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Vernacular architecture’s use of passive building techniques has been developed in response to the prevailing climatic conditions of the past. Today, buildings are designed with complete indifference to the climate and materials. Energy consumption in buildings is mainly connected to space cooling, supply of hot water, lighting, cooking and, use of appliances. Space cooling and lighting are directly influenced by the design of the building. Energy codes should be concerned with ‘sufficiency’ as well as ‘efficiency’. A more economic and ecological approach to building design is needed.

A qualitatively new dimension has been introduced to the issue of building structures for energy-efficient buildings by the system of Active Thermal Insulation (ATI), which is already applied in the construction of such buildings. ATI are embedded pipe systems in the envelope structures of buildings, into which we supply a heat-carrying medium with adjusted temperature, so this constitutes a combined building-energy system. This introduces the concept of an internal energy source understood as an energy system integrated into the zone between the static part and the thermal insulation part of the building structure envelope. Under certain conditions, the ATI can serve as a heat recuperator or as an energy collector for a heat pump application. ATI consists of pipe systems embedded in building structures, in which the medium circulates heated by energy from any heat source. The function of the system is to reduce or eliminate heat losses through non-transparent structures in the winter and at the same time to reduce or eliminate heat gains in the summer. It is especially recommended to apply heat sources using renewable energy sources due to the required low temperatures of the heating medium and thus shorten the heating period in the building. Also recommended is to apply ATI for the use of waste heat. Buildings with a given system show low energy consumption and therefore meet the requirements of Directive no. 2018/844/EU, according to which, from 01.01.2021, all new buildings for housing and civic amenities should have energy needs close to zero.

The paper analyzes utilization of a PV system driving a heat pump in the low energy house in the Polish climate during winter. Based on meteorological data and technical data for the PV modules the energy output for all hours of the year is calculated. The duration of the heating season and the quantity of energy that must be supplied to the heat pump over all the days of the year to keep the indoor air temperature at a constant level are calculated and an estimate of the time of its operation for every day of the year is made. The share of PV energy and energy from the grid towards the total energy supplied to drive the heat pump is determined. Two cases of PV systems are considered: with batteries and without (but the time of the heat pump operation coincides with the time of the availability of solar radiation). The impact of the PV operation on indices of energy consumption is analyzed according to Polish energy sector rules. The results show that reduction of primary energy consumption is not significant. However, to give a definite answer on reduction of energy consumption a study of the operation over a whole year is needed.

