Compliance with Building Energy Code for the Residential Sector in Egyptian Hot-Arid Climate: Potential Impact, Difficulties, and Further Improvements

Mennaallah GamalEldine and Helena Corvacho
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Mennaallah GamalEldine: Department of Construction and Building Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria 1029, Egypt
Helena Corvacho: CONSTRUCT (LFC), Faculty of Engineering (FEUP), University of Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Building energy codes are considered to be an effective policy tool for energy reduction worldwide. However, their application and effectiveness are still limited in developing countries. In Egypt, the residential sector is promising for energy savings, as most of the existing residential buildings are aged with low thermal performance and non-conformance with energy codes. This study aims to raise the awareness of promoting the Egyptian residential energy codes among construction parties, especially end-users, by quantifying the environmental impacts, in terms of energy savings and thermal comfort enhancement. Moreover, it attempts achieving a nearly zero energy building by integrating several energy-efficient measures with renewable energy sources. Thus, in this study, a typical residential building in Cairo was chosen for simulation. The simulation results revealed that applying energy code instructions for building envelope, lighting enhancement and increases in cooling set-points, from 24 °C to 25 °C, saved 37.85% of annual electrical energy and resulted in a cooling reduction of 50.53%. Furthermore, the photovoltaic system incorporation succeeded in transforming the building into a nearly zero energy building. Concerning thermal comfort, the application of passive energy-efficient measures significantly influences indoor thermal comfort, with a 30% reduction in discomfort hours during the cooling season, which represents the main concern in hot climate regions.

Keywords: residential buildings; energy efficiency; thermal comfort; building energy codes; energy efficient measures; nZEB; hot-arid climate; building envelope (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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