Energy-efficient building design under climate change adaptation process: a case study of a single-family house

Abstract

PurposeThe residential buildings sector has a high priority in the climate change adaptation process due to significant CO2 emissions, high energy consumption and negative environmental impacts. The article investigates how, conversely speaking, the residential buildings will be affected by climate change, and how to improve existing structures and support long-term decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe climate dataset was created using the scenarios determined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and this was used in the study. Different building envelope and Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems scenarios have been developed and simulated. Then, the best scenario was determined with comparative results, and recommendations were developed.FindingsThe findings reveal that future temperature-increase will significantly impact buildings' cooling and heating energy use. As the outdoor air temperatures increase due to climate change, the heating loads of the buildings decrease, and the cooling loads increase significantly. While the heating energy consumption of the house was calculated at 170.85 kWh/m2 in 2020, this value shall decrease significantly to 115.01 kWh/m2 in 2080. On the other hand, the cooling energy doubled between 2020 and 2080 and reached 106.95 kWh/m2 from 53.14 kWh/m2 measured in 2020.Originality/valueSingle-family houses constitute a significant proportion of the building stock. An in-depth analysis of such a building type is necessary to cope with the devastating consequences of climate change. The study developed and scrutinised energy performance improvement scenarios to define the climate change adaptation process' impact and proper procedure. The study is trying to create a strategy to increase the climate resistance capabilities of buildings and fill the gaps in this regard.