Net Zero-Energy Home Design Strategies Learned From Canadian Experience

In response to the growing demand for zero-energy housing, today's home needs not only to be energy-efficient, but also to provide part of its own energy requirements. The energy efficiency may be improved by applying high thermal performance building envelope and passive energy and environmental systems to housing. Micro-power can be generated through the use of renewable energy technologies. This paper is aimed at providing a comprehensive guideline on the design techniques and approaches to the delivery of net zero-energy healthy housing in view of the ÉcoTerra house, which won the Canadian federal government's EQuilibrium sustainable housing competition. The house was built in Eastman in the province of Quebec and it is currently open to the general public in order to sharpen the consumers' awareness of commercially available net zero-energy healthy housing today.

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Towards Net-Zero Energy in Hot-Dry Regions: Building Envelope Design Strategies for Single-Family Homes

Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.5539/jsd.v11n3p45 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 45 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmed A. Alyahya ◽

Nawari O. Nawari

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Single Family ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero ◽

High Efficient ◽

Design Proposal

Global climate change is serving as warning signs it gradually begins to capture the attention of people at large. Many actions have been and continue to be taken by governments and organizations to preserve the planet, which is impactful and needed. But conservation efforts are not exclusive to governments and large institutions- individuals can contribute in multiple ways that will have ripple effects, one being the choice to build sustainable, net-zero energy homes. Building a house that is a net-zero energy requires many strategies.One of the most compelling factors in reducing the home energy consumption, to then achieve a net-zero energy home especially in hot-dry regions, is the optimization of the building envelope performance. This paper discussed several building envelope design strategies that are suitable for homes in hot-dry regions and tested them.The Methods including analyzing case study from Qater by using computer and were analyzed using Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools for energy simulation programs. All those strategies were applied to a design proposal for a house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a hot-dry region. Further, the same simulation analyses were projected onto an identical house to the design proposal, but with a traditional, low-efficient building envelope.The results showed that the house with the high-efficient building envelope had 48% less energy consumption than the one that has the low-efficiency envelope.This research demonstrated the efficacy of the building envelope to reduce the energy consumption of single-family homes in hot-dry regions. The study outlines vital strategies for a high-efficient building envelope design in hot-dry areas that reaching net-zero energy homes and thus help to offset the negative impact of climate changes in arid areas.

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Improvements in the Airtightness of Housing in Richmond, British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering ◽

10.1139/cjce-2021-0285 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sepehr Foroushani

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Air Leakage ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Performance Targets ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero Energy Building ◽

Net Zero

Controlling air leakage through the building envelope remains a challenge, especially in light of the imperative to transition to a net-zero energy building sector and the increasing importance of indoor air quality during extreme weather events such as wildfires. The British Columbia Energy Step Code is a performance-based compliance option in the British Columbia Building Code which is intended to provide a transition pathway to net-zero energy ready construction by 2032. For small residential buildings, performance targets entail thresholds for the measured air leakage rate through the building envelope. This paper reports on the airtightness of the first 145 single- and two-family dwellings built under the Energy Step Code in Richmond, BC. Although the first phase of the implementation of the Energy Step Code in Richmond entailed no airtightness targets (only testing), results indicate improvement compared to the historical levels of airtightness in the region.

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Sustainable Housing: Understanding the Barriers to Adopting Net Zero Energy Homes in Ontario, Canada

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11226236 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (22) ◽

pp. 6236

Author(s):

Ranjita Singh ◽

Philip Walsh ◽

Christina Mazza

Keyword(s):

Ghg Emissions ◽

Cost Savings ◽

Environmental Benefits ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Design Quality ◽

Sustainable Housing ◽

Home Owner ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero Energy Building ◽