Sverige har klimatmålet att nå negativa utsläpp av växthusgaser efter 2045 och det har en stor betydelse för att kunna uppnå Parisavtalet. Året 2021 stod bostäder och service för 43 % av den totala slutliga energianvändningen i Sverige och en minskning av den här användningen genom energieffektivisering är ett steg åt rätt riktning. Villa Ehrling byggdes 1982 i Falun och var tidigt ute med unika lösningar. I arbetet kartläggs de olika energieffektiviserande åtgärderna som förekommer i energivillan och energiberäkningar har genomförts över husets energiprestanda och klimatskal. Resultatet jämförs med dagens krav och andra lågenergihus för att avgöra om idéerna i villan kan implementeras än idag på nybyggnationer. Det primära syftet med villan är att utnyttja aktiv och passiv solenergi med vatten-och luftsolfångare samt lagra solenergi i villans stomme. Genom en unik utformning av fasaden med en 70 graders takvinkel, samt en orientering av byggnaden med stora glasspartier åt sydväst, kan värme tillföras från solinstrålningen under stora delar av året men också avskärmas under sommaren då solen står högre på himlen och värmebehovet är lägre. Utöver det har fasaden designats för att minska energiförluster från kall vind från norr med en låg takvinkel på 26 grader och begränsat antal fönsterytor. Villans ventilationssystem förvärmer tilluften genom lagrad värme i marken och återvinner värmen i frånluften. Överskottsvärmen kan lagras i ett stenmagasin under huset bestående av kullersten och tas ut när behovet finns. Ytterligare energieffektiviserande lösningar som förekommer i villan är återanvändandet av spillvärmen i avloppet med en avloppsvärmeväxlare. Resultatet av studien visar att villa Ehrling har en energiprestanda som varierar beroende på beteendet hos boende från omkring 35 % till 75 % lägre än de krav som ställs på nybyggnationer enligt Boverkets byggregler. Det här innebär att villan uppnår en hög energiklassificeringen med betygen A eller B än idag och hamnar i samma klassificering som andra lågenergihus. Byggnaden har en genomsnittlig värmegenomgångskoefficient på 0,314 W/(m2 K) vilket nästan uppfyller det högsta tillåtna värdet på denna koefficient idag. Jämfört med moderna lågenergihus fann den här studien att klimatskalet på villa Ehrling var mycket sämre. Slutsatsen från detta arbete är att trots villa Ehrling byggdes omkring 40 år sedan är det en villa som är mycket relevant än idag, både prestandamässigt och att mycket av husets energieffektiviserande lösningar är vanligt förekommande i nybyggnationer och andra lågenergihus idag. Sweden has the goal of reaching negative emissions in the year 2045 to be able to reach the Paris agreement. In the year 2021, 43 % of the total energy consumption in Sweden came from housing and service and more efficient buildings is a step in the right direction. Villa Ehrling was built in 1982 in Falun, Sweden, with some interesting concepts. This report will present the concepts of the building and calculations that cover the performance of the house and its envelope. The results are compared with the requirement of how well insulated a house should be when built today. The performance and concepts of Villa Ehrling is also compared with other low-energy buildings to determine if some of Ehrlings concepts are of any use to implement in other buildings. The primary purpose of villa Ehrling is to utilize solar energy actively with air and water solar collectors, and passively by storing heat in building parts. A unique design of the façade, with and an orientation towards southwest with large areas of glass and a roof with an angle of 70 degrees, enables the ability to absorb solar heat during larger parts of the year and block the sun rays during summer when the heat demand is low. The façade contains small areas of glass towards northeast and a low roof angle of 26 degrees to reduce energy losses causes by cold winds.The ventilation system utilizes stored heat in the ground to preheat incoming air. The heat in the outflowing air is also utilized to preheat incoming air. Villa Ehrling has a heat storage made of cobblestone where energy is provided by heated air, and the energy can be extracted when the need occurs. Heat from showers and hot tap water usage is used in a heat exchanger and preheats tap water.The result of the study shows that villa Ehrling has an energy performance that varies depending on the behaviour of residents from about 35 % to 75 % lower than the requirements for new constructions according to the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's building regulations. This means that the villa achieves a high energy classification with the grade A or B even today and ends up in the same classification as other low-energy houses. The building has an average heat transfer coefficient of 0.314 W/(m2 K), which almost meets the maximum permissible value of this coefficient today. Compared to modern low-energy houses, this study found that the envelope of villa Ehrling was much worse.The conclusion from this work is that despite villa Ehrling being built about 40 years ago, it is a villa that is very relevant even today, both in terms of the energy performance and that much of the house's energy efficient solutions are common in new buildings and other low-energy houses today.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a fixed PV energy system design and a sun tracking PV energy system design to meet the primitive energy demands of a typical house in Sakarya, Turkey with energy payback times (EPBT) and greenhouse payback times (GPBT) calculations. Design/methodology/approach The designs were developed based on the total solar radiation received on the surface of the PV modules. The EPBT and the GPBT of the designs were investigated by utilizing the current embodied energy data of the literature and annual energy output of the proposed systems. The monthly mean total solar radiation, the yearly total solar radiation and the annual energy output of the systems were calculated according to the results of previous studies of authors on 80-W prototypes of a fixed PV energy system tilted at the yearly optimum tilt angle of Sakarya and a two-axis sun tracking PV energy system. Findings The annual energy outputs of the fixed system and the tracking system were established to be 10.092 and 10.311 MJ, respectively. EPBT of the systems were estimated 15.347 years for the fixed system and 11.932 years for the tracking systems which were less than the lifespan of PV modules. The greenhouse gas emitted to produce and install the systems were estimated to be 6,899.342 kg for the fixed system and 5,040.097 kg for the tracking system. GPBT of the systems were calculated to be 5.203 and 2.658 years, respectively. Originality/value PV energy is clean without greenhouse gas emission during the operation. However, significant emissions occur in the life cycle of PV modules until the installation is completed. Therefore reducing the number of PV modules make great differences in the GPBT of PV energy systems. In this paper, comparisons between the GPBT results of the optimally tilted fixed system and tracking system were performed to discuss the best option by means of environmental concerns.

