Energy-conscious building design -
The fact that a building remains within the shading space of other buildings influences the utilization of solar rays and will raise the consumption of energy. In order to utilize solar radiation, building spaces must not be less than the tallest shade height of other buildings.
Besides, the position and distance of other buildings affect the speed and direction of wind on building, and this impacts the energy performance of building [ 15 ]. Orientation of building affects the ratio of the solar radiation gain of building sides, consequently the total solar radiation gain of building.
In addition, the side of buildings affects wind amount, consequently, affecting natural ventilation possibility and heat loss amount by convection and air lack. For this reason, according to the necessities of that region, buildings must be oriented for avoid of or benefit from the sun and wind according to the conditions [ 8 ].
In addition, positioning them in the direction of south, southeast, and southwest as an external curve crescent make them utilize solar ray more [ 16 ]. In London-BedZED settlement, separate houses having their own gardens were designed.
Site plan of London-BedZED ecological settlement [ 17 ]. The shape of building which is a considerable factor affecting heat loss and gain can be defined through geometrical variables making up building such as the proportion of building length to building depth of the building in the plan, building height, type of roof, its gradient, front gradient, and bossages.
Heat loss-gain of building may rise and decline depending upon the proportion of the surfaces constituting environment to volume [ 18 ]. Energy performance of building is affected by such factors as its form, volume surface rate and frontal motions.
There is a direct relationship between the geometrical shape and energy performance of building. In the conducted studies, it was observed that different results were obtained in the energy performance of the masses which had the same volume but made in different forms [ 14 ].
It was calculated that the surface area of the masses has the same volume but different forms. The surface of the cube that was taken as was accepted as a reference Figure 4. Building form-surface relationship [ 19 ]. The shape of building is important in areas that have different climate conditions.
In cold climate regions, compact forms should be used which minimize the heat loss part. In hot-dry climate regions, compact forms and courtyards should be used which minimize heat gain and helps to provide shaded and cool living spaces.
In hot-humid climate region, long and thin forms whose long side oriented to the direction of prevailing wind makes possible maximum cross-ventilation. In mild climates, compact forms, which are flexible more than the forms used in cold climate regions, should be used [ 8 ].
Building plan and shapes should be effective in energy conservation. Therefore, buildings should be formed to ensure minimum heat gain in warm seasons and maximum in cold. Due to simple plan types such as square or rectangle having a reduced surface area, their heat-loss and -gain are also reduced.
Smaller buildings, where internal space has been used efficiently, use less energy as they can be heated, cooled, and illuminated more efficiently than larger buildings [ 20 ]. The energy requirement of buildings can be reduced by the internal layout of the design.
These communal areas require more heating, whereas spaces with a lower heating requirement such as the pantry, bathroom, and toilet can be used as buffer areas, reducing heat transfer to the exterior by placing these in areas of heat-loss.
Spaces such as sun rooms, if located on south façades of buildings, also contribute to heating of the building and energy conservation, by storing solar radiation [ 20 ].
In the building design, stratification can perform zoning depending on buffer zone, sanitary spaces, noise level, lighting level, and heating need. Therefore, areas with many users and which are used throughout the day should face southerly direction.
Thermal zoning and the settlement of indoors can be designed in a way to raise mutual air motion Figure 5. Deep plans and the use of too many dividing elements may restrict air motion in environments [ 22 ].
Spatial zoning [ 23 ]. Building envelope is the components such as wall, ceiling, ground, window, and door which separate building conditioned space from outdoor and let heat energy transfer into inside or outside.
As an indoor and outdoor reagent, it has a vital impact on energy consumption [ 10 ]. The skin of building performs the role of a filter between indoor and outdoor conditions, to control the intake of air, heat, cold, and light [ 24 ]. Building envelope should minimize the heat loss in the winter and the heat gain in the summer.
The physical and structural specifications of building components, such as walls, windows, flooring, and doors, which make up the outer shell of the building, have a significant impact on the energy consumption of the building.
The thermal performance, thickness, and color of the materials used in these components play a significant role in regulating the heat loss and gain of the building [ 20 ]. The energy-saving features of the building components analyzed are described below. Outer walls: Thermal and massive characteristics of outer walls are related to building material constituting them and the characteristics of building element layers and how they are sorted.
The walls that will minimize heat loss and gain are well-isolated massive walls with high heat-storing capacity. The formation of outer surfaces that can get most solar radiation or be protected from radiation in terms of heat gain should be handled depending upon the characteristic of climatic zones.
