Abstract
With voluntary and mandatory energy performance standards now becoming more common around the world, schemes to develop low energy buildings have become more apparent in developed countries. The Passivhaus standard, established 25 years ago in Germany, is one the most stringent and promising low energy building standards in Europe. It started as a construction concept applied to residential buildings, but has since spread as a voluntary ultra-low energy efficient standard to different parts of the world. Qatar, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, announced in 2013 the completion of the first Passivhaus project in the Gulf Region. The current and future performance of the Passivhaus project in Qatar was investigated in this study using current and future climate scenarios. Computer modelling was used to simulate the energy performance of the house and the thermal comfort of the occupants. In addition, on-site measurements were made to corroborate the modelling outcomes. Further, the impacts of climate change on the Passivhaus project was examined, and comparative analyses were undertaken. The findings suggested that the Passivhaus performs well under the current and the future weather data sets. Furthermore, the modelling indicates that the Qatar house is close to achieving the Passivhaus standard.
Highlights
As countries develop so their demand for energy increases [1]
The findings suggested that the market for Passivhaus should not just be limited to Central Europe, and that the ultra-low energy standard could be a feasible option in different climates [9]
CCWorldWeatherGen incorporated the use of an emissions scenario developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) called A2, which is at the higher end of the emissions scenarios [40]
Summary
As countries develop so their demand for energy increases [1]. In recent years studies have been devoted to assessing global energy demand [2], and the three main sectors that contribute towards energy consumption which are buildings, transport and industry. The United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) identified buildings as the most significant sector in national energy consumption, with a UNEP report indicating that 30%–40% of the world’s energy is consumed within buildings [1,3]. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are leading the way towards sustainability, as institutions and organizations have been established to promote research in the areas of energy and climate change [6,7]. Research in this area at this stage is vital, as more energy performance lessons have to be learned and applied within the built environment
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