A typical design for energy-efficient building: A case study of zero energy building

Abstract

Recently, the consumption of energy in residential buildings has increased. On one hand, urbanization increased energy consumption in residential buildings. On the other hand, construction of nonstandard buildings especially residential buildings caused excessive energy waste. Implementation of energy efficiency and zero energy buildings strategies is one of the best solutions to decrease energy waste and energy intensity in a residential building in Kabul City. This research is conducted to design typical energy-efficient and zero energy building strategies for Kabul City. The majority of people use unrefined fossil fuels for heating. As we know, fossil fuels cause more environmental pollution. To burn these fuels, most GHGs emissions are released in the atmosphere, and these GHGs are very harmful to health and cause different types of illnesses. Our work is done in two stages. First, the construction cost of a normally built building is calculated. Then, the heat loss and heat gain of this inefficient building are also calculated. The same procedure is repeated for a more efficient and insulated building. After comparing, it is revealed that an insulated building saves 65% of the energy and emits 60% less CO2 compared to the inefficient building. To make this building a zero energy building, we tried using photovoltaic technology. All-electric loads for this building were calculated and the components of the photovoltaic system were designed accordingly. In conclusion, the implementation of energy efficiency and zero energy has lots of benefits of cost-saving, being environment-friendly, reduced illness, and individual sustainability for each building.