PRELUDE Roadmap for Building Renovation: set of rules for renovation actions to optimize building energy performance

In the context of climate change and the environmental and energy constraints we face, it is essential to develop methods to encourage the implementation of efficient solutions for building renovation. One of the objectives of the European PRELUDE project [1] is to develop a "Building Renovation Roadmap"(BRR) aimed at facilitating decision-making to foster the most efficient refurbishment actions, the implementation of innovative solutions and the promotion of renewable energy sources in the renovation process of existing buildings. In this context, Estia is working on the development of inference rules that will make it possible. On the basis of a diagnosis such as the Energy Performance Certificate, it will help establishing a list of priority actions. The dynamics that drive this project permit to decrease the subjectivity of a human decisions making scheme. While simulation generates digital technical data, interpretation requires the translation of this data into natural language. The purpose is to automate the translation of the results to provide advice and facilitate decision-making. In medicine, the diagnostic phase is a process by which a disease is identified by its symptoms. Similarly, the idea of the process is to target the faulty elements potentially responsible for poor performance and to propose remedial solutions. The system is based on the development of fuzzy logic rules [2],[3]. This choice was made to be able to manipulate notions of membership with truth levels between 0 and 1, and to deliver messages in a linguistic form, understandable by non-specialist users. For example, if performance is low and parameter x is unfavourable, the algorithm can gives an incentive to improve the parameter such as: "you COULD, SHOULD or MUST change parameter x". Regarding energy performance analysis, the following domains are addressed: heating, domestic hot water, cooling, lighting. Regarding the parameters, the analysis covers the following topics: Characteristics of the building envelope. and of the technical installations (heat production-distribution, ventilation system, electric lighting, etc.). This paper describes the methodology used, lists the fields studied and outlines the expected outcomes of the project.