Passive Energy Conservation Research Articles

Passive Energy Conservation Strategies for Mitigating Energy Consumption and Reducing CO2 Emissions in Traditional Dwellings of Peking Area, China

Within China, brick dwellings stand as archetypal relics of traditional habitation, embodying a “living fossil” status. The sustainability of these dwellings is contingent upon the integration of energy-conservation strategies. This study scrutinized and empirically assessed a representative dwelling in the Peking area. Using numerical simulations, the impact on energy consumption of factors such as insulation and glazing type, external wall thickness, insulation thickness, and solar energy utilization was evaluated. The outcomes reveal that introducing external thermal insulation—specifically, expanded polystyrene panels with a thickness of 60 mm and 40 mm for the roof and exterior walls, respectively—along with a sunspace of depth 1.5 m yielded superior energy efficiency. Additionally, substituting conventional roofing with solar tiles exhibited a potential annual electricity generation coupled with an annual solar radiation conversion efficiency of 17%. Collectively, these strategies induced a substantial reduction in annual energy consumption. This study presents tailored energy-conservation measures and provides design decision support for architects’ practical recommendations on thermal environment control of passive traditional dwellings in the Peking area.

Application of Spectrometry for Determining the Solar Radiation of Deciduous Trees’ Shade: A Passive Energy Conservation Approach for Mediterranean Climates

Deciduous trees are well known for controlling solar gains in buildings, contributing to energy savings in a sector that consumes 35% of global energy. However, there is still a lack of information about the real thermal impact that deciduous trees have. This work proposes a new method that is cheap and easy to implement to quantify the shading efficiency of different types of deciduous trees in hot seasons. The results can be applied in energy evaluations of buildings. The trees selected belong to the central valley of Chile, which is characterized by hot summers and cold winters. The trees selected can also be found in other parts of the world. A spectrometer is used for measuring the amount of solar radiation (irradiance) that is present in the shadow of trees, measuring wavelengths between 339 nm and 750 nm (mostly within the visible light range). The full referential irradiance spectrum of the site is obtained by calibrating the standard ASTM G-173-03. At the site, the spectrometer is used to obtain the visible light range, while the infrared radiation (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation ranges are obtained from the literature. Our results indicate that the analyzed deciduous trees reduce an average of 82% of the solar radiation. This information will help project designers during the building energy efficiency design phase by representative modeling of the solar radiation gains allowed by deciduous trees.

Assessing the performance gap of two dynamic thermal modelling software tools when comparing with real-time data in relation to thermal loss

Managing thermal loss is a key topic that needs further investigation as it has a direct link to reducing the energy load in buildings. One of these thermal loss management methods can be the use of shading devices. Dynamic thermal models normally used at the early stages of the building design can play an important role in the decision-making process regarding the use of shading devices. This paper presents the results of a real-world study assessing the potential of using a sealed cellular blind as a passive energy conservation method, where the real-world results are compared with the simulated results generated with environmental design solutions limited thermal analysis software (EDSL Tas) and integrated environmental solutions virtual environment (IES VE). During the real-world study, a positive impact of having blinds was seen whereby the window surface temperature increased and office heating energy consumption was lowered. Both software tools were able to predict a similar trend of results for the window surface temperature in with and without blind scenarios whereas for energy consumption although in the presence of a blind a consistent correlation is seen between measured and calculated values but not without a blind. This can be attributed to the inability of the software tools in demonstrating the effect of infiltration in the absence of a blind or shading device i.e., a clear window scenario. The performance gap analysis regarding thermal loss between dynamic thermal models and real-world settings within buildings can enhance the predictability of the building energy software tools used by designers. Early design inputs within buildings can prevent costly building re-work to improve the building’s energy performance. This can also improve the understanding within the building industry of the importance of reducing thermal loss through the use of shading devices and ensuring the software tools used to model these devices are as close to real-world settings as possible.

