Etagepotentiale

Etagepotentiale is a term used in building performance analysis to describe the potential for improvement or energy savings that exists on individual floors of a multi-story building. The concept acknowledges that different levels can exhibit distinct energy intensities due to factors such as occupancy density, equipment load, façade exposure, and daylight use. The term is primarily found in German-speaking contexts and in technical literature on retrofit planning and energy optimization.

Applications of etagepotentiale include prioritizing energy retrofit measures, targeting audits, and informing urban energy planning. By analyzing each floor separately, engineers and building managers can identify floors with high energy use, greater retrofit return on investment, or unique opportunities for demand management, such as floor-by-floor HVAC zoning or lighting upgrades.

Methodologically, assessing etagepotentiale involves floor-level data collection (submetering, building management systems, and occupancy data), followed by bottom-up energy modeling. Typical steps include estimating current energy use per floor, simulating potential savings from measures (lighting, HVAC upgrades, envelope improvements, occupant behavior initiatives), and calculating cost-benefit and payback for each floor. The aggregate floor results guide decision-making for phased implementations and financing strategies.

Relation to other concepts includes connections to bottom-up energy modeling, demand-side management, and floor-area-based planning. The term is not universally standardized and usage varies by region and organization. Limitations involve data quality at the floor level and the dependence of savings on occupant patterns and inter-floor interactions.