Low-cost retrofit packages for residential buildings in hot-humid Lagos, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nwakaego Chikaodinaka Onyenokporo ◽  
Ekele Thompson Ochedi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Reducing Energy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of affordable retrofit packages that can be applied to existing residential buildings in hot-humid regions to improve occupants’ thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption. Design/methodology/approach A critical review of relevant literature to identify passive design strategies for improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption in hot-humid climates with focus on the building envelope was conducted in addition to a simulation study of an existing building typology in study area. Findings There is enormous potential to reduce energy costs and improve thermal comfort through building retrofit packages which is a recent concept in developing countries, such as Nigeria. Analysing the results of the retrofit interventions using building energy simulation helped in developing affordable retrofit packages which had optimum effect in improving indoor comfort temperature to the neutral temperature specified for hot humid Nigeria and further down to 3°C less than that of the reference building used. The use of passive design strategies to retrofit the building might help homeowners reduce their annual energy consumption by up to 46.3 per cent just by improving the indoor thermal comfort. Originality/value In addition to improving thermal comfort and reducing energy consumption, this research identified affordable retrofit packages and considered its cost implications especially to low-income earners who form a larger population of Lagos, Nigeria, as this was not considered by many previous researchers.

scholarly journals Improving Thermal Comfort of Low-Income Housing in Thailand through Passive Design Strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nafisa Bhikhoo ◽  
Arman Hashemi ◽  
Heather Cruickshank
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Low Income Housing

Investigating the climate-adaptive design strategies of residential earth-sheltered buildings in Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elahe Mirabi ◽  
Fatemeh Akrami Abarghuie
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Adaptive Design ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Orientation Factor ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Numeric Data

PurposeThe earth-sheltered building is an adaptive strategy reducing energy consumption as well as increasing thermal comfort of the residents. Although this idea historically implemented in the city of Yazd, Iran, its effects on thermal comfort have not been studied thoroughly. This paper aims to discuss and analyze energy performance, in terms of parameters such as orientation, underground depth, nocturnal ventilation and its subsequent effects on thermal comfort in earth-sheltered buildings in Yazd.Design/methodology/approachUsing EnergyPlus software, the obtained numeric data are precisely modeled, simulated and analyzed.FindingsResults show that there is a direct relationship between depth of construction and energy consumption savings. The more construction depth of earth-sheltered buildings, the more percentage of energy consumption savings, that is of a higher rate in comparison to the aboveground ones. However, in south orientation, energy saving significantly reduces from depth of 2 m downwards and the annual indoor temperature fluctuation decreases by 50%. This subsequently yields to experiencing indoor thermal comfort for a significant number of days throughout the year. Considering the effects of orientation factor, the south orientation regardless of the depth provides the most desired outcome regarding energy savings.Originality/valueSimulating the model generalized to the sunken courtyard can approve that the results of this research can be applied to the other models.

scholarly journals Influence of the Passive Design of a Building Facade on the Indoor Thermal Comfort of Residential Buildings

2021 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 03006
Author(s):  
Pengfei Zhou ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Jiang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Building Facade ◽  
Building Facades ◽  
Passive Design

Building facades have evident effects on indoor thermal comfort. Hence, on the basis of a multifunctional residential building in Sydney, Australia, this research uses DesignBuilder software to optimize passive system design on building facades. This research also analyses the influences of changing window glazing type, adding additional shading devices and changing the material of the exterior wall on indoor thermal comfort. Results show that the number of uncomfortable hours can be reduced by 446, 186 and 874 hours by using a double-layer Low-E glass, adding extra shading device and adopting an external wall material with low thermal conductivity, respectively. When the three aforementioned passive design strategies are combined, indoor thermal environment discomfort time can be reduced by 24%. Therefore, the indoor thermal comfort of a building can be considerably improved through effective passive designs of the building facade.

scholarly journals Passive Design Strategies for Energy Efficient Buildings in the Arabian Desert

