Energy Efficient Buildings

Sustainability has become increasingly important in the building industry in recent years. A
movement has occurred to construct buildings in a more efficient and sustainable manner by
reducing energy use and the costs associated in operating and maintaining the building. A green
building is an outcome of a design philosophy which focuses on increasing the efficiency of
resource use; energy, water, and materials while reducing the impact on human health and the
environment during the building's lifecycle, through better design, construction, operation,
maintenance and removal.
Environment friendly innovative technologies like energy efficient materials, intelligent gadgets,
energy efficient doors and windows, solar water heating and generating power, rainwater
harvesting, rainwater harvesting is used by many developers in different parts all over the country,
but now more and more builders and developers are going in for projects that promote an eco-
friendly lifestyle.

Literature Review:
In the end, the performance of buildings depends on the users. Therefore, it is important
to focus on users’ experiences with different types of energy efficient buildings. There exists a
well-known gap between predicted and actual performance of energy efficient buildings. In some
cases, actual performance is quite different from predicted performance, especially for the first
years (Hinge et al. 2008). A study by the New Building Institute (2008) found that 30% of LEED-
rated buildings (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) perform better than expected,
25% perform worse than expected, and a handful of LEED buildings have serious energy
consumption problems. These problems may be caused by technical failures, too high
expectations, or by inappropriate operation and use.
Researchers have focused on the promotion of energy efficiency in buildings. For
example, Short et al. reported that natural ventilation was an effective strategy for enhancing the
energy efficiency of buildings. Jones-Lee and Loomes showed that a prior strategy with a benefit–
cost ratio measure can lead to energy savings. Many of the previous studies concentrated mainly
on technical or design strategies. Peippo et al. used a numerical optimization procedure to
determine the optimal, building-design variables that would result in the lowest lifecycle cost given
certain project specifications and an energy consumption target. They showed the importance of
considering the building as a complete system to optimize the design variables simultaneously,
since design options are strongly coupled.
Hinge et al. (2008) do also point to the use of the buildings, and the meaning of the role
and active involvement of building operators and facility management to explain this gap. In order
to reach a building stock that has zero emission of greenhouse gases related to them, it is not only
crucial that the building operation is comprehensible, and that people get the information they need
to operate it, but also that they will want to live and work in zero emission buildings. Therefore, it
is essential to take into consideration the use and implementation of these buildings.
 Several methodologies have been developed for estimating energy consumption. Some
of them are based on statistics, while others are based on simulations. In general, it is accepted that
weather data must be given careful attention and consideration in forecasting the energy
consumption of buildings. Papa et al. proposed a normalized energy use index (NEUI) based on
a temperature function. They discussed the influence of weather variables, such as solar radiation
and air velocity, and concluded that the ambient temperature has the greatest effect on energy
consumption.
Mojtaba et al. In his research paper says that, in order to choose the most energy-efficient
building components, we must also consider renewable energy resources to meet the energy
demand in buildings in the future, and many efforts are underway in this direction. Although there
are steps taken toward identifying and producing more efficient sources of energy, global energy
consumption rose by 2.5% in 2011. Since non-renewable energy resources will eventually be
depleted, we must focus our time and attention on the development of various renewable resources.
Renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind power have yet to be extensively deployed,
but using these and other renewable energy sources can help ameliorate the significant concerns
about depleting our energy resources. For instance, each square meter that is exposed to sunlight
during a summer day can provide thousands of Watts of energy. By incorporating some proven
technologies in the design of new buildings, significant quantities of renewable energy can be
obtained and used.
In the past decades, building energy simulation programs have been used increasingly
as a tool to design energy efficient buildings. During this time, simulation programs have grown
in both their number and scope. Currently, more than 300 software tools are available for
evaluating energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability in buildings.
Another recent development in this area has been the integration of building information
modeling (BIM) software with building energy simulation tools. Although BIM technology is still
relatively new, those who have used it have indicated that the creation of a 3D model with
associated information reduces design errors, improves design quality, shortens construction time,
and reduces construction costs significantly. Due to these initial findings, the popularity of BIM
has grown tremendously in the past decade, and, as the popularity of BIM increases, the demand
for well-trained designers and construction managers with skills in BIM technology also has
increased. Since 2007, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has required the use of
BIM on all major projects, and, although not required at this time, GSA is encouraging ‘‘exact
energy estimates in the design process’’. These regulations, which often are implemented to reduce
lifecycle costs, also can have potentially significant financial implications for the design,
construction, and operating costs.
Ecotect, owned by Autodesk, Inc., is ‘‘a complete building design and environmental
analysis tool that covers the full range of simulation and analysis functions required to the true
understanding of how a building design will operate and do’’. The analysis capabilities of the
primary program include energy analysis, thermal analysis, and lighting/shading analyses.
The present study focused on the methods implemented through the design phase with
the aid of BIM to evaluate various building components with different materials to mitigate energy
losses from the building, improve the building’s performance in terms of annual operational energy
consumption, and identify some alternative, sustainable designs for the case study building in
terms of energy savings.
Research Design:
Firstly, we will acquire the architectural drawings (Plan, Elevation and Section) of
probably 10-15 stories. Then the building will be simulated in the Rivet architecture. The house’s
annual operational energy consumption will then be calculated through Ecotect Analysis. Those
building’s components that have most impact on energy dissipation will be investigated. Some
components, such as wall, windows, door, floor and ceiling can lead to the most energy dissipation.
Then alternative changes in material compositions in the mentioned components of the case study
building will be examined to evaluate their effects on reducing the building’s annual operational
energy use. By doing so the simulated building will then be exported to Autodesk Ecotect software
to perform the energy analysis. for integrating between Revit and Energy Modeling tool (Autodesk
Ecotect Analysis software), zones must be formed for creating various parts of the building.
Without creating zones in Revit architecture, energy of the building’s various spaces cannot be
modeled. In fact, the file cannot be exported to Ecotect software. After creating zones, for
exporting the simulation file from Revit to Ecotect. This is the way that can export all building’s
specifications defined in Revit to Ecotect.