Roofs: In commercial and institutional buildings, roofs are generally flat, and the insulation can be resting on the suspending ceiling. In gabled roof construction where the attic is not used, the insulation is generally in the ceiling [ 12 ].
The shape, material, gradient, orientation, outer surface color, and insulating qualities of the roof determine the thermal performance of the buildings. Therefore, roofs need to be designed in such a way to suit the climatic conditions [ 20 ].
Thermal insulation qualities of roofs, their gradient and facade should be chosen properly to climatic character, their outer surface color and stratification order should, however, be chosen taking heat gain and loss into account.
In temperate dry and temperate humid climatic zone and cold climatic zones, the well-isolated gradient roofs should be preferred. In hot and dry climate zones, flat roofs should be preferred to reduce the impact of solar radiation; in hot and humid climates that allow air flow, raised or sloping roof should be arranged [ 9 ].
Windows: Windows affect energy efficiency in buildings via heat loss or gain, natural ventilation, and illumination. The most appropriate direction is south in terms of heat gain, after the east and west side. Large windows reduce the need for artificial lighting while improving daylight [ 26 ].
Windows should be designed in the magnitude that is sufficient to provide natural lighting. While taking a decision on the transparency rates in building envelope, in which climatic zone the building is placed should be ascertained in advance.
Since protection from solar radiation and wind is the basic purpose in hot and arid climatic zones, small and few windows should be used. In hot and humid climatic zones, by taking necessary precautions, large openings should be used in order to raise indoor air circulations.
In cold climatic zones, to minimize the heat losses stemming from windows, again small and few windows should be used. Yet, so as to utilize the beneficial effect of solar radiations, the window openings in the southern front should be kept more than the ones in other fronts.
In temperate climatic zones, however, it should be given to openings that would enable sufficient air circulation [ 28 ]. The use of windows also serves a number of essential purposes such as ventilation, natural lighting, and opening to scenery; it does not bring much load on constructional cost.
In the climatic zones having cold winters, positioning window openings in the north should not be preferred due to the fact that heat gain from the sun is too little to be considered and air penetrations increase because winter winds usually blow from the north and thus heat losses grow.
It is possible to obtain a certain amount of sun gain from the openings placed in the east and west, even if it is less in winter than the southern front.
However, since the summer sun comes horizontally in the morning and afternoon hours, it is very difficult to protect these openings and we may face the problem of overheating.
The windows looking toward south, however, may utilize solar rays coming horizontally in winter almost the whole day; in summer, they may be easily protected from the rays coming more vertically [ 29 ]. Because of all of these components, southern windows are the systems which can be very commonly used in utilizing sun passively.
Yet, compared with wall, due to their weak isolation qualities they are much more open to heat-loss and gain; therefore, it is needed to take precautions for winter and summer.
In this case, the application of double-glazing gains a high importance. Night isolation applications, however, are necessary to dismiss the heat losses that may occur after sunset. These isolation elements may be shutter, roller blind, or jalousie fixed either from inside or outside.
Or, losses should be reduced through at least bringing curtains strictly down. In summer days, windows may be easily protected by the help of eaves, sunshade, or curtain [ 29 ]. In the front, high performance glass that has the most suitable thermal and light transmittance coefficient for the desired qualities depending on climate, sun direction, and the usage purpose of building should be used.
Energy can be efficiently used thanks to isolated joineries, low-E covered glasses, argon or krypton-filled double-glazing and air proof detailing and montage. Doors: The position of outer doors should be chosen considering wind effects, heat gain, and losses.
In cold climatic zones, windbreak is suggested in order to be protected from the wind effect increasing heat losses. In hot-arid and temperate climatic zones, as wind does not have a restorative impact on comfort, surfaces closed to wind should be preferred [ 9 ].
Floors: Floorings grounded on soil should be arranged in a way to enable the desired performance in terms of heat and moisture. In cold and temperate climatic zones, well-isolated floorings should be preferred. In warm-humid climatic zones, however, heightened floorings can be preferred since air streams become important [ 9 ].
In the volumes getting sunlight, floor laying can be used as a thermal heat store. In floor laying, dark color materials having a high heat-storing capacity should be preferred. Not laying carpets on floor and leaving it open increase its capacity of heat absorption.
Building materials both in the production phase should have energy-efficient features in the use phase. Energy-efficient building material properties are described below. For this reason, if the construction materials are local material and are manufactured in nearby places to the construction site as much as possible, energy consumption in transportation will decrease and that saving in transportation will give the construction an important ecological quality [ 30 ].
