energy consumption, when all energy sources were converted into primary energy consumption based on the applied coefficients for collection, transport, and processing, to unify calculations for different fossil fuel energy sources, the case of the installed PV systems exhibited large reductions, of 424% and 340%, in terms of primary energy consumption and GHG emissions, respectively. Furthermore, electric heating resulted in higher primary energy consumption and GHG emissions than oil. When the economic analysis included the plant factory installation cost used to maintain the temperature required for plant growth in winter, the PV installation exhibited the highest cost; additionally, all plant factories showed an investment payback period of seven to nine years, which is comparable to typical greenhouses. Based on these results, we aim to reduce the use of fossil fuels for sustainable energy by combining architectural technology for improved energy performance in the agricultural environment.

In this study, we quantitatively evaluated the extent to which building electrification derived from the renewable energy deployment plans of 13 metropolitan governments can contribute to achieving South Korea's 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target for the building sector. To that end, we analyzed the renewable energy deployment plans presented in local governments' carbon neutrality and green growth master plans to estimate electricity generation through 2033. We also calculated the electricity demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction potential associated with replacing fossil fuel-based heating and hot water systems in residential and commercial buildings with electric heat pumps. The results show that renewable energy generation in 2033 (236,330 GWh) is expected to exceed electrification demand by a factor of 3.6, which corresponds to a national average coverage rate of 368.7%. However, pronounced regional disparities were observed, with coverage ranging from 1,830.7% in Chungnam to 18.6% in Jeju. The net GHG reduction of 11.2 MtCO 2 eq represents approximately 38%-40% of the 2035 NDC target for the building sector. These findings indicate that the existing renewable energy deployment plans can make a substantial contribution toward achieving the NDC target. However, meeting the required GHG reduction levels will necessitate a combination of diverse policy measures and integrated planning across the building and power sectors.