Will the EPB standards provide guidance for collecting input data for use in the calculations, e.g. a complete list of input parameters?

Yes, each EPB standard has a list of all input and output data. Also, in each of the spreadsheets that are available <link> you can find the list of input parameters for the associated EPB standard.

The challenge, however, is to see through these “blunt” lists of input data. You could easily say that the Pareto principle applies here:
typically 20% of the data is needed in conventional cases, and
typically 80% of the data that you find in the list of input data for the standard are used only for special cases.

That also makes it a little bit less trivial to just make a complete list of all the input data. You should actually try to make a distinction between which data are needed for conventional cases and which for special or alternative cases.

For instance: different input datasets for different type of heat generator, or for a different type of ground floor: suspended floor, floor flat on the ground, a floor above a heated or unheated basement, .. .

A first help in that sense is the classification of input data in the standard and in the spreadsheets.

Product qualitative data typically describe the typology of products involved (e.g. air to water or air to air heat pump, condensing versus non-condensing boiler). This choice influences which quantitative data are then required (see next point).

Product quantitative data are physical quantities qualifying the specific product. Those few who qualify the “size” of the product identify the product (e.g. nominal power of a boiler) shall be input by the user. The remaining data should be found in a catalogue or data–base or conventional values may be assumed, depending on the product qualitative data.

Operating conditions data may be initial information such as outdoor climate and indoor operating conditions: when you are doing a standard calculation, e.g. to check compliance or for an energy performance certificate these are typically pre-set national or regional ‘standard’ data; only for special applications, such as design or an energy audit, you may wish to use all the potentialities of the standard and decide to use tailored values for these.

Finally. many input data for a specific EPB standard are data that are produced as output from another EPB standard in the chain, such as energy flows and system operating temperatures. So when you do an overall EP assessment, these too do not count as input data required from the building.

2022-02-07