Recycled resources: A large amount of energy is used in manufacturing many building materials. In the manufacture of building material, using recycled sources instead of the sources which are not newly processed material provides a considerable preservation of raw material and also a considerable amount of energy saving.
Materials manufactured through low density industrial processes: Building materials play a significant role in the energy efficiency of buildings. A large proportion of the total energy used during the building life cycle is consumed during the production of building materials especially embodied energy.
The intensity of energy consumption in the first of these phases for the production of buildings and their components has increased with industrialization [ 32 ]. Nonexistence of heavy procedures in the manufacturing process will cause less energy consumption, which provides energy efficiency to materials.
Using the developed technologies in industrial processes such as a heat recovery method reduces energy consumption. Natural materials are quickly obtained from renewable resources: Generally, the energy content of natural materials is lower than that of artificial materials since these materials are manufactured with less energy and labor cost.
Such kinds of materials which are easy to be locally provided are generally among the renewable resources. Such vegetal materials used in constructions for instance, wood, bamboo, reed, straw, rye stalk, sunflower stalk, mushroom are the natural materials which are quickly gained from renewable sources [ 33 ].
Labor intensive materials: Using highly qualified man power in manufacturing materials will reduce the processes based upon industry, and accordingly decrease the energy consumption. Materials manufactured by using renewable energy resources: especially renewable energy resources solar energy, wind energy, etc.
instead of fossil fuels should be preferred as a primary energy supplier in the manufacturing process. For example, the adobe brick is dried using solar energy after it is molded [ 33 ]. Materials consuming less energy during the worksite process: The management of worksite, the need for electricity energy, and machines in operation, heating, and lightening affect the energy consumption of the worksite.
As a result of the increase in mechanization in worksites, the electricity consumption has increased considerably as well [ 31 ]. Use of durable building materials: Use of durable materials in the buildings makes them more resistant and long-lasting against various factors.
This delays or eliminates the need of renewing material or maintenance due to impairment and aging. In this way, it is saved from the energy spent for the material to be used in maintenance or renewing [ 33 ].
Building materials with high thermal insulation capacity: With the choice of building materials whose thermal insulation capacity is high, the energy amount that the construction consumes in its usage stage will be decreased.
As mentioned as examples are opaque and translucent insulating materials [ 33 ]. The ground flooring of outdoor and grass has a cooling impact via vapor transportation. The materials harboring heat in its body such as asphalt continue to expand heat following sun and they increase night time radiations.
So as to reduce the cooling costs spent, using such materials that store heat and reflect lights little or shading them against direct solar rays are among the precautions to be taken [ 34 ]. The energy conserving landscape strategies depend on a region.
These landscaping strategies are listed by the region and in order of importance as shown in Figure 6. Landscaping techniques appropriate for four different climates temperate, very cold, hot and dry, and hot and humid [ 12 ]. a The general tree planting logic for most country [ 12 ], b landscaping techniques for a temperate climate.
The windbreak on the north side of the building should be no farther away than four times its height, c landscaping techniques for very cold climates, d landscaping techniques for hot and dry climates, and e landscaping techniques for hot and humid climates.
Temperate climate: It should maximize warming effects of the sun in winter and maximize shade during the summer. Buildings should be protected away from winter winds.
Summer breezes should be directed toward the buildings. Constantly green trees with low branches to protect them from the cold winter winds on the northern front, low shrubs or trees not high, should be applied on the south front, high body deciduous trees should be placed on the eastern and western facades for block the sun and allowing natural ventilation [ 12 , 35 ].
Hot-arid climate: It provides shade to cool roofs, walls, and windows. Allows summer winds to access naturally cooled homes and blocks or deflect winds away from air-conditioned homes.
North and south sides should avoid forestation, while the eastern and western direction positioning studies may be substituted , shrubs, vines have been placed on the walls and deciduous trees should be implemented [ 12 , 35 ].
Hot-humid climate: Channel summer breezes toward the home. Maximize summer shade with trees that still allow penetration of low-angle winter sun. Avoid locating planting beds close to the home if they require frequent watering.
Should avoid forestation on the southern front, in the northern front, forestation should be done providing the shadow effect in summer. The eastern and western direction, shrubs, and vines have been placed on the walls and deciduous trees should be implemented [ 12 , 35 ]. Cool climate: Use dense windbreaks to protect the building from cold winter winds.
Allow the winter sun to reach south-facing windows. If summer overheating is a problem, shade south and west windows and walls from the direct summer sun. The north façade is useful in cold climate regions partly raised land application. Northern, eastern, and western fronts in constantly green shrubs and the green, the low branches of trees should be preferred.