Data-driven models based on thermal resistor-capacitor networks (RC models) are useful in enhancing the energy performance of buildings. This paper presents a simple yet effective methodology to obtain reliable RC models for thermal dynamics of houses. In this methodology, complex preliminary model structures are first created based on physical principles and then simplified by progressively removing non-identifiable parameters to obtain the most suitable model structures. Two important techniques are adopted in the simplification process: (1) a genetic algorithm is employed during model training to ensure satisfactory fitting ability of large model structures; (2) asymptotic confidence intervals are calculated for parameter estimates and used to define parameter non-identifiability. The methodology is illustrated using a case study of a low energy house. The case study shows that the uncertainty of the obtained model is low, and the model parameters can be easily physically interpreted. Furthermore, validations of the simplified model structure show that there is no evident decrease in the fitting accuracy and the obtained model is able to characterize temperature differences between adjacent thermal zones.

The topic of the bachelor thesis is a comparison of acquisition and operating costs of traditional, low-energy, passive and zero-energy houses. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The first one consists of a literature research, which provides the necessary information regarding definitions, history, characteristics and advantages and disadvantages of individual building standards. In addition, this section provides general information on design, material and technological possibilities during construction. The practical part is based on the acquisition and operating costs of individual building standards for the two most frequently represented types of detached houses. The result of this paper is the calculation of a simple return on investment and the decision tree, which should facilitate decision-making on the choice of the standard.

A ventilated window system enhanced by phase change material (PCM) has been developed, and its energy-saving potential examined in previous works. In this paper, the ventilation control strategies are further developed, to improve the energy-saving potential of the PCM energy storage. The influence of ventilation airflow rate on the energy-saving potential of the PCM storage is firstly studied based on an EnergyPlus model of a sustainable low energy house located in New York. It shows that in summer, the optimized ventilation airflow rate is 300 m3/h. The energy-saving of utilizing a ventilated window with PCM energy storage is 10.1% compared to using a stand-alone ventilated window, and 12.0% compared to using a standard window. In winter, the optimized ventilation airflow rate is 102 m3/h. The energy-saving of utilizing a ventilated window with PCM energy storage is 26.6% compared to using a stand-alone ventilated window, and 32.8% compared to using a standard window. Based on the optimized ventilation airflow rate, a demand control ventilation strategy, which personalizes the air supply and heat pump setting based on the demand of each room, is proposed and its energy-saving potential examined. The results show that the energy savings of using demand control compared to a constant ventilation airflow rate in the house is 14.7% in summer and 30.4% in winter.

Buildings are the largest consumers of energy, accounting for nearly 40% of all energy used. Therefore, an effective method of reducing energy consumption is to create and design more efficient buildings. In this paper details of a sustainable and green building design for a small residential home are presented. This design is unique in that it is built to Passive house standards, and using shipping containers. The structure will use four 20 ft. (6.1 m) high and one 40 ft. (12.2 m) high cube containers, with the four 20 ft. (6.1 m) making up the main floor and the 40 ft. (12.2 m) forming the second floor. The size is a modest 820 sq. ft. (76.2 m2) designed for a family with one or two children. The goal for the building is to be as self-sufficient as possible which makes it ideally suited to an ‘off-grid’ rural setting. However, it can be adapted to be ‘on-grid’ as well. Solar energy will provide all the electricity needs through a photovoltaic battery system, and warm water with a solar water heater. The site will be water neutral by utilising rainwater harvesting and on site waste water treatment. The results from energy modelling, using HOT2000, are presented, as well as an in-depth analysis on different insulation types and strategies. Finally, a cost estimate exercise is conducted and results compared to other passive houses and traditional code compliance buildings.

The main purpose of the research is to suggest qualitative and efficient integrated solutions of solar energy into existing buildings in a delicate balance between energy production and respect of the building quality and its context. Solar capture is integrated into the building envelope according to harmonious composition respecting the global architectural logic. Calculations show that existing buildings have significant potential for solar integration on both roofs and facades. The research raises many questions about the way we apply solar panels on the different parts of a building and encourages developments of products as photovoltaic and thermal panels towards sustainable buildings.

