Energy Evaluation of an Innovative Passive Building Using a Red Clay, Limestone, and Lime Composite for Mediterranean Regions

In addition to policy target in Japan (ZEB (Zero Energy Building) is scheduled for new buildings on the average by 2030), the efforts to decarbonize corporate activities are accelerated and private needs of ZEB is growing after Paris Agreement. On the other hand, most of owners tend to be careful to invest in ZEB due to high cost to realize ZEB in general. With above background, we’re promoting ZEBs at the same cost as general buildings and have designed and built “Office-TS and Office-AI” as model projects of ZEB to meet such private needs of ZEB. Based on our policy to provide ZEB with a lot of owners by reasonable cost, economically ZEBs are realized with design of both comfort and ecology by optimum combination of general technologies with excellent cost –performance. Currently in general, most of other existing ZEBs are the demonstration projects implemented by Design or Construction Companies, therefore, it is very advanced examples to provide ZEBs with general private clients. “Approachable ZEB” which can be realized economically will contribute sustainable corporate activities of many owners and sustainable social foundation. In below actual two “Approachable ZEB” projects are introduce; Office-TS has set an energy-saving target of <Nearly ZEB > (more than 75% energy saving) and Office-AI <ZEB Ready> (more than 50% energy saving). Both are realized with the general technologies also with the same cost level as other general non-ZEB projects.

Zero energy potential of a high-rise office building in a Mediterranean climate: Using multi-objective optimization to understand the impact of design decisions towards zero-energy high-rise buildings

In this study, a widely used software package, Trace 700 was used to simulate the energy consumption of the heating and cooling loads of two residential homes and compare them with their experimental values. One home is classified as a zero energy home (ZEH) and employs advanced construction features, which is designed to consume significantly less energy than a normal home. The baseline home is of the exact same dimensions and floor plan as the ZEH, but uses more traditional construction practices. Trace was used to model both homes during periods where both cooling and heating were used, respectively, for an available period of two weeks in 2005. Actual weather data from the vicinity were obtained during the monitoring phase and were introduced into Trace as input data to create a more accurate representation of the conditions. The difference between the simulated predictions and the actual experiments showed an average difference of 2.25 and 6.29% for the baseline house for cooling electric energy and heating energy, respectively, while that difference was 10.67% in cooling for the ZEH. No estimate is presented to the difference in the heating mode for the ZEH due to a plumbing problem. The data showed the ZEH reduced the cooling load by about 76% experimentally and 75% by simulation. The simulation comparison between the baseline and ZEH indicate a reduction of the heating load of about 12%.

Towards the objective of Net ZEB: Detailed energy analysis and cost assessment for new office buildings in Italy

Chapter 8 - Smart-Decarbonized Energy Grids and NZEB Upscaling

Earth-to-air heat exchanger for NZEB in Mediterranean climate

Several definitions of Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB) exist in literature and different implementations of the term can be found in National laws/regulations. The differences among the Member States in nomenclature and definition of the main indicators often lead to incomparable results and difficulties in transfer and diffusion of technologies across the EU. The paper aims to investigate the topic of ZEB by clarifying the meaning of nearly ZEB and Net ZEB through the application of the definitions in a case study of a high-performance building (certified Passivhaus) located in Sicily, Italy. The house fulfils the requirements of nearly ZEB, according to Italian legislation, and satisfies the Net ZEB’s yearly balance between imported and exported energy. However, the use of shorter calculation time periods highlights the presence of a relatively large mismatch between the time of use and of renewable generation. Finally, the results of the thermal comfort analysis show the achievement of adaptive thermal comfort in summer thanks to the passive features of the building (mass, external thermal insulation, solar protections) and passive techniques for heat removal (night ventilation and ground exchange).

Net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) contribute significantly to reducing energy consumption and emission levels in the building sector. While NZEB research is advancing globally, there is limited focus on their transformation in Mediterranean climates, particularly in Türkiye. This study investigates the feasibility of a residential building in Izmir, located in the Mediterranean climate zone of Türkiye, to be converted into NZEB. By applying energy efficiency measures, the techno-economic and environmental performance of two improvement scenarios are analyzed and key economic factors are investigated through sensitivity analysis. The methodology involves using DesignBuilder (DB) software for modeling energy efficiency scenarios and Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) Grid software for system optimization. Two improvement scenarios were analyzed, Scenario 2 reduced primary energy consumption by 72% and CO₂ emissions by 99.1%. The reference building's energy consumption was recorded at 177.55 kWh/m2/year, dominated by heating demand. Scenario 2 achieved the highest savings, reducing primary energy consumption by 72% and CO₂ emissions by 99.1%. HOMER Grid optimized grid-connected PV/Battery systems for NZEB conversion, providing over 66% of annual electricity demand from renewable sources and significant energy sold back to the grid. The findings suggest that NZEB transformation is economically viable and supports Türkiye’s energy policies, reducing fossil fuel use and emissions. This change would reduce natural gas dependence, easing strain on energy imports and the current account deficit. The study recommends enhancing building codes, expanding financial incentives, and promoting integrated renovation strategies combining energy efficiency and renewable technologies.

