Abstract
Energy consumption in residential buildings is one of the increasing phenomenal in the built environment. It has become imperative to react to the state of rapidly dwindling natural resources, environmental pressures and climate change posing fundamental threat to economic systems and human survival in Nigeria and globally. Until fairly recently, green considerations for existing residential buildings have received less attention. In Nigeria, several thousand households of low income buildings spends large sums of their earnings on energy bills, while getting less energy-driven services for their appliances and utilities to meet their needs. This paper explores possible alternatives for less dependence on national energy supply with more environmental benefits through sustainable retrofit and resource-efficiency interventions for low-income houses. The objective is to address issues relating to energy generation, conservation and other associated resource management with a view to achieving the development of a low carbon and more eco-friendly built environment. It is expected that the outcome of this paper will make an important contribution in the form of recommendations for future policies and programmes regarding retrofitting of existing residential houses and the construction of new ones in Nigeria. It concludes that if policies and regulatory mechanism are put in place for greening low-income housing in Nigeria, this could deliver a pathway to improving energy efficiency of the existing building sector.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.15.2.15557
Highlights
In the 2030 challenge, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) along with U.S Green Building Council advocated that new construction of residential and commercial buildings should use half the fossil fuel of average existing buildings and a gradual increase in performance of the existing buildings so that by 2030 new buildings are carbon-neutral
This paper aims is to explore the avenues for potential retrofit in Nigeria existing residential buildings
The results showed that reduction in final energy use was achieved, the primary energy is still determined by the type of energy supply system used
Summary
This brings to fore the need for greater attention to be accorded to existing building stock most especially residential buildings. In the 2030 challenge, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) along with U.S Green Building Council advocated that new construction of residential and commercial buildings should use half the fossil fuel of average existing buildings and a gradual increase in performance of the existing buildings so that by 2030 new buildings are carbon-neutral. Achieving the gradual increase in energy performance of existing residential buildings would require leading-edge energy retrofits. In Nigeria several thousands of housing units for the low income group are designed and constructed with little or no regard for low energy use and other ‘green’ design considerations. High levels of additional energy are required to keep the houses cool in the hot season months
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