Integration of passive energy conservation measures in a detached residential building design in warm humid climate

Implementing appropriate passive design strategies at the early design stage of a building is a viable option for energy conservation in buildings. While literature is plenty on various passive solutions, a systematic approach for integrating all feasible options in a given building for a given location is lacking. As part of achieving energy-efficiency in residential buildings, the present study has analyzed the energy-saving potential and economic viability of adopting passive energy conservation measures (ECMs) on a detached family house in warm-humid climate of South India. Individual ECMs were assessed based on their energy-saving potential and cost-effectiveness, and the selected options were integrated in the building design. The modeling and simulations were performed by a reliable software (DesignBuilder, V.6) to estimate the annual energy consumption of the building with and without ECMs. The individual and combined contributions of ECMs in reducing the building's energy performance index (EPI) were quantified, and their economic viability was assessed in terms of discounted payback period (DPP). After finalizing all the viable passive design strategies, two options were proposed for the roof: cool roof painting and green roof. The results showed that about 34% reduction in EPI was possible by integrating the proposed ECMs with cool roof, while it was about 32% with green roof; the corresponding DPPs for the additional investment were estimated to be 4.3 years and 5.73 years. The present study provides a systematic approach for incorporating passive design options at the early design stage of air-conditioned residential buildings on the basis of energy performance and cost-effectiveness. This approach can be extended for different types of buildings in different climatic locations.

Multi-factor optimization of energy performance in naturally ventilated building: a case study of office building in hot summer and cold winter climate

Nowadays, building energy consumption is responsible for 30% to 40% of total energy usage in many countries. The energy performance of each building is related to many factors. Most of them are determined in design stage. Meanwhile, natural ventilation is one of the most potential passive energy conservation, especially in hot summer and cold winter climate zone. This study aims to figure out how to make the most of natural ventilation in building energy conservation in hot summer and cold winter climate zone. By comparing different building design plans, this study try to provide a method to help find the best-optimized building parameters design solutions. Six main factors are selected, including: building orientation, exterior wall masonry, window wall ratio, shading overhang depth, binds slat angel(include the situation when there is no blinds at all), exterior window structure. A seven-layer office building in hot summer and cold winter zone is modelled and simulated in Energyplus. Two building running plans are compared: (a) the air conditioning system is always on during office occupancy time; (b) the air conditioning system is off when natural ventilation can guarantee thermal comfort inside the building. The results shows, plan (b) saves more than 40% energy on different building parameters designs comparing to plan (a).

SYSTEMATIC GRAPHICALLY-INTERPRETED MODELS OF CREATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS

The article considers the creation of systematic graphically-interpreted models for matrix analysis of energy saving measures in the design of residential energy efficient and passive buildings, reconstruction of residential and historical buildings and the creation of energy-active architectural objects using alternative energy sources. Energy-efficient design of new buildings and modernization of old ones remains an urgent task. Ukraine's construction organizations are increasingly interested in reducing energy consumption and introducing energy-saving technologies. Scientists are trying to make housing more energy efficient, namely, consuming less energy compared to ordinary buildings and not polluting the environment. Increasing the level of energy supply and reducing the individual costs of servicing the house will allow solving the problem of creating graphically interpreted models of energy efficiency of the building and energy costs. The analysis is based on a combination of active and passive energy conservation measures and takes into account possible limitations based on a system approach in the construction of an integrated model of an energy active building.
 The analysis is based on a combination of active and passive energy saving measures and takes into account possible limitations based on a systematic approach by creation a comprehensive model of an energy-active building.

Research on External Space Design of Green University Campus in Lingnan Area Based on Climate Suitability

With the rapid development of society and the continuous improvement of living standards, ecological environment and energy problems are becoming increasingly prominent, and university campuses are also facing many environmental problems. However, the green concept was not considered in the initial design of many university campuses, which resulted in the inability to effectively solve the environmental problems in the later stage. Campus external space design is an important part of campus design. The purpose of this study is to introduce the green concept into this link, implant "passive energy conservation" from the design source, and carry out climate adaptability design for green university campus. Green university campus in Lingnan area is explored at the level of urban design to achieve the optimization possibility of external space design strategy. Through the comparative study of the microclimate in the square, the courtyard and the street, the outer space of the university campus in Lingnan area is analyzed and sorted out to get a universal spatial prototype. Based on the advantages of traditional buildings in Lingnan, this paper deals with the hot climate in Lingnan by means of shading, heat insulation, ventilation and cooling.

