Energy performance in residential buildings: Evaluation of the potential of building design and environmental parameter
Mamdooh Alwetaishi
Abstract
Buildings are responsible for dominant amount of energy consumption in hot regions. The predominant quantity of energy consumption is connected to existing buildings. The aim of this work is to highlight solutions for current buildings, in order to contribute to a reduction in the amount of energy consumed. Thermal insulation, window to wall ratio and shading devices are major variables in this study. It is expected that WWR is a leading variable in energy performance in hot regions. In addition, the research is questioning the impact of each variable on building. TAS EDSL used for energy analysis to envision energy efficiency in the building case study as well as some advanced equipment. The study carried out the influence of zone functionality in residential building with a particular consideration of the use of kitchen, bedroom and office. Southern orientation is responsible for a rise of 3 °C in indoor temperature, however, this orientation found to be favourable in winter time as zero heating loads was observed. The research found that the size of glazing system is the prime variable which can be adjusted according to required daylight and heating sources in the region. The findings further indicate that thermal insulation and window to wall ratio can have a major impact on energy consumption and thermal comfort in hot regions. Reduction of WWR into 20% has improved energy consumption by 15%. For energy efficiency as well as daylight quality, WWR should not exceed 30%. The influence of reduction of WWR is substantially greater in cooling compared to heating demand. The study also revealed that ASHRAE and CIBSE found to be misleading when applied in hot regions.