The European energy policies introduced the Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) objective (Directive, 2010/31/EU and 2018/844/UE) to stimulate the energy transition of the construction sector. EU programs, specifically “Horizon 2020”, promote the NZEB design and also its evolution, namely the Positive Energy Building (PEB) model.Based on the most recent developments, a critical review of the main actions of the European Union towards the development of the NZEB and PEB design models has been conducted. Some considerations on advanced materials and technologies (PCM, VIP, smart glass, integrated photovoltaic systems) have also been added. Finally, a case study is presented (single-family residential NZEB) to show how a careful and integrated design of the building envelope and systems not only allows to obtain an almost total coverage of the energy consumption by renewable sources, but also to generate an energy surplus that could be shared with urban grids (PEB potential).

Nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) require optimisation of parameters like air tightness and heat recovery to minimise heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) energy use. This four climate zones in China: – severe cold (SCZ), cold (CZ), hot summer and cold winter (HSCWZ), and hot summer and warm winter (HSWWZ). Building energy simulations analysed the impact of air tightness and exhaust heat recovery efficiency on the energy use in NZEB archetypes with the identified operation patterns in each zone. Results show SCZ and CZ benefit from improved air tightness up to the Code limit ( N50 = 0.6), giving 36% and 8% energy savings, respectively, with heat recovery compared with using only infiltration for ventilation. For HSWWZ, reducing airtightness to provide adequate fresh air eliminates the need for heat recovery, yielding the lowest energy consumption. When improving the airtightness, sensible heat recovery suits SCZ/CZ, for HSWWZ, total heat recovery is technically more effective for energy savings; however, due to minimal energy consumption differences, meeting ventilation requirements through infiltration is more economical. Thus, regional optimisation of air tightness, ventilation strategy, and heat recovery selection can facilitate the design of high-performance NZEBs. The established coupled operation patterns also better represent NZEB performance versus standardised assumptions. Implications include revised design code requirements for air tightness according to climate zone, transitioning standards to realistic operating conditions and selection criteria for heat recovery equipment. The optimisation methodology and results guide the NZEB energy efficiency in China’s various regions.

Doctoral thesis “Climate adaptive building shell: application of biomimicry principles” author Ruta Vanaga is carried out in Riga Technical University, Institute of Energy Systems and Environment. The aim of the doctoral thesis is to develop innovative climate adaptive building thermal envelope that actively contributes providing constant microclimate (temperature) ensuring solar energy storage. To achieve the goal, the following tasks were set: 1. Follow the biomimicry methodology developing the design. 2. Summarize living being’s thermoregulation strategies maintaining constant core temperature. 3. Identify the most suitable thermoregulation strategy to mimic in climate adaptive building shell – solar energy storage wall. 4. Develop concept for climate adaptive building shell – solar energy storage wall. 5. Perform mathematical modeling and simulation for developed CABS concept using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1. 6. To make a prototype of the developed CABS proposal and to perform an experiment in real climatic conditions. 7. To validate the calculation model with the data obtained in the experiment. 8. To describe the example how to incorporate developed CABS in building design. The thesis includes an introduction and five chapters. The introduction presents the topicality and novelty of the work, defines the aim and tasks of the research, as well as provides information on the methodology and practical use of the research. In the chapter 1, the literature review focuses on low and nearly zero energy buildings. At the begining, the need to design a low and near zero building is proved, technological and functional constraints to achieve the benchmarks set are summarised and it is concluded that there is an urgent need for conceptually new ideas for building envelope constructions. Further on, two innovative directions in the development of new building envelopes – climate-adaptive building shell systems and biomimicry – are described in detail, and examples of objects are described. The chapter 2 describes the elaboration of a proposal for a climate-adaptive building shell module Bi-SES according to biomimicry methodology – starting with the study of nature strategies, the selection of the most appropriate nature strategy with the multi-criteria analysis method and ending with the replication of the chosen strategy in an innovative concept for building envelope that can accumulate and release the solar energy, thus actively participating in the building's energy balance, increasing the energy flexibility of the building. In the chapter 3 experimental research of climate-adaptive building shell module “Bi-SES” was performed. Two experiments were carried out within the framework of the work. The first experiment determines the most suitable phase change material for the developed design, the second experiment compares the Bi-SES prototype with the reference wall. Detailed description of the experimental set up development and the experiment is described, the scheme of the measurements is shown. The chapter 4 describes the mathematical modeling and model validation of the climate-adaptive building shell module Bi-SES with the data obtained in the experiment. Mathematical modeling was performed in COMSOL Multiphysics 5.1 environment. Model creation, equations used, output data, simulation model validation and modeling results analysis is presented in chapter 4. The fifth chapter describes the integration of the climate-adaptive building shell module “Bi-SES” in a real building.