With the recent development of sustainable design trend, the major areas to consider are energy resources, construction techniques and materials, water usage and waste in architectural designs. There is no that doubts that controlling these elements through creative designs, innovation, specification, and every element have impact on the atmosphere. Materials have a tremendous effect on environmental issues, from climate alteration to alternative resources, biodiversity trouncing, waste amounts and types, and health issues. The embodied product's life cycle consume energy appends to climate change and carbon emissions, whilst the effect differentiates between types of materials. Therefore, optimizing passive solar design terminology is the simplest and most efficient approach to reduce energy required by construction. Passive design relies on active technologies and renewable energy sources. The simplicity of passive design principles allows designers to effortlessly integrate it in their projects. In this research, the study is oriented to examine the appliance of passive measures in residential buildings in Famagusta besides tasting the contortions of interior surfaces on the buildings' thermal behavior. Structured criteria used to select case studies to analyses day lighting, solar gain, energy consumption and prospective insolation energy. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies adapted into comparison and problem solving methodology to achieve opportune results. Lack of considering passive parameters and material selection specifications affects directly the energy efficiency of the building, thus curtain strategies are recommended for effective energy management, constructing techniques and passive optimization concepts.

Present trends on solar thermal systems for building integration define the need of integrated solar technologies for facades. The integration of solar systems in facades allows for the direct connection of solar systems to heated spaces, and automated air solar collectors based on the trombe-mitchell provide a suitable technology for its adoption in multi-rise buildings with decentralized-individual HVAC systems in Central-European and Mediterranean heating dominated climates. This paper reviews the main principles of such building envelope components, and the construction and design considerations of two air-based solar thermal collectors. Full scale preliminary prototypes of these systems were tested at the KUBIK by Tecnalia test facility in an Oceanic Climate (Koppen Geiger Cfb zone). The observed thermal performance is analyzed, and the process of a full scale installation in a real building envelope retrofitting process of a building in Spain is reviewed.

The energy saving and electricity production schemes for a school building in hot and humid climate were studied by a building energy package eQUEST. High-performance building envelops, energy-efficient air-conditioning systems and lighting fixtures were employed to save energy consumption and building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels were adopted to meet the energy needs. The annual electricity demand was 300 MWh, and 97.5% of it can be supplied by the vertical BIPV facades. Further PV installations on the roof can generate more electricity to balance the energy use. The results show that school block is possible to achieve the zero building energy consumption.

Solar energy for building applications may significantly reduce the conventional energy consumption and the related carbon dioxide emissions. The comprehensive utilization of integrated solar therm ...

The insufficiency of current energy sources, elevated costs and global climate worriment are distinctive factors making of renewable energy an issue of boosting consideration. In this concern, solar energy is viewed as being indefinitely environmental friendly, carbon-free, beneficial nature with appreciated cost potentials and is witnessing fast progressing. Following the Horizon 2020 climate and energy package, the volume of gases emitted by greenhouses has to be cut down by 20% by all the European Union (EU) member countries in order to enhance energy performance by 20% and raise the renewable energy rate to 20% by 2020. Solar energy on building roofs plays a crucial aspect in renewable and sustainable energy consumption of high-density human habitats. A merest energy should be allocated to provide hot water service from solar sources, as other European norms for new buildings by the Spanish Technical Building Code, similarly to other European regulation on achievement objectives. The climate zone and the overall demand of hot water in the building regulate this minimal amount needed. This manuscript use a new methodology for automatic detection of geometric patterns from aerial or space images using a Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) algorithm. In this way, an automatic method for the identification of building roofs in order to assess the opportunities available to install solar thermal systems in small urban areas has been developed. As case of study: a village with 7000 inhabitants was analyzed in the South of Spain. The maximum overall accuracy obtained among the different classifications made was 98.05%, avoiding problems related to the use of images with high spatial resolution, as in the salt-and-pepper noise effect. This approach contributes reducing the generated carbon and GHG emissions and open new perspectives for energy savings strategies to optimize the energy efficiency of buildings. In the case study, implementing the solar thermal systems would come out with a saving of 1.4 tons of CO 2 per inhabitant.

Pitched-roof buildings make up a considerable proportion of architectural roof styles. Precise estimation of solar energy potential on pitched roofs is thus crucial to the sustainable development and renewable energy consumption of human habitats. Conventional solar radiation measurements usually adopt Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, which can only be extracted from existing buildings. There has been relatively little research assessing solar radiation on pitched roofs. This paper develops a pixel-based approach to estimation of solar energy potentials over pitched roofs based on the pretext of architectural design drawings. A typical Australian house with nine roofs is then chosen for implementation through a case study. The solar radiation on a certain cell of a shadow map is mathematically formulated for each pixel unit. Its yields over a certain time period are calculated by considering multiple instantaneous solar irradiances and visually presented through image processing. The resulting solar radiation maps, especially a coloured 3D map, reveal the roofs’ radiation distribution including effects from objects on the roofs such as chimneys. Radiation contour lines are mapped to obtain installation ranges for solar devices. This study will benefit commercial energy investors, residents and urban planners in the efficient use of renewable energy sources through accurate prediction of solar radiation potential and identification of areas receiving high radiation over sloping roofs.