In the southern wind breaker, low shrubs and grass should be applied. In southeast and southwest direction away from the building, deciduous trees should be used [ 12 , 35 ]. The ground cover may also be utilized for energy conservation in buildings.
Completely or partially buried, construction can moderate building temperature, save energy, and preserve open space and views above the building [ 36 ].
If the wall and roof being covered by a layer of earth of substantial thickness sufficient to insulate the dwelling thermally and acoustically and reducing the quantity of energy necessary to maintain the interior of the building comfortable for the occupants even when the atmosphere is extremely hot or cold.
Renewable energy sources sun, wind, biomass, biogas, geothermal energy, hydro, wood, ocean thermal, ebb and flow, wave, sea flows are the energy resources that can be used by all living creatures on the earth and accepted as inexhaustible thanks to their continuous renewal.
It is possible to benefit from renewable energy resources with passive and active methods. Passive heating: Passive solar heating systems are categorized by the relationship between the solar system and the building.
There are three categories of passive solar heating systems: direct gain systems, indirect gain systems, and isolated gain systems [ 37 ]. In the passive solar heating system, building elements windows, walls, floors etc. collect and store heat and then distributes indoor space.
Direct gain systems: The direct gain passive solar building has windows that admit the winter sun directly into the occupied space.
These solar gains serve to either meet part of the current heating needs of building or are stored in the thermal mass to meet heating needs that arise later. Most direct gain buildings include: 1 large, south-facing windows for north hemisphere to admit winter sub; 2 thermal mass inside the insulation envelope to reduce temperature swings; 3 calculated overhang above the south glass or other strategy to shade the glass in the summer while admitting lower angle winter insolation; 4 a means of reducing heat loss at night.
In a direct gain building, sunlight is admitted directly to interior through glazing. It strikes massive interior surfaces typically concrete floor and masonry wall surfaces , is absorbed, and is converted into the heat. Some of the heat from the surfaces is immediately released back into the room interior.
The remainder of heat absorbed is conducted into the thermal mass which slowly warms up; later at night, the stored heat is released back to interior as shown in Figures 7 and 8 [ 39 ].
Direct gain schematic [ 36 ]. Direct gain plus storage schematic [ 37 ]. Indirect gain systems : An indirect gain passive solar system has its thermal storage between facade and the indoor spaces. Indirect gain schematic [ 37 ].
Isolated gain systems : Isolated gain passive solar concept contains solar collection and storage that are thermally isolated from the indoor space of the building. The most common use in isolated gain systems is a sunspace.
Collection and storage are separate from the occupied spaces but directly linked thermally. A sunspace is a room attached to or integrated with the exterior of a building in which the room temperature is allowed to rise and fall outside the thermal comfort zone, as shown in Figure 10 [ 37 ].
Sunspace schematic [ 37 ]. Passive cooling and ventilation: Passive solar heating is divided into categories according to application configuration. On the other hand, passive cooling is better understood as a series of research fields that focus on the basic heat sinks. While this organization is helpful to scientists and inventors, it is a source of frustration for designers and policy makers because so many workable systems involve multiple heat sinks [ 38 ].
Nonetheless, this characterization of passive cooling will be described below. Ventilative cooling: Warm building air and replacing it with cooler outside air. In passive applications, the required air movement is provided either by wind or by stack effect.
In hybrid applications, movement may be assisted by fans, as shown in Figures 11 — 13 [ 39 ]. Use windows and doors for cross-ventilation [ 40 ]. A whole-house fan [ 40 ]. Air movement in stack ventilation [ 41 , 42 ]. Radiant cooling: All building objects radiate and absorb radiant energy.
Building objects will cool by radiation if the net flow the outward. At the night, long wave infrared radiation from a clear sky is much less than the long wave infrared radiation radiated from a building.
Controls such as timers, photocells, and dimmers can save money and energy. Examples of energy-efficient lighting include compact fluorescent lamps CFLs , light-emitting diodes LEDs , compact fluorescent lamps CFLs , and halogen incandescent. Including smart building products in the design of an energy-efficient building is a convenient way to save money and energy and make a building safer.
Examples of smart building products include occupancy or motion sensors, programmable thermostats, ceiling tiles with Air Purification Systems built into the panels, and other air quality alarms. Ventilation of an energy-efficient building is vital because the air-tightness of an energy-efficient building may trap pollutants like volatile organic compounds, radon, and formaldehyde.
