Investigation of energy performance of a rammed earth built commercial office building in three different climate zones of Australia

Abstract

This paper will examine the predicted Annual Energy Consumption (kWh/yr) of a commercial office building made of rammed earth in Sub-tropical, tropical and temperate climate of Australia using design data of the building fabric and glazing. An in-depth analysis for the energy efficiency of the building is cost effective and considered as a best practice for building design and construction prior to the commencement of the project. To improve Energy performance of this building project, thermal simulation and comprehensive simulated data analysis were conducted, using DesignBuilder. This includes detailed analysis of Annual Energy Consumption (kWh/yr), including Heating and Cooling Energy (kWh/yr). Different constructions, including rammed earth wall, lightweight wall and heavy weight wall were used for the evaluation of the proposed office building’s thermal simulation in order to achieve a cost effective and energy efficient solution. Finally, changes to any building elements for Energy performance improvement of the building project are identified, and its compliance with National Construction Code (NCC) of Australia for three climate zones is assessed.