Net Zero

Buildings in Canada account for a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and net zero energy building technology has been identified as part of the solution. This study presents a conceptual model identifying barriers to the adoption of net zero energy housing and tests it by administering a survey to 271 participants in a net zero energy housing demonstration project in Toronto, Canada. Using multivariate correlation and multi-linear regression analyses this study finds that of all the innovation adoption variables it was the construction and design quality that was the most significant contributor to the adoption of a net zero energy home by a potential home owner. This study found that the (a) extra cost compared to a conventional home, b) lack of knowledge about the technology associated with a net zero energy home or (c) not knowing someone who owned a net zero energy home were not significant barriers to accepting net zero energy homes. Our results suggest that policy-makers should promote the diffusion of net zero energy home technology by encouraging housing developers to include net zero energy homes in their collection of model homes, with an emphasis on quality design and construction. Furthermore, engaging in trust building initiatives such as education and knowledge about the technology, its related energy cost savings, and the environmental benefits would contribute to a greater acceptance of net zero energy homes.

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Conceptual Design of Net Zero Energy Campus Residence

Solar Energy ◽

10.1115/isec2005-76199 ◽

2005 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

George A. Mertz ◽

Gregory S. Raffio ◽

Kelly Kissock ◽

Kevin P. Hallinan

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Design ◽

Distribution Systems ◽

Energy Use ◽

Cost Optimization ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Hot Water ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero ◽

Inside Out

In response to both global and local challenges, the University of Dayton is committed to building a net-zero energy student residence, called the Eco-house. A unique aspect of the Eco-house is the degree of student involvement; in accordance with UD’s mission, interdisciplinary student teams from mechanical engineering, civil engineering and the humanities are leading the design effort. This paper discusses the conceptual design of a net-zero energy use campus residence, and the analysis completed thus far. Energy use of current student houses is analyzed to provide a baseline and to identify energy saving opportunities. The use of the whole-system inside-out approach to guide the overall design is described. Using the inside-out method as a guide, the energy impacts of occupant behavior, appliances and lights, building envelope, energy distribution systems and primary energy conversion equipment are discussed. The design of solar thermal and solar photovoltaic systems to meet the hot water and electricity requirements of the house is described. Eco-house energy use is simulated and compared to the energy use of the existing houses. The analysis shows the total source energy requirements of the Eco-house could be reduced by about 340 mmBtu per year over older baseline houses, resulting in CO2 emission reductions of about 54,000 lb per year and utility cost savings of about $3,000 per year. Detailed cost analysis and cost optimization have not been performed but are critical aspects of the UD Eco-house project, which will be performed in the future.

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Development of Net Zero Energy Settlements Using Advanced Energy Technologies

Procedia Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.302 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 180 ◽

pp. 1388-1401 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Afroditi Synnefa ◽

Marina Laskari ◽

Rajat Gupta ◽

Anna Laura Pisello ◽

Mat Santamouris

Keyword(s):

Zero Energy ◽

Energy Technologies ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero

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NOVEL INTEGRATED DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR NET-ZERO-ENERGY SOLAR BUILDINGS (NZESBS) IN NANJING, CHINA

Journal of Green Building ◽

10.3992/jgb.10.3.87 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 89-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Changhai Peng ◽

Lu Huang ◽

Bangwei Wan

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Solar Energy ◽

Integrated Design ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Storage Technology ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Energy Storage Technology ◽

Net Zero ◽

Solar Design

The connotations and denotations of the term net-zero-energy solar buildings (NZESBs) have been in constant flux because of continuous developments in solar heating technology, solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, building energy-storage technology, regional energy-storage technology, and energy-management systems. This paper focuses on innovative strategies for implementing NZESBs in Nanjing, China. These strategies include integrated architectural design, including passive solar design (respecting climatic characteristics and conducting integrated planning based on the environment, building orientation, distance between buildings, building shape, ratio of window area to wall area, and building envelope) and active solar design (integration of the solar-energy-collecting end of the system – collectors and PV panels – with the building surface – roof, wall surfaces, balconies, and sun-shading devices – and the integration of solar-energy transfer and storage equipment with the building). Some Nanjing-specific recommendations and findings on NZESBs are proposed. The results illustrate that NZESBs can be realized in Nanjing if solar energy technologies are appropriately integrated with the characteristics of Nanjing's geography, climate and buildings.

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