Thermodynamic and thermal comfort optimisation of a coastal social house considering the influence of the thermal breeze

Tropical coastal areas are characterised by high levels of wind and solar resources with large potentials to be utilised for low-energy building design. This paper presents a multi-objective optimisation framework capable of evaluating cost-efficient and low-exergy coastal building designs considering the influence of the thermal breeze. An integrated dynamic simulation tool has been enhanced to consider the impacts of the sea-land breeze effect, aiming at potentiating natural cross-ventilation to improve occupant's thermal comfort and reduce cooling energy demand. Furthermore, the technological database considers a wide range of active and passive energy conservation measures. As a case study, a two-storey/two-flat detached social house located in the North-Pacific coast of Mexico has been investigated. The optimisation problem has considered the minimisation of: i. annual exergy consumption, ii. life cycle cost, and iii. thermal discomfort. Optimisation results have shown that adequate building orientation and window opening control to optimise the effects of the thermal breeze, combined with other passive and active strategies such as solar shading devices, an improved envelope's physical characteristics, and solar assisted air source heat pumps have provided the best performance under a limited budget. Compared to the baseline design, the closest to utopia design has increased thermal comfort by 93.8% and reduced exergy consumption by 10.3% whilst increasing the life cycle cost over the next 50 years by 18.5% (from US$39,864 to US$47,246). The importance of renewable generation incentives is further discussed as a counter effect measure for capital cost increase as well as unlocking currently high-cost low-exergy technologies.

Thermal modelling of insulator for energy saving in existing residential building

The present work aims to check the energy consumption of typical household buildings located in hot and humid environment using passive energy conservation techniques. The primary tenet of sustainable development is energy conservation. The recent advance in construction technology gives seminal importance to minimisation of energy demand. However, the already built environment, consumes sustained amount of energy hampering sustainability. In this research, thermal simulation is carried out for observing reduction in energy consumption of three residential buildings in the Bhopal city of India. Ambient temperature, surface temperature and Heat transfer has been analyzed after using modern insulating techniques, namely ceramic tiles, high reflective coating, aluminum paint on roof, along with rock wool spread on opaque components of the building. The results of the investigation suggest that the use of reflective solar coating in roof and walls of buildings reduces heat gain by as much as 25%. Simulations are carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools with fluent software.

Review of phase change heat storage and night ventilation technology of buildings

Building energy consumption is an important part of total energy consumption in societies; conservation of building operation energy is vital for sustainable development. The use of air conditioning systems to maintain a comfortable summer indoor thermal environment is a common practice in modern buildings, which consumes a large amount of nonrenewable energy and is detrimental to energy efficiency and human health. A passive building energy efficiency strategy is used to enhance the building’s own performance and make complete use of natural energy to create a comfortable indoor thermal environment. Building passive energy conservation strategy is a powerful way to achieve sustainable development, promote economic development, and facilitate environmental protection. Phase change heat storage technology and night ventilation technology are efficient energy saving measures utilized in passive buildings. Phase change heat storage regulates the indoor heat distribution effectively through the phase change period to reduce the peak temperature and increase the lowest temperature in the indoor environment. Furthermore, ventilation during summer nights carries a lot of natural cooling and directly reduces the temperature of the indoor environment. The composite technology that integrates phase change thermal storage and night ventilation can significantly improve the summer indoor environment and reduce cooling energy consumption. The phase change material can absorb extra heat during daytime when indoor environment is hot and release it at night. Simultaneously, night ventilation can remove the heat released by the phase change material and provide cooling capacity to materials, thereby promoting the phase change process. Therefore, this composite technology can reduce the indoor temperature throughout the day. Moreover, the technology uses phase change heat storage to enhance the thermal stability of buildings and to solve the mismatch problem pertaining to the short-term supply of natural cooling resources and whole-day cooling demand of buildings. Alternatively, the technology utilizes night ventilation to fully acquire the natural cooling resources. In this paper, research progress of phase change heat storage and night ventilation cooling technology is reviewed based on the survey of the main field research on phase change heat storage, night ventilation, and composite cooling technology. This paper analyzes the components of the composite cooling technology from the aspects of technical principles, experimental research, energy savings, and cooling effects. The analysis shows that reasonable application of the composite cooling technology can obtain comfortable indoor environments and reduce cooling energy consumption during summer. This paper analyzes the mutual influence relationship between the constituent elements of the composite cooling technology. The technology is affected by various conditions, including climatic conditions, phase change heat storage models, ventilation strategies, etc. Furthermore, there is an urgency to perfect the thermal design standard of these technologies. Finally, the paper presents the prospects for further investigating the composite cooling mechanism and optimizing the thermal design strategy, and indicates the need for further in-depth research in the coupling mechanism of the technology and thermal design methods. This paper could help architects, engineers, and researchers understand these building passive energy saving technologies.

