Variation of Energy Consumption in Barracks through Simulation by Year of Completion

1.1. Background and Purpose of Study

Recently, Korean government implements a variety of policies such as building certification system with the aim of energy saving in buildings. For military facilities, however, policy on energy saving is not established.

Barracks are integrated facilities which include quarters for soldiers and some of administrative facilities which represent high percentage of all military facilities as typical defense and military facilities. In particular, barracks are being modernized since the early 2000s and they become large as gross area increase.

Although insulation design standards are determined and insulation guidelines are proposed as they are also residential areas, study on evaluation of energy consumption or energy saving is not sufficient due to confidentiality and security of military facilities if compared with common civil buildings.

This study intends to select a standard model for barracks and analyzed the change of energy consumptions according to the change of insulation performance from the early 2000s until now.

1.2. Method of Study

This study uses the following method to calculate energy consumptions of barracks.

First, literature search is performed to investigate insulation standards applied to barracks and analyze the trend of annual change.

Second, a standard barrack model is selected for simulation by literature search and investigating the plane of barracks constructed since the early 2000s.

Third, simulation (ECO2) is performed by applying annual and regional insulation standards in order to analyze energy consumptions for the selected standard model (barracks).

2.1. Standards on National Defence and Military Facilities

Standards on defense and military facilities were established in 1969 which become the standard for barracks and as of 2014, there are 97 rules of which 57 are standards and 37 are guidelines.

Table 1.

Standard of heat transmission coefficient of a barracks

The change of insulation design standards for military quarters applied to barracks¹⁾ is as follows.

Building Code Article 23 Section 4, "Energy Saving in Buildings" was established in December 1975 to stipulate that measures shall be taken to prevent heat loss when building a structure and Building Code Enforcement Ordinance Article 16, "Prevention of Heat Loss in Buildings" was established to stipulate heat control method for prevention of heat loss such as structure, material and construction method of wall, ceiling and openings, which are specified by the Minister of Construction.

Standard on Heat Transmission Coefficient was established in September 1979 to stipulate that the ceiling of top floor and outer wall of residential structures shall be constructed to have less than 0.9kcal/㎡h℃, outer wall of structures other than residential ones shall be built to have less than 1.8 kcal/㎡h℃ and windows of residential structures which have contact with ambient air shall be made as double window or pair glass.

Standards on heat transmission coefficient was reinforced in December 1980 to stipulate that the outer wall of living room and the ceiling or roof of living room in top floor shall be constructed to have less than 0.5kcal/㎡h℃ of heat transmission coefficient, floor(including floor which has contact with the ambient air of living room) of living room in the bottom story shall be constructed to have less than 1.0kcal/㎡h℃ or insulated by using an insulation material of more than a half of separately specified thickness and the windows which have contact with the ambient air of living room shall be constructed to have less than 3.0kcal/㎡h℃ of heat transmission coefficient or built by using double window or pair glass.

Regions were divided into two areas of Jeju-do and other areas in December 1984. Regions were divided again into three areas of central region, southern region and Jeju-do in June 1987.

Standards on classification of insulation materials were reinforced in December 1988 and were classified as "Rules on Design Standards, etc. of Buildings" in June 1992.

Standards on energy saving design have been transferred from Building Code to Green Building Establishment Act and heat transmission coefficients were reinforced to less than 0.18~0.47 W/㎡K in October 2013 and some revisions were made in April and October 2013 and September and December 2014.

Central regions were sub-divided again into three regions in May 2014 by considering insulation conditions suitable for climate characteristics.²⁾

2.2. Standards on Insulation of Military Quarters

This study applied insulation standards stipulated by relevant regulations and those for military quarters. Table 1 shows standards on heat transmission coefficient of barracks based on standards on insulation of military quarters in the central region.

3.1. Analysis of Current Status of Barracks

The current status of barracks and progress of change³⁾ were analyzed to select a simulation model for analyzing load in barracks.

one-story buildings of middle size were used before 1982 and minimum convenience facilities were installed outside. Since then, two- or three-storied integrated barracks of medium and large size were built up until early 2000s and convenience facilities such as baths, PX were placed inside the building.

Since early 2000s, squad-specific bed-type barracks of three- or four-storied large size have been built and multi-purpose hall, cyber knowledge room, space for women, etc. were expanded. It indicates that soldiers had standing lifestyles before entering the service, social infrastructure related to computer system was highly developed and the number of woman soldiers increased.

Fig. 1 shows the annual change of gross area of large barracks.

Fig. 1.

Gross area for a large barrack by year

3.2. Selection of Standard Barrack Model

In order to calculate energy consumptions by using simulation, this study uses a standard model based on large barracks which greatly increase since 2000s as shown in Fig.2.

The gross area (9,065㎡) of large barracks provided by standards on floor area of defense and military facilities was used for the size of the standard model⁴⁾.(Table 2) Based on the basic modules in the reference floor, rooms were placed according to uses in each floor through vertical and horizontal zoning⁵⁾ and as a result, a standard model has been selected which has 2,189㎡ of building area and 9,049㎡ of gross area as shown in Table 3.