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nedhal Al-Tamimi
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Total Energy Consumption ◽  
Building Envelopes ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Shading Devices

This study aims to assess passive design features through the extensive modifications of building envelopes to affect the energy efficiency of residential buildings in hot arid climates. In support of the aim of this research, the annual electric energy bill of a typical residential building in Sharurah was collected and analyzed. Then, the DesignBuilder simulation program was used to investigate how different modifications of building envelopes could affect the energy consumption of the residential buildings under common scenarios. Varied thermal insulation, different types of glass, shading devices, and green roof were investigated with this perspective. The simulation results show that thermal insulation can significantly reduce annual energy consumption by as high as 23.6%, followed by green roofs. In contrast, shading devices and glazing system types were fewer superiors. The results also indicate that the effective combination of certain strategies can reduce total energy consumption by 35.4% relative to the base case (BC) of this research.

Materials consumption, indoor thermal comfort and associated energy flows of urban residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Peng ◽  
Wu Deng ◽  
Yuanda Hong
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Insulating Materials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Energy Flows

Purpose From the 2000s onward, construction practices of urban residential buildings in China have shown a material transformation from clay brick to aerated concrete block. Moreover, the consumption of insulating materials for buildings has been increasing due to the new requirements in building energy-saving standards. This transformation and the increased consumption of insulating materials might have a vital impact on a building’s thermal comfort and its associated energy flows. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the indoor thermal performance of urban residential buildings built with different materials and further discuss the correlations between indoor thermal comfort and the associated energy input. Design/methodology/approach This study investigated four residential buildings selected from four residential communities located in the cold climate zone of China. The Integrated Environment Solutions program was used to evaluate the thermal comfort levels and to quantify the operational energy consumption of the case study buildings. Additionally, the University of Bath’s Inventory of Carbon and Energy database was used to estimate the embodied energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Findings The study found that materials transition and increasing consumption did not necessarily improve indoor thermal comfort. However, the materials transition has significantly decreased the embodied energy consumption of urban residential buildings. Furthermore, the increased utilization of insulating materials has also decreased the heating and cooling energy consumption. Therefore, overall, the environmental impacts of urban residential buildings have been reduced significantly. Practical implications In the future, residential buildings completed in the 1990s will need regular maintenance, such as adding insulation. Residential buildings completed based on the latest energy-saving requirements should optimize their ventilation design, for example, by increasing the ventilation rate and by reducing solar heat gains in the summer. Originality/value This paper investigates the effects of the materials change on thermal comfort levels and the environmental impacts of urban residential buildings in the cold climate zone of China, as these have not been the focus of many previous studies.

scholarly journals Survey on the Indoor Thermal Environment and Passive Design of Rural Residential Houses in the HSCW Zone of China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Shi ◽  
Pan ◽  
Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Passive Design

Despite their high energy consumption, rural residential houses in the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone still have a generally poor indoor thermal environment. The objective of this study was to understand the current status of the indoor thermal environment for rural residential houses in the HSCW zone and analyze its cause in order to develop some strategies for improvement through passive design of the building envelope. Face-to-face questionnaires and interviews, air-tightness testing, and temperature and humidity monitoring were conducted to understand the building envelope, energy consumption, and indoor thermal environment. Then, some passive design strategies were simulated, including the application of functional interior materials such as hygroscopic and phase change materials. An overall passive design for the building envelope can increase the room temperature by 3.6 °C, reduce the indoor relative humidity by 12% in the winter, and reduce the room temperature by 4.4 °C in the summer. In addition, the annual energy-saving rate can reach ~35%.

scholarly journals THE APPLICATION OF PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES AS SUSTAINABLE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE IN A MODEL CONFERENCE CENTRES (A CASE STUDY OF AMINU KANO CENTRE FOR DEMOCRATIC RESEARCH AND TRAINING (AKCDR&T))

2021 ◽  
pp. 23-39
Author(s):  
Alfa Sharif ◽  
Muhammad Mukarram ◽  
Isyaku Rabi’u ◽  
Rabi’u Inusa
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Conference Centre