Objectives: To design and construct a contemporary residential building in warm and humid climate of Thanjavur with solar passive architecture concepts that can make the building thermally comfortable like traditional buildings. Methods/ Analysis: Solar passive architecture concepts and principles are used in traditional buildings worldwide. Thermal performances of such traditional buildings are well within the comfort range as prescribed by thermal comfort standards. But in most of the contemporary buildings, the indoor environmental conditions and thermal comfort are unsatisfactory due to improper design. Hence an attempt has been made to design and construct a contemporary residential building with solar passive designs. Thermal performance analysis is carried out during summer in the designed building and is compared with another contemporary house. Findings: The study on designed solar passive house indicates that improved performance can be achieved by combining the lessons learnt from traditional buildings by incorporating solar passive techniques that can bring indoor temperatures down enough for comfortable indoor environment to the occupants. It is observed that the temperature of the designed solar passive building is 2oC to 3oC cooler in summer in comparison with the contemporary building. It is evident from the study that design of building plays a major role to save energy which in turn gives an impact on national and global economy. These design findings can be applied further to contemporary residences in any context with reference to its local climate. Novelty/Improvement: Ten solar passive architecture strategies have been incorporated in the designed building which include orientation and planning, courtyard design, light coloured painting, white roofing tiles, shading elements, solar chimney and sky light, cross ventilation, landscaping, roof level ventilators and high ceiling roof.

More and more regions make investments in renewable power. Objectively there is a threat of climate change due to use of combustible fuel. It means that more and more countries will pass to ecologically safe and renewable power - solar, windy and tidal.With transition to the third industrial revolution, there will be a household a part of production of work. We hear about emergence of the distributed networks - Smart Grid in which each consumer of energy can become it producer. The purpose of this work is development of a design of the solar panel which can be used as the independent power supply for street lighting and stations of charging of devices in the conditions of big deviations of corners on the chart of a solar way for the regions remote from the equator. So heliotropic installation - it is an effective way to control the solar panel due to the adjustment of its position relative to the sun. This is especially true for regions far from the equator. In this paper we briefly presented the financial forecast of the solar energy market, proposed solar installation design heliotropic type and given its comparison with the classical stationary installation.

This paper analyses the energy and economic performance of roof and/or façades Building Integrated flat-plate PhotoVoltaic and Thermal (BIPVT) collectors for residential applications. Aim of the work is to assess the active and passive effects due to the building integration of solar technologies on the building energy consumptions. A comparison among innovative building-plant system configurations, based on BIPVT collectors for the simultaneous production of electricity, thermal energy, and domestic hot water, is carried out. The simulation models of the proposed system layouts are designed and implemented in TRNSYS simulation environment for the dynamic assessment of their energy and economic performance. By means of the developed simulation model, the occurring summer and winter building passive energy effects due to the PVT building integration are also analysed. Several case studies are developed by modelling a representative multi-storey residential building and by considering different European climates. For such case studies a suitable energy parametric analysis is performed by varying the thermal resistances and capacitances of the building envelope. By results interesting design and economic feasibility guidelines are obtained. For the investigated case studies, the pay back periods vary from 11 years for South European weather zones to 20 for North European ones.Several case studies are developed by modelling a representative multi-storey residential building and by taking into account different European climates. For such case studies a suitable energy parametric analysis is performed by varying the thermal resistances and capacitances of the building envelope. By the simulation results interesting design and economic feasibility guidelines are obtained. In particular, by varying the weather location and the building-plant configuration, the adoption of BIPVT panels produces a decrease of the primary energy demands from 67 to 89%. The passive effects of the BIPVT system in both the winter and summer season are also assessed for all the investigated climate zones. The calculated economic profitability resulted slightly better for roof BIPVT panels than for roof and façade applications. For the investigated case studies, the pay back periods appear quite long, varying from 11 years for South European weather zones to 20 for North European ones.