The Energy-Efficient Adaptation Scheme for Residential Buildings in Kazakhstan

Abstract: Green building is a system of interaction between climate, and the natural source has energy property, harmony with nature. Due to the cold climate of Kazakhstan, the issue of energy consumption of residential buildings is more important. Energy consumption of buildings in this region is more than half of the total. The system optimizes, must apply the theoretical analysis of research related to current problems. More efficient use of the construction of residential buildings and reduce energy consumption. To expand and develop creative, original architectural design ideas, principles, and methods. Application of green technology in the territory of Kazakhstan in the first step can be carried out by passive energy conservation. The results, theoretical model, adapt to green standards in Kazakhstan and planned development model. The adaptation of green technology is possible to represent framework. For a more detailed analysis and further research.

Post Industrialist Pioneers. Gyűrűfű: An Ecological Anthropological Experiment

Gyűrűfű, a small village in Zselic, South-Transdanubia depopulated in the 1970s, is the site of an eco-village experiment since 1990. In addition to some of the physical aspects of the project not covered earlier on, this paper deals with the human ecological features of the new community. Social-anthropological considerations such as community development, social background of the participants, the Communist past, which all are determining factors of the social model emerging on site, are discussed from the systems theoretical perspective which states that certain properties of a subsystem are always defined by the superimposed supersystem, both in physical geography and social organisation. The resulting tensions stretched social cohesion in the past 10–15 years, but new developments such as creating jobs by modern telecommunication means and achieving energy independence through the deployment of solar panels and passive energy conservation solutions off-set for these difficulties. The future of the experiment depends very much on three factors: generation change, immigration/emigration and conflict resolution.

Establishment of Passive Energy Conservation Measure and Economic Evaluation of Fenestration System in Nonresidential Building of Korea

ECO2 (building energy efficiency rating program) and passive energy conservation measures (ECMs) were established as a basic study for targeted methodologies and decision support systems development in Korea to meet national regulations. The primary energy consumption and economic evaluation of nonresidential buildings was performed. Passive ECMs were classified as planning and performance elements. The planning elements are the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and horizontal shading angle. The performance elements are the thermal transmittance (U-value) of the walls, roof, and floor and the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) of windows. This study focused on the window-to-wall ratio and the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient of windows. An economic efficiency database for the constructed alternatives was built; the target building was set and the Passive ECM List for the target building was derived. The energy consumption evaluation and economic evaluation were performed for each of the constructed alternatives, and a methodology for guiding energy efficiency decisions was proposed based on the performance evaluation results, and the optimal Passive ECM List for the target building was derived.