This paper proposes a deterministic mixed integer linear programming model for the optimal operation of an energy system providing thermal and electrical energy for a residential and commercial nearly zero energy building. The space heating and space cooling demand of the buildings is simulated using a resistive-capacitive model within a quadratic program respectively. Thermal energy for space heating, space cooling and domestic hot water is buffered in thermal energy storage systems. A dual source heat pump provides thermal energy for space heating and domestic hot water, whereas space cooling is covered by an underground ice storage. The environmental energy sources of the heat pump are ice storage or wind infrared sensitive collectors. The collectors are further used to regenerate the ice storage. Further space heating demands are covered by a combined heat and power unit, which also produces electricity. Photovoltaic panels produce electrical energy which can be stored in a battery storage system. The electrical energy system is capable of selling and buying electricity from the public power grid. A mixed integer linear programming model is developed to minimise the operation cost of the combined commercial and residential nearly zero energy building over a scheduling horizon of 24h. The developed model is tested on two typical days, which are representative for the summer and winter season. Furthermore, it is investigated how external incentives such as varying electricity prices impact the optimal scheduling of the energy system.

The dry Mediterranean climate (BShs) within a warm semi-arid climate (BSh) is the zone in Europe with the most annual hours of sunlight, and it has a smaller annual temperature variation than most climates. This allows the greenhouse effect caused by windows to be used to heat dwellings in winter. Balcony frameless retractable glazing systems known as “glass curtain” systems offer the highest proportion of glass and maximum openness in the façade, allowing for maximum sunlight and ventilation. This work studies a glazed terrace with a “glass curtain” in a dwelling on the Spanish Mediterranean coastline. The objective is to quantitatively determine the enhancement of the thermal comfort and energy efficiency of a dwelling using “glass curtain” systems. The modification of several design parameters of the glazed terrace is also analysed. The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating that the use and optimised design of “glass curtain” systems allows us to obtain nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) and thermally comfortable dwellings all year round. The research methods include a comparison of the current thermal performance of the dwelling with and without a “glass curtain” system via on-site measurements. The study also evaluates the influence of modifying design parameters using computer simulations. The results show that “glass curtain” systems increase the indoor temperatures inside the dwelling by about 4 °C in winter and reduce the annual indoor thermal oscillation from more than 16 °C to only 10 °C. Consequently, such systems reduce heating energy needs by almost 60%. Glazed terraces using the proposed design parameters show further improvement regarding thermal comfort and practically eliminate heating and cooling needs.

The Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) regulations aim to reduce primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions of buildings, which are the result of creating a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. In this study, the influence of climate change on the regulatory EPB calculation results is analysed for the Flanders region in Belgium. The results of the analysis may be used by authorities to better define nearly zero energy building (NZEB) requirements today. Meteonorm has been used to simulate future climate change based on IPCC scenarios and urban heat island effect. These future climates have been implemented in a Revit-and Excel-based tool that calculates the stochastic variation of energy performance for six different dwelling typologies, based on the semi-steady state energy use calculation method applied in the regional rating method. Four different packages of measures to achieve NZEB performance (thermal insulation, energy efficient ventilation, renewable energy technologies,…) have been considered. The results for primary energy use, overheating indicator and net energy use for heating and cooling have been analysed. As may be expected, climate change is found to lead to an increase in overheating risk, an increase in cooling energy use, and a decrease in heating energy use in the analysed dwellings. Since in most cases the decrease in heating energy use outweighs the increase in cooling energy use, the total primary energy use decreases in most cases for the 2050 future climate.

Performance level criteria for semi-transparent photovoltaic windows based on dye-sensitized solar cells