International audience

Electricity is one of the greatest inventions of modern science. Now-a-days, without electricity, life is unthinkable. However, the production and distribution of electricity is costly. So, it is necessary to use this facility with great care. Moreover, people in many of the countries using prepaid electric meters in their houses, offices, stores, even in factories, where they have to buy electricity in pre-paid basis. To do so, they have to estimates the future use of electricity in their vicinity. In this study, we have focused on predicting electric energy use of home appliances in a low energy consumption house. Two very popular and computationally effective machine learning algorithms, namely Support vector regression (SVR) and Artificial neural network with back-propagation (BP-ANN) are applied with cross validation approach. Principal component analysis (peA) is used to solve data dimensionality problems to analyze and select input features. In addition, F-test and correlation analysis are also done to check the dependencies of dependent variables (target label) on independent variables (predictors). Finally, the proposed model able to predict electric energy uses with more that 98% accuracy.

Precise estimation of solar energy on building roofs plays a critical role in sustainable development and renewable energy consumption of high-density human habitats. Conventional solar radiation models based on costly Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data are only adequate for existing buildings, not for future construction areas. In this paper, a pixel-based methodology is constructed for estimating solar energy potential over roofs. Buildings with flat roofs in a newly planned construction area are chosen as a case study. The solar radiation at a certain cell is mathematically formulated in the pixel unit, and its yields over a certain time period are calculated by considering multiple instantaneous solar irradiances and are visually presented by image processing. Significant spatial and temporal variations in solar radiation are measured. Within the study area, the maximum and minimum annual radiation yields are estimated at 4717.72 MJ/m2/year and 342.58 MJ/m2/year respectively. Radiation contour lines are then mapped for outlining installation ranges of various solar devices. For each apartment building, around 20% of roof areas can obtain 4500 MJ/m2/year or more solar radiation yields. This study will benefit energy investors and urban planners in accurately predicting solar radiation potential and identifying regions with high radiation over building roofs. The results can be utilised in government policies and urban planning to raise awareness of the use of renewable energy sources.

Nowadays, it is well recognized at the international level that the building sector is one of the biggest energy consumers, which made the intervention in this sector the greatest potential for energy consumption reduction and greenhouse emissions mitigation. In Algeria, building sector is responsible of more than 40% of the final energy consumption. Solar energy systems integrated in buildings can be an important solution to this dual problem. The aim of this paper is to estimate the energy performance of a typical single-family bioclimatic house equipped with a solar heating system located in the north Algeria (Algiers) and to investigate its conversion into a zero energy house by installing a grid connected PV system. To achieve this goal, a numerical model of the bioclimatic house coupled with the solar heating system is developed and validated with experimental data. Then, the validated model is used to optimize the adequate size of the solar heating system and to determine its contribution in the production of thermal energy for both DHW preparation and space heating of the house. Finally, a PV system is sized to supply, in parallel with the utility grid, the house with electricity for lighting, appliance and auxiliary electric heater. Furthermore, an economic analysis is made to show the profitability of integration of grid connected PV and solar thermal systems in building. Results show that the conversion of a bioclimatic house into a ZEH using a grid connected PV system, in the north of Algeria weather conditions, present high level of feasibility. However, the return on investment is very high due mainly to the high cost of solar energy components and the very low costs of conventional energy in Algeria.

This paper describes the passive design strategies of Sunny Inside, which is a zero-energy solar house designed to participate in Solar Decathlon China 2013. Ecological atrium design, shading desig...

Within the Austrian research project ‘Solar Plus Haus’ a plus energy building concept for a brick constructed dwelling was developed, planned and put into operation. The building envelope is constructed by using a new generation of energy efficient bricks and the demand for heating, domestic hot water and electricity is covered mainly by energy from solar systems solar, i.e. solar thermal collector and photovoltaics. The future building and its energy system is operating since December 2012. The energy and comfort assessment report of the building operation under real user conditions is documented based on measurement data recorded by a scientific monitoring system. This paper indicates the essential findings from analyzing the measurement data from January 2013 till May 2015. Monthly heat and electricity balances are displayed and selected key performance indicators of the two implemented solar energy systems are calculated. Key findings are drawn and the applied energy building concept is approved by measurements.

The major portion of energy in a building is consumed by heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC). The traditional heating and cooling systems contribute greatly to the emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Four different ways, i.e., Trombe wall, solar chimney, unglazed transpired solar facade, and solar roof, are adopted for solar heating. Similarly, two major ways, i.e., evaporative cooling and building integrated evaporative cooling are adopted for cooling of the building. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this paper to compile the developments of solar heating and cooling technologies in a building.