The impact of evaporation from porous tile on roof thermal performance: A case study of Guangzhou’s climatic conditions

The evaporative-cooling roof is a popular passive energy conservation technique. This article presents a novel approach for modelling and analysing the influence of evaporation on roof thermal performance. A multivariate nonlinear model was developed for the prediction of the evaporation rate from porous tile. A computer program was then developed based on the one-dimensional roof unsteady heat transfer theory. Finally, the computer program and hourly weather data of Guangzhou, China, were used to analyse the impacts of evaporation (including the evaporation start time and water-application frequency) and slope orientation on roof thermal performance. Evaporation beginning at 11:00 can reduce the external surface temperatures of a horizontal roof and 30°-inclined east-sloping and west-sloping roofs by up to 11.3, 10.7, and 9.8°C, respectively, from those of a non-evaporative roof. This, in turn, can reduce the peak-hour (16:00–20:00) internal surface heat flux. Additionally, with the horizontal roof, the reduction in the peak-hour heat flux can be doubled if the evaporative layer is frequently replenished with water.

The Investigation of the Design of Natural Ventilation in Croquet Stadium Haicang Sports Center

This essay uses Croquet stadium in Haicang Sports Center as an example of the hot summer and warm winter architecture of passive energy conservation, analyzes and summarizes design philosophy, applied technology, design practice and energy saving effects. This essay also investigates utilizing the passive architectural design of low technology from designing method to achieve the purpose of building energy conservation.

Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: Trees for South Florida

Landscape plants can improve the appearance of our surroundings and modify the extremes of local climate (microclimate modification). Plants provide shade, insulate the home from heat loss or gain, and cool the air that surrounds their leaves through transpiration (release of water from plant pores). Trees are the main types of landscape plants used around the home for passive energy conservation. They provide shade, influence air movement around the house and, once established, require little maintenance. The energy-conserving impact of a particular tree species depends on 1) whether it keeps its leaves during the winter and 2) the shape of a tree and density of its foliage. This document is about choosing the right species of trees to plant in Florida, the sites to plant them, and how to properly maintain them. First published Jul. 1993.

The Strategies of Passive Energy-Efficiency Design in Low Energy Building

This paper briefly analyzes the structure and conservation approaches of building energy consumption, analyzes the forming reason and influence factors of heating and air-conditioning energy consumption and proposes the passive energy conservation designing strategies of low energy consumption building. Through the passive methods of building design, envelop enclosure and planning landscape, the goal of last year building low energy conservation can be achieved.

Back-pass non-perforated unglazed solar collector: performance and evaluation

The thermal efficiency is investigated of the new Kingspan back pass non-perforated unglazed solar collector (BPSC). This technology incorporated into the building sector, can potentially change the role of the building envelope from passive energy conservation, to that of producer of energy. BPSC can be used as a preheated air source for heating and ventilation, leading to a reduction in energy consumption. The BPSC system can potentially reduce the heating and monetary requirement for the buildings by 23%. Over a one year period, temperature rise at different heights, flow rates and solar radiations have been monitored. An equation to predict the temperature rise through the solar collector is proposed.

Passive Energy-Saving Design in Hot and Humidity Area: A Case Study of Multi-Functional Stadium of Guangdong College of Pharmacy

As stadiums have high energy consumption in architectural lighting and air conditioning, how to make full use of natural lighting and natural ventilation is the key to architectural energy conservation. To this end, many passive energy conservation measures have been taken into account in designing Multifunctional Stadium of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University. For instance, strip light windows with vertical shading have been installed on east and west facade, open external windows on south and north facade etc. Test result of the Stadium shows that the above-mentioned passive design methods are able to increase natural light intensity of the playing field and prevent glare, improve wind velocity of natural ventilation and comfort in spectator areas.

Measurement and Analysis of Multi-Functional Stadium of Guangdong College of Pharmacy

As stadiums have high energy consumption in architectural lighting and air conditioning, how to make full use of natural lighting and natural ventilation is the key to architectural energy conservation. To this end, many passive energy conservation measures have been taken into account in designing Multifunctional Stadium of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University. For instance, strip light windows with vertical shading have been installed on east and west facade, open external windows on south and north facade, and green roof on Auxiliary Stadium etc. Test result of the Stadium shows that the above-mentioned passive design methods are able to increase natural light intensity of the playing field and prevent glare, improve wind velocity of natural ventilation and comfort in spectator areas, reduce inner surface temperature and thermal radiation of the roof on Auxiliary Stadium.