Potential Reconstruction Design of an Existing Townhouse in Washington DC for Approaching Net Zero Energy Building Goal

Sakdirat Kaewunruen, Jessada Sresakoolchai and Lalida Kerinnonta
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Sakdirat Kaewunruen: School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Jessada Sresakoolchai: School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Lalida Kerinnonta: School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: The concept of the Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) has received more interest from researchers due to global warming concerns. This paper proposes to illustrate optional solutions to allow existing buildings to achieve NZEB goals. The aim of this study is to investigate factors that can improve existing building performance to be in line with the NZEB concept and be more sustainable. An existing townhouse in Washington, DC was chosen as the research target to study how to retrofit or reconstruct the design of a building according to the NZEB concept. The methodology of this research is modeling an existing townhouse to assess the current situation and creating optional models for improving energy efficiency of the townhouse in Revit and utilising renewable energy technology for energy supply. This residential building was modeled in three versions to compare changes in energy performance including improving thermal efficiency of building envelope, increasing thickness of the wall, and installing smart windows (switchable windows). These solutions can reduce energy and cost by approximately 8.16%, 10.16%, and 14.65%, respectively, compared to the original townhouse. Two renewable energy technologies that were considered in this research were photovoltaic and wind systems. The methods can be applied to reconstruct other existing buildings in the future.

Keywords: Net Zero Energy Building; existing building; BIM; digital twin; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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