scholarly journals Potential Reconstruction Design of an Existing Townhouse in Washington DC for Approaching Net Zero Energy Building Goal

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakdirat Kaewunruen ◽  
Jessada Sresakoolchai ◽  
Lalida Kerinnonta
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero

The concept of the Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) has received more interest from researchers due to global warming concerns. This paper proposes to illustrate optional solutions to allow existing buildings to achieve NZEB goals. The aim of this study is to investigate factors that can improve existing building performance to be in line with the NZEB concept and be more sustainable. An existing townhouse in Washington, DC was chosen as the research target to study how to retrofit or reconstruct the design of a building according to the NZEB concept. The methodology of this research is modeling an existing townhouse to assess the current situation and creating optional models for improving energy efficiency of the townhouse in Revit and utilising renewable energy technology for energy supply. This residential building was modeled in three versions to compare changes in energy performance including improving thermal efficiency of building envelope, increasing thickness of the wall, and installing smart windows (switchable windows). These solutions can reduce energy and cost by approximately 8.16%, 10.16%, and 14.65%, respectively, compared to the original townhouse. Two renewable energy technologies that were considered in this research were photovoltaic and wind systems. The methods can be applied to reconstruct other existing buildings in the future.

scholarly journals Thermal performance analysis of net-zero energy building using evolutionary algorithms

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisele Goulart Tavares ◽  
Marcus Vinícius Ferraz ◽  
Eric Vargas Loureiro ◽  
Vitor De Castro Nobre ◽  
Leonardo Goliatt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geometric Model ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Block Type ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero

The zero-energy building, also known as Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB), is based on the concept of an energy-efficient building that balances its total energy using solutions that aim to mitigate CO2 emissions and reduce energy use in the constructions.  Energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings increased between 20% and 40% in developed countries and exceeded the industry and transportation sectors. Due to climate change, by 2050 buildings can consume 20% more energy, with energy performance being the critical element in achieving climate goals and improving energy security. The objective of this paper is to maximize the thermal comfort in an NZEB through the evolutionary algorithm PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization), a technique inspired by the collective intelligence of the animals. For this, different constructive parameters were inserted in a geometric model to identify combinations that offer greater comfort. For the optimization problem of this work, the design parameters were: block type, concrete thickness used in the solid slab, mortar type, window size, door size, and cover type. From the geometric model, an IDF file was generated for the parameterization and subsequent energy simulation of the scenarios created by the PSO in the EnergyPlus software. The exchange of materials and parameter values of the model reached lower hours of discomfort per year in comparison to results obtained in the literature.

scholarly journals Solar Energy and Its Purpose in Net-Zero Energy Building

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Esmaeili Shayan
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero

The Net Zero Energy Building is generally described as an extremely energy-efficient building in which the residual electricity demand is provided by renewable energy. Solar power is also regarded to be the most readily available and usable form of renewable electricity produced at the building site. In contrast, energy conservation is viewed as an influential national for achieving a building’s net zero energy status. This chapter aims to show the value of the synergy between energy conservation and solar energy transfer to NZEBs at the global and regional levels. To achieve these goals, both energy demand building and the potential supply of solar energy in buildings have been forecasted in various regions, climatic conditions, and types of buildings. Building energy consumption was evaluated based on a bottom-up energy model developed by 3CSEP and data inputs from the Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS) model under two scenarios of differing degrees of energy efficiency intention. The study results indicate that the acquisition of sustainable energy consumption is critical for solar-powered net zero energy buildings in various building styles and environments. The chapter calls for the value of government measures that incorporate energy conservation and renewable energy.

scholarly journals The Use of Ground Source Heat Pump to Achieve a Net Zero Energy Building

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana D’Agostino ◽  
Luigi Mele ◽  
Francesco Minichiello ◽  
Carlo Renno
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pump ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Ground Source ◽  
Net Zero Energy Building ◽  
Net Zero

Currently, ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology is being studied, as the use of the ground as a source of renewable energy allows significant energy savings to be obtained. Therefore, it is useful to quantify how these savings help to achieve the energy balance of a Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) compared to an air source heat pump or a condensing boiler coupled to a chiller. This paper assesses how these savings affect the number of photovoltaic panels installed on the roof of a building to obtain the NZEB target. The study is conducted by dynamic simulation for a building used as a bed and breakfast, virtually placed in two Italian towns. The energy savings and reduction of CO2 emissions, the percentage of renewable energy used, and the photovoltaic surface needed are assessed. Finally, the discounted payback period is calculated. The results show that the GSHP, unlike the systems to which it is compared, allows an NZEB to be obtained by balancing yearly energy consumption with energy production systems which only use on-site renewable energy sources (by exploiting the surface available on the roof) for both of the climatic conditions considered. GSHP also allows primary energy requests equal to or less than 57 kWh/m2 to be obtained.

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