International audience; The purpose of this work is to study the possibility of obtaining a net zero energy building and producing fresh water via a solar still by using a hybrid PV/T water solar collector. A solar prototype built in the city of Boussaâda is studied under the climate of Ouargla city to show the importance of the use of passive solar architecture. The results highlight the importance of using passive solar techniques to reduce heating energy needs. Energy savings are realized with passive techniques even before the use of active solar systems. It is possible to cover the energy requirements with the use of hybrid PV/T water solar collectors. High solar thermal fractions for domestic hot water are achieved during the year. Solar electricity produced is high and can cover the annual needs of domestic hot water, air conditioning and heating, lighting and household equipment of the prototype. A part of the difference in area between that used to cover the thermal requirements of domestic hot water and the total area of the PV/T collectors is used for supplying a solar still. An increase in the annual production of 2.97 times is obtained compared to passive solar still.

In the current scenario of increasing population and rapid urbanization, energy requirements in human habitats are exponentially increasing which is nearly 40% of the total energy produced. Therefore technologies and methods for reducing energy utilization in buildings are being developed throughout the world. Energy efficiency and conservation are two important aspects as it takes a larger stack in running the buildings, which is being highlighted in the „Green Building‟ concept. In urban buildings, energy is required mostly for lighting and air conditioning. In terms of lighting, daylighting and less energy intensive lighting devices like LED, CFL etc. are being used. Use of renewables like solar energy for power generation and also for air conditioning were also found to be used in buildings. Recent researches are based on using the building itself or its parts like roofs, facades, windows etc. for utilizing solar powers using technologies like Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and Building Integrated Solar Thermal (BIST). Similarly building integrated thermal energy storage using phase change materials along with construction materials for space cooling and heating were also been used. This paper highlights such sustainable technologies which are used to reduce the

The well-being of people, the industry and the economy depends on a safe, reliable, sustainable, affordable, efficient and economical use of energy. At the same time, energy-related emissions represent almost 80% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU). Therefore the question of efficient energy use is one of the biggest challenges facing Europe and Slovenia in the coming decades. The building industry is responding to the energy and environmental crisis with a development of new low energy systems for the heating and cooling of the buildings. New technologies pose designers and architects new tasks and challenges, as well as opportunities for creating new, low energy and sustainable environment and buildings. With a multidisciplinary approach, featuring technical disciplines, as well as architecture as an art, it is possible to transform new technological arrangements and buildings into poetic living spaces for people. The possibilities of such an approach are illustrated by seven examples of low energy buildings in Slovenia.

In the pursuit of energy savings and emission reductions, solar energy heating systems have been promoted in China. However, there still exist many barriers to the operation of solar heating systems, in combination with other systems, under realistic conditions. In order to investigate this further, an integrated space heating system including passive sunspace, active solar water heating, and air-source heat pump (ASHP) was built. The detailed running performance of each subsystem was comparatively analyzed in a full-scale test house in a cold climate zone. This integrated system showed many encouraging results in terms of the maintenance of a stable and comfortable indoor thermal environment during the winter season. The study building consumed electricity as convectional energy, which only accounted for about one-third of the total energy supplied for heating. However, our study also found some shortcomings in the system design. Feasible suggestions regarding the running procedures aimed at a more optimal and effective design were proposed. The systems proposed in this study could be used as a promising future technology for energy savings and emission reductions in rural buildings. The study could also help achieve targets for energy savings and renewable energy utilization in China and other countries.

Prefabricated low energy houses are becoming increasingly popular thanks to their low cost and high energy performance. Heating systems installed in these houses should be optimally designed and controlled, to ensure thermal comfort for the whole heating season. This study presents the on-site monitoring and dynamic simulation of a low energy house heated by a pellet boiler via a floor heating system. The house combines a lightweight envelope, a heat distribution system with a high thermal inertia and a biomass-based heat supply. The one-year monitoring campaign allowed to closely investigate the system's response to the heat demand. Moreover, a coupled simulation of the house and its heating and hot water supply system was set-up, calibrated, and validated against measured indoor temperature profiles and energy consumptions. Root mean square deviations between simulated and measured indoor temperature were in the range 0.4–0.8 K, while simulated energy consumptions fulfilled the criteria of the ASHRAE 14-2002 Guideline. As monitoring data evidenced the importance of better managing the high thermal inertia of the floor heating system, two improved control strategies were tested in the simulation environment and evaluated in terms of thermal comfort, pellet consumption and efficiency of the pellet boiler.

