Elsevier

Renewable Energy

Volume 101, February 2017, Pages 1194-1202
Renewable Energy

Towards modern options of energy conservation in buildings

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.09.061Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Priority for energy efficiency and traditional options of energy conservation, then implementation of innovative energy saving solutions focused on the application of renewable energy technologies.

  • Utilization of solar energy as the most simple way of reducing the energy needs of a building.

  • Recommendations for creating the envelope of a cuboid and a semi-cylindrical shape of a modern building.

  • Recommendations for creating the solar buffer spaces incorporated into a building structure.

  • Reduction of final and primary energy use through application of renewable energies.

  • Innovative energy conservation methods with roots in traditional architecture.

Abstract

Looking at modern options of energy conservation in buildings it is necessary to assure energy efficiency first. When the energy load of a building is highly decreased, then innovative options of energy conservation can be introduced. The background and development of the main modern methods for the reduction of energy needs, final and primary energy consumption are analyzed. Differentiation between options for existing and newly constructed buildings is pointed out. Modern options of energy conservation in buildings are focused on innovative architecture, shape, structure, materials of a building and of course systems utilizing renewable energy. A very simple way of reducing building energy needs is the utilization of solar energy in a passive, but planned way. A specific shape of solar buffer space should be created in the building. In high latitude countries the buffer space should be of a specific design containing two cuboid sub-spaces with specific internal overhang and a well-planned extension of the south glazed facade. The paper presents modern renewable energy technologies as technologies with roots in past ideas of using the environment in an effective way. It underlines that future innovative and efficient building technologies will use building integrated renewable, mainly solar technologies.

Introduction

High energy consumption in the building sector leads to high energy intensity of the whole economy of a country. It is typical, that in most developed countries the building sector is responsible for about 40% of the final energy consumption. It is obvious that reduction of energy use in buildings is essential to make the economy of a country less energy intensive and more environmentally friendly. Nowadays, energy conservation has become one of the main aims of energy policy in many countries.

It is necessary to underline that in order to reduce the energy consumption of a country the following general fundamental rule must be obeyed - energy efficiency first then innovative options of energy supply, including utilization of renewable energy.

In the case of the building sector this firstly requires introduction of traditional options of reduction of energy use in buildings, i.e. to improve thermal quality of a building itself and modernize existing energy systems or replace them by more efficient ones. When the energy load of a building is highly decreased, then implementation of modern options of energy supply, including utilization of renewable energy, is a reasonable and effective solution.

Energy conservation in buildings is the subject of much consideration and many research studies. As a result recently many papers have been published in scientific international journals. They deal with this topic in a general and holistic way (e.g. Refs. [1], [2], [3], [4]), or are focused on selected types of buildings (e.g. Refs. [5], [6]) or just on specific building elements, usually the energy intensive ones (e.g. Refs. [7], [8]). The importance of energy conservation in buildings can be seen at the national energy policy level and through fostering research and demonstration programs developed in many countries.

Section snippets

Reduction of the energy needs of a building

To reduce energy intensity in buildings it is first necessary to reduce energy needs. In the case of an existing building it means improving the thermal quality of the building envelope and its structure through refurbishment and thermal modernization. Thermal modernization is usually done through the introduction of a new building cladding and adding thermal insulation to external walls or making the existing insulation thicker. The thermal quality of a ground floor, ceiling at the top floor

Reduction of the energy needs of a building through its architectural and structural concept

When energy efficiency is introduced then modern options of energy conservation can be applied. It would be very energy intensive and expensive to introduce innovative technologies and ideas when energy efficiency is not assured.

When a building needs a lot of energy then the energy system must be of high installed capacity (over dimensioning comparing a low-energy or even standard building), which means high investment costs and high energy consumption, resulting in high running costs.

The main

Utilization of traditional methods of energy conservation

It is very good to look carefully at traditional, even historical methods of energy conservation in buildings. This should be a fundamental rule to use traditional ideas that have governed architecture and civil engineering in the region of a country in the past. People used to know how to use their environment and how to be friendly to it. They did not have modern technology to reduce the energy needs of a building, but they had already learned how the environment could help them to live in

Acknowledgements

Studies presented in the paper have been done partly in the COST TU1025 Action “Building integrated solar Thermal systems”.

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