Strategy for achieving long-term energy efficiency of European single-family buildings through passive climate adaptation

Pajek, Luka (author), Košir, Mitja (author)

The presented study aims to clarify the implications of passive design measures on heating and cooling energy use of single-family residential buildings under European representative climates. In order to address this matter, different values of thermal transmittance (opaque and transparent), window to floor ratio, window distribution, shape factor, diurnal heat storage capacity, external opaque surface solar absorptivity and natural ventilation cooling rates were combined in 496,800 building energy models, which were simulated at eight locations. Because buildings are in use for many decades, the energy use simulations were made considering the projected climate change up to the end of the 21st century. The results delivered a set of the most effective passive design measures for achieving low energy use in buildings regarding climate type and period. A lower window to floor ratio was identified as the most universally applicable design measure to counterbalance the projected effect of a warming climate. In contrast, other measures vary according to climate type and studied period. Furthermore, it was concluded that it is difficult to neutralise the projected climate change effects on buildings' energy use, even when applying the best performing combination of passive design measures. However, reasonably low energy use can still be assured solely by passive building design, especially in oceanic, warm, and some temperate climate locations. Therefore, the identified trends in energy use and passive design measures represent the foundation for strategies and guidelines aimed at future-proof energy-efficient buildings.

• Language: English
• Work type: Scientific work
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Submitted for review: 08.12.2020
• Article acceptance date: 20.05.2021
• Publication date: 03.06.2021
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 1-15
• Numbering: Letn. 297 - 117116
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-127407
• UDC: 699.8
• ISSN on article: 0306-2619
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117116
• COBISS.SI-ID: 65852931
• Publication date in RUL: 04.06.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Applied energy
• Shortened title: Appl. energy
• Publisher: Applied Science Publishers
• ISSN: 0306-2619
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5134599

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.
• Licensing start date: 04.06.2021

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0158
• Name: Gradbene konstrukcije in gradbena fizika