INTRODUCTION Recent development has seen a drastic increase in energy use trends in Saudi Arabian buildings leading to a demand for an effective course of action for energy conservation and production. A case study-based research initiative exploring near-zero energy potential in Saudi Arabia was undertaken. A 4-bedroom detached single-family faculty residence at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) representing common regional housing design trends was utilized. A base case simulation model of the house was developed and validated using short-term and real-time energy consumption data. Three sets of strategies: passive design strategies, representative codes and standards, and renewable technology were employed in the new design of the house. Passive strategies comprised a green roof, a ventilated wall system, a sloped roof, and insulation for thermal bridges. These alternatives helped reduce the annual energy consumption of the house by 17.2%. The most recent version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2012) was also incorporated along with ASHRAE Standard 62.2 for ventilation. The code and standard together reduced the annual energy consumption by 31.1%. Solar PV was then utilized to reduce grid utilization for the remainder of the house energy loads. This strategy provided 24.7% of the total energy consumed annually. A combination of strategies showed a 70.7% energy consumption reduction, thereby decreasing the energy index of the house from 162.9 to 47.7 kWh/m2/yr. The Zero Energy Building (ZEB) concepts and strategies utilized in this study demonstrate a socially responsible approach to achieving near-zero energy performance for an existing house.

The greenhouse effect it the most basic work principle of the passive solar house The passive solar house provide indoor heating relying on natural circulation, without any other mechanical power, with the excess heat stored in the walls, ceilings and ground hot body to radiate heat into the room at night, to maintain a certain temperature. It takes in, keeps, stores and distributes solar thermal energy by reasonable arrangement of building orientation and surrounding environment, smart manipulation of the inner and outer space and the proper selection of the building materials, structure and construction, so as to solve the problem of building heating. The heat collection and storage of the passive solar house mainly uses the building envelop walls or windows or the simple tablet device as a heat collector, which can be freely controlled by people, without the complex mechanical equipment and complex pipe ventilation system. The test takes a residential building as example for energy consumption simulation and from the results; we can obtain the temperature distribution in each room and the distribution of the annual heating and coldness load. Study the effect on the room temperature and reducing heating energy consumption by the different ways of thermal insulation.

This paper deals with the development of requirements for the energy-passive construction. The main emphasis is focused on a new categorization of passive houses into classes according to the Passivhaus Institute: the Passive House Classic, the Passive House Plus and the Passive House Premium. The requirement for annual specific heating demand is unchanged, maximally 15 kWh/(m2·a). A new evaluation system of Energy Passive Houses is based on renewable primary energy (PER). The aim of the paper is a description and evaluation of various classes of energy passive houses, including feasibility analysis and model examples.

The strategy of the research paper is to conduct analysis of buildings for individual housing from the aspect of promotion of energetically efficient buildings construction. With that as a goal, all key aspects essential for design, such as government regulative necessary to comply with when constructing and reconstructing a building, climate conditions of the given area necessary in planning the strategy of construction, the record of existing housing stock as well as cultural identity through heritage of traditional buildings, were analysed. Through analysis of a traditional building, a reference model of the existing housing stock and hypothetical model- newly designed building, via software for analysis of energetic performances, the conclusions have been made and practical guidelines were given in the reconstruction of the existing and construction of new buildings based on tested scientific proofs. The work is focused on investigation and application of the elements of traditional architecture with a goal to improve energetic performances of new and existing buildings.

This paper describes a methodology developed for determining the solar energy potential of large scale urban areas based on building typology. As a result of the method, the solar yield at the roof can be determined, taking into account shading obstructions and assembly distances. In the model the utilized as well as the collected energy is calculated, taking into account the energy losses by unused energy, energy delivery and energy storage. A main pillar of the method is the building typology that classifies buildings according to roof characteristics and other geometric factors influencing the domestic hot water demand. For each building type the following outputs are calculated: the solar yield, the maximum potential energy that can be produced by roof-integrated photovoltaic panels, the maximum potential energy that can be covered by solar thermal collectors and the realistic energy produced by solar thermal collectors taking into account economical considerations. Based on the model, urban-level solar potential estimations can be carried out with the use of digital cartography at low costs. Such an estimation is presented in a case study for Debrecen, Hungary, but the model can be adapted to any settlement with different building types or climatic conditions.