ABSTRACT: This research sought to reduce uncomfortable conditions created by extremes of heat and dryness in order to achieve well balanced indoor and outdoor climate, through the application of passive design strategies in Conference Centre located in hot dry climate of Kano Nigeria. Passive design utilizes natural sources of heating and cooling breezes. It is achieved by appropriately orientating the building on its site and carefully designing the building envelope (roof, walls, windows and floor). External features such as fountain, soft landscaping and proper site planning improves micro climate which in turn helped in achieving good passive design. The methodology employed is case study and relevant information sourced from pertinent literature and the internet was taken into consideration. Research has shown that more than40% of energy consumption in any building is used for cooling and lighting in order to achieve comfort level. In the course of the research, the building was studied to evaluate the use of passive elements that relates to passive lighting and cooling which are the main source of energy consumption such as building envelop, natural lighting, natural ventilation, Site and external spaces, building form, building orientation, wall/window shading and existing of energy source on conference centre building. Research has shown that, the design parameters obtained from field survey are the principal factors responsible for any good passive design of most public building such as conference centre building.

scholarly journals Effects of glazing design and infiltration rate on energy consumption and thermal comfort in residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (5 Part B) ◽  
pp. 2951-2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Almarzouq ◽  
Ahmad Sakhrieh
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Design Alternatives ◽  
Energy Modelling ◽  
Proper Design

The building envelope is the most affecting part in the energy interaction between the buildings and the surrounding. Proper design of the envelope components not only can save the required energy for the building but also can improve the thermal comfort of its occupants. In this research, energy modelling and simulation for a residential building in Amman, Jordan is performed to investigate the effects of glazing design and infiltration rate on energy consumption and thermal comfort. Different design alternatives have been investigated to find the best alternative design to reduce energy use and improve indoor environment. The results showed that replacing single glazing window with double glazing window argon-filled with low emissivity coating can save the consumed energy by 24.7% while degrade the thermal comfort by 1%. Reducing the infiltration rate by 50% can save 19.4% of the energy consumed and improves the thermal comfort by 10%.

Evaluation of passive design strategies to achieve NZEB in the corporate facilities: the context of Bangladeshi subtropical monsoon climate

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Jewel Rana ◽  
Md. Rakibul Hasan ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahman Sobuz ◽  
Norsuzailina Mohamed Sutan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Energy Simulation ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Monsoon Climate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Passive Design ◽  
Insulation Thickness ◽  
Subtropical Monsoon Climate

PurposeThis study investigates the impact and economic viability of energy-efficient building envelope and orientation for contributing net zero energy building (NZEB) and suggests optimum thermal insulation thickness, optimum wall thickness, appropriate orientation and glazing types of window in the contexts of unique Bangladeshi subtropical monsoon climate.Design/methodology/approachThe whole study was conducted through energy simulation perspective of an existing office building using building information modeling (BIM) and building energy modeling (BEM) tools which are Autodesk Revit 2017, Autodesk Green Building Studio (GBS) and eQUEST. Numerous simulation patterns were created for energy simulation considering building envelope parameters and orientations. A comprehensive data analysis of simulation results was conducted to sort out efficient passive design strategies.FindingsThe optimum thermal mass and thermal insulation thickness are 6.5 and 0.5 inches, respectively, considering energy performance and economic viability. This study highly recommends that a building should be designed with a small window-to-wall ratio in the south and west face. The window should be constructed with double glazing Low-E materials to reduce solar heat gain. The studied building saves 9.14% annual energy consumption by incorporating the suggested passive design strategies of this study.Originality/valueThe output of this work can add some new energy-efficient design strategies to Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) because BNBC has not suggested any codes or regulations regarding energy-efficient passive design strategies. It will also be useful to designers of Bangladesh and other countries with similar subtropical climatic contexts which are located in Southeast Asia and Northern Hemisphere of Earth.

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