The intensity of illumination set for each zoning⁶⁾ is shown in Table 4. Ventilation has not been considered, however, as the standard⁷⁾ on defense and military facilities is the same for barracks.

Table 5 and Fig. 2 show architectural surface area, floor plan and cross-sectional plan of the selected standard model.

Table 2.

Energy load use profile for a barracks

Fig. 2.

Floor plan & cross-sectional drawing for a barracks standard model

Table 3.

Zoning plan for a barracks standard model by use

Table 4.

Illumination applied to a barrack by use

Table 5.

Architectural surface area for a barracks standard model

4.1. Results of Analysis on Annual Energy Consumption According to Regions

Energy consumption simulation was performed for the regional, standard barracks model according to the change of insulation standards.

Among heating, cooling, hot water and lighting, energy consumptions for hot water and lighting were calculated to be 20.6kWh/㎡·y and 22.7kWh/㎡·y, respectively. It is the result from the analysis of simulation modeling according to use zoning where residence type of barracks and use characteristics of each room such as administrative facilities and support facilities are reflected.

Energy consumptions of each region were changed by heating and cooling and Table 6 shows the results.

According to the results from analysis of energy consumptions of the standard model by applying the standard as of 2000, the barracks model of Chuncheon showed the highest vale (126.6kWh/ ㎡·y) and that of Incheon showed the lowest value (114.6kWh/ ㎡·y) in the central region. The barracks model of Daejeon showed the highest value (120.0kWh/㎡·y) and that of Busan showed the lowest value (97.2kWh/㎡·y) in the southern region. Barracks model of Jeju resulted in 109.5kWh/㎡·y.

According to the results from analysis of energy consumptions of the standard model by applying the standard as of 2005, the barracks model of Chuncheon showed the highest vale (125.7kWh/ ㎡·y) and that of Incheon showed the lowest value (113.8kWh/ ㎡·y) in the central region. The barracks model of Daejeon showed the highest value (119.4kWh/㎡·y) and that of Busan showed the lowest value (96.9kWh/㎡·y) in the southern region. Barracks model of Jeju resulted in 100.3kWh/㎡·y.

According to the results from analysis of energy consumptions of the standard model by applying the standard as of 2008, the barracks model of Chuncheon showed the highest vale (123.6kWh/ ㎡·y) and that of Incheon showed the lowest value (112.1kWh/ ㎡·y) in the central region. The barracks model of Daejeon showed the highest value (106.5kWh/㎡·y) and that of Busan showed the lowest value (95.9kWh/㎡·y) in the southern region. Barracks model of Jeju resulted in 98.3kWh/㎡·y.

According to the results from analysis of energy consumptions of the standard model by applying the standard as of 2010, the barracks model of Chuncheon showed the highest vale (115.8kWh/ ㎡·y) and that of Incheon showed the lowest value (105.6kWh/ ㎡·y) in the central region. The barracks model of Daejeon showed the highest value (109.9kWh/㎡·y) and that of Busan showed the lowest value (91.1kWh/㎡·y) in the southern region. Barracks model of Jeju resulted in 92.9kWh/㎡·y.

According to the results from analysis of energy consumptions of the standard model by applying the standard as of 2015, the barracks model of Chuncheon showed the highest vale (111.4kWh/ ㎡·y) and that of Incheon showed the lowest value (102.1kWh/ ㎡·y) in the central region. The barracks model of Daejeon showed the highest value (106.5kWh/㎡·y) and that of Busan showed the lowest value (88.8kWh/㎡·y) in the southern region. Barracks model of Jeju resulted in 90.9kWh/㎡·y.

The results of regional energy consumption simulation indicate that Chuncheon has the highest energy consumption and Busan has the lowest energy consumption. Jeju-do showed higher energy consumption than Busan although it is located in a region with lower latitude.

4.2. Results of Analysis on Monthly Energy Consumption According to Regions

As energy consumptions for how water and lighting are found to be identical, monthly energy consumptions for heating and cooling of each region are calculated and shown in Fig. 3.

According to the results, energy consumptions for heating of each region tend to decrease 24% and 43% on average in the central and southern region, respectively as insulation conditions are reinforced from 2000 to 2015. On the contrary, energy consumptions for cooling increased 13%, 5% and 12% on average in the central and southern regions and Jeju-do, respectively.

Based on the buildings completed in 2015, energy consumptions for cooling and heating decreased 21%, 17% and 28% on average in the central and southern regions and Jeju-do, respectively compared with those in 2000 and if lighting and hot water loads are considered, 11%, 10% and 17% of energy consumptions decreased on average in the central and southern regions and Jeju-do, respectively.

Table 6.

Analysis result of regional energy consumption consequent on change in thermal insulation standard(kWh/㎡·y)

Fig. 3.

Monthly energy consumption for heating & air-conditioning