An energy-efficient building should include an energy recovery ventilation system. Other useful techniques of ventilation for an energy-efficient building are spot ventilation, such as exhaust fans in the bathrooms and kitchen, and natural ventilation.
Energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights provide warmth, light, ventilation, and energy and cost savings. An energy-efficient building should utilize high-efficiency water heaters like a high-efficiency heat pump water heater or high-efficiency solar water heater.
The design of an energy-efficient building should aim to create as much energy as it uses by installing renewable energy techniques like wind systems, microdropower, solar photovoltaic PV panels, or hybrid electric system.
The landscaping of an energy-efficient building can save both money and energy. For example, shady landscaping protects a building from direct sunlight during the summer, which saves on cooling bills, and allows more sunlight to enter through windows during the winter, which saves on heating bills.
The design of an energy-efficient building should aim to meet, if not exceed the requirements of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED , the Energy Star for sustainability, standards, and the International Green Construction Code IgCC.
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Thet Hnin. Table of Contents. The Earth Is Dying That is a bold statement to make, but it is the truth. What Is An Energy-Efficient Building?
Achieving Energy Efficiency In A Building In an energy-efficient building, the energy consumption is based on an optimised mix of every energy source available for the building.
Using Passive Strategies Passive design strategies make use of what is already available in nature instead of purchased electricity.
Complement with Active Strategies When passive design strategies are insufficient to provide both comfort and energy efficiency, architects turn to the active strategies. Benefits Of Energy-Efficient Buildings Energy-efficient architecture promotes socioeconomic and environmental sustainability.
They Provide Better Comfort Energy efficiency relies on making less use of electricity and more of nature. They Provide Better ROI Some may consider making their buildings energy efficient worthwhile, especially for older buildings.
They Reduce Harmful Greenhouse Gases Emission Many electricity production plants still use fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources. Features Of Energy Efficient Buildings The question of how to make buildings more energy-efficient can be easily answered by understanding the features it should possess.
The Right Size Of Openings Choosing the right size of windows and doors proves to be an important step in achieving energy efficiency in buildings. Better Insulation Considered a more traditional method, improving insulation can be an effective step on how to make buildings more energy-efficient.
Taking Advantage of Digital Solutions Digital technology, whether it is in design or in construction, has already shown positive effects for sustainability. Why Is Energy Efficiency in A Building Important? How do energy-efficient buildings fit into these categories?
Environment Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Reduced energy consumption Reduced reliance on high energy resources Indirectly reducing carbon footprint Economy Less overall cost of operation including electricity bills Less spending during construction Well-being of occupants Improved indoor air and spatial qualities A holistic connection with nature Conclusion Energy-efficient buildings provide so many benefits to the environment, to the users, and to the owners.
Introduction to Building Energy Analysis: A Comprehensive Guide What is Green Architecture: Everything You Should Know About its Principles and Features.
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Blood pressure regulation we confront the challenges of Enerrgy-conscious change Nutritional counseling rising energy costs, the need Nutritional counseling buildibg and environmentally responsible Nutritional counseling practices is evident. Here at Rose Line Premier Construction, we are committed to sustainability Energy-consciuos environmentally ubilding building practices and are constantly exploring Buioding technologies and materials to desifn that our projects are as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as possible. In doing so, we have discovered a few interesting trends in energy-efficient building design that we thought were worth sharing. These trends represent the future of responsible construction and are essential for creating buildings that meet both current and future needs. The first trend in energy-efficient building design is passive solar design. This approach not only lowers energy consumption but also enhances occupant comfort. Passive solar design is cost-effective, and environmentally responsible, and has gained prominence in sustainable construction, making it a cornerstone of energy-efficient building design.Video
I am releasing the NEW Tesla House Today Energy efficient buildings are designed and constructed Energy-conscioud a Nutritional counseling that maximises the Best weight loss pills they consume. Sustainable Nutritional counseling processes bjilding on reducing energy loss by, as Energy-conscious building design example, minimising the amount of heat lost through the Enegry-conscious envelope. Energy-conscious building design efficient homes, whether they are existing Nutritional counseling buulding refurbished or new ones being built from the ground up, are less expensive to operate, more comfortable to live in, and more environmentally friendly. Keeping energy efficient building design top of mind when construction is underway is a more effective way to approach making a home more efficient, making it less expensive for the eventual homeowner in the long run. Building codes exist around the world to ensure that buildings are energy efficient to a certain degree, however sometimes it is wise to go above and beyond these recommendations to have an even more energy efficient building.
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