Abstract/Summary

Despite extensive research on the underlying reasons for the energy performance gap in buildings, there is a critical need for stakeholders to standardize and facilitate the use of this knowledge and support its broader application by machines. Our research addresses this gap by developing both an ontology and a tool to utilize risk information regarding the performance gap in buildings. Research into this topic began with the creation of an energy- performance gap-risk ontology for new and existing buildings using the METHONTOLOGY method. This comprised a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with ten experts concerning six buildings, in order to develop taxonomies and define risk factor interactions. It was followed by a three-stage validation using a mixed-method research methodology. Steps included comparing the ontology with a similar empirical study, gathering expert opinions via interviews and ratings assessments, and finally, interviewing an experienced professional to ascertain whether there were any concepts not covered by the ontology. The taxonomies were modeled in Protégé 5.5, and using the ontology, a spreadsheet tool was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications in Excel. The ontology identified 36 primary risk factors, and a total of 95 when including additional risks linked to certain factors. Factors such as professional liability insurance, stakeholder motivation, effective communication, experience, training, integrated design, simplicity of detailing, building systems or design, and project commissioning can help manage the performance gap in buildings. The tool developed serves as a decision-support system, offering features like project risk checklists to assist stakeholders in addressing the performance gap. This study is the first to develop an energy performance gap-risk ontology and a tool to help project stakeholders collect, store, and share building risk information.