Abstract
The primary goal of this research was to minimise the energy consumed by heating and cooling loads in residential buildings in a sub-humid Mediterranean climate zone. This was achieved by optimising the design variables of various building envelopes using DesignBuilder software to compare the thermal performance of a baseline building model located in Ajlun (city in northern Jordan mountainous area) with the performance of other buildings with various design configurations. A sensitivity analysis (SA) was then conducted for twelve design variables to evaluate their influence on both cooling and heating loads using a regression method. The variables were divided into two groups according to their importance: a high importance design variables (window to wall ratio, local shading type, round floor construction, natural ventilation rate, infiltration rate (ac/h), glazing type, flat roof construction) and a low importance design variables (partition construction, site orientation, external wall construction, window blind type, window shading control schedule).The final results show significant reduction in the total energy consumption.
Highlights
Energy efficiency has become a necessity for countries, governments, scientists, and the public as the demand on energy is increasing sharply while resources are depleting
Because the purpose of the research was to optimise the design parameters of several building envelopes, a baseline residential building that complied with Jordanian codes was designed and its thermal performance evaluated using Designbuilder software
A simulation of the thermal performance of a baseline building was conducted and this showed that the baseline building will consume 4513.68 KWh/year of energy divided into 3736.76 KWh/year for the heating load and 776.92 KWh/year for the cooling load
Summary
Energy efficiency has become a necessity for countries, governments, scientists, and the public as the demand on energy is increasing sharply while resources are depleting. Scientist and researchers have ceaselessly investigated ways in which to secure better construction materials, lower costs, more energy efficient buildings, and a greater degree of thermal comfort. There needs to be new, innovative designs for the construction of buildings. Effective and accurate software programs are required that can correctly predict the performance of buildings in disparate conditions. To enhance the prediction of energy usage within buildings and lower their running costs, it is vital to address all relevant physical, social, and environmental factors during their construction (AlAddous and Albatayneh, 2020)
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