ABSTRACT

“A Zero Energy Building (ZEB) offers an excellent solution to the problem of Green Buildings. A

ZEB is concerned only with the energy aspect of any built environment. Such buildings have a net

zero energy consumption and the net carbon emissions generated annually are also zero. A ZEB

can be autonomous and independent from the energy grid supply. The energy required can be

harvested on-site; usually through a combination of renewable sources like Solar, Wind and Bio-

mass. The overall use of energy can also be minimized by the use of extremely efficient Heating

Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Lighting technologies. While a green building

focuses on all the aspects such as waste reduction, use of recycled building materials, site

sustainability etc. On the other hand ZEB focus only on one key green-building aspect i.e.

significant reduction in the energy use and greenhouse emissions of a building.

If we look at a building site as a closed system and the electric and fuel meters as the entry and

exit points for all energy used or generated on the site including in and on the building, we can

define the net-zero site energy target. Further, as the intent of a net-zero energy building is to

reduce CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels, the site energy must be from renewable sources.

So, a net-zero energy building is one whose amount of energy “imported” into the site is equal to

the amount of renewable energy generated on site that is “exported” off the site. For electricity

this would be equivalent to the electric meter rotating backward, electricity to the grid, and equal

number of forward rotations, electricity from the grid, over the course of a year.

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, net-zero energy

building (NZEB), or net zero building, is a with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon
emissions annually. Buildings that produce a surplus of energy over the year may be called
"energy-plus buildings" and buildings that consume slightly more energy than they produce are
called "near-zero energy buildings" or "ultra-low energy houses".

Traditional buildings consume 40% of the total fossil fuel energy in the US and European Union
and are significant contributors of greenhouse gases. The zero net energy consumption principle is
viewed as a means to reduce carbon emissions and reduce dependence on fossil fuels and
although zero energy buildings remain uncommon even in developed countries, they are gaining
importance and popularity.

Most zero energy buildings use the electrical grid for energy storage but some are independent of
grid. Energy is usually harvested on-site through a combination of energy producing technologies
like solar and wind, while reducing the overall use of energy with highly efficient HVAC and
lighting technologies. The zero-energy goal is becoming more practical as the costs of alternative
energy technologies decrease and the costs of traditional fossil fuels increase.

The development of modern zero-energy buildings became possible not only through the progress
made in new energy and construction technologies and techniques, but it has also been
significantly improved by academic research, which collects precise energy performance data on
traditional and experimental buildings and provides performance parameters for advanced
computer models to predict the efficacy of engineering designs.

The zero-energy concept allows for a wide range of approaches due to the many options for
producing and conserving energy combined with the many ways of measuring energy (relating to
cost, energy, or carbon emissions).

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1.2 Background and Importance of Net-Zero Energy Buildings

India is facing formidable challenges in meeting its energy needs.As per the Planning
Commission’s Integrated Energy Policy Report (Planning Commission 20006),if India perseveres
with sustained growth rate by 3 to 4 times, and electricity generation capacity of 800,000 MW
would be required as against the installed capacity of 160,000 MW inclusive of all captive plants
in 2006-07.Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has estimated that the county is currently facing
electricity shortage of 9.9% and peak demand shortage of 16.6% (CEA 2009).Figure 1 shows
continuous widening gap between electricity demand and actual achievements.

Figure 1.1 Electricity Generation Capacity And Achievements in India

While it is essential to add new power generation capacity to meet the nation’s growing energy
requirements, it is equally important to look out for options that will help in reducing energy

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demand for end-use sectors. Figure 2 shows electricity consumption in various sectors in India.
Domestic and commercial sectors account for approximately one-third of total electricity
consumption and these sectors are likely to consume around 37% of electricity in 2020-2021.It is
therefore, critical that policy interventions are put in place to improve energy efficiency in both as
well as exiting building in these sectors.

Figure 1.2 Electricity Consumption in Various Sectors in India

Around the world, there are many initiatives to improve energy performance of building with
names such as “net zero energy”, “zero net energy” or “net zero carbon” buildings. Although
these terms have different meanings, several countries have adopted this broad vision as a long-
term goal for developing energy policies and programs related to the building as one of the sectors
in its fight against climate change. However, a long term policy initiative that encourages the
development of cutting edge research and cost-effective technologies can bring step changes in
the energy use in buildings.

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1.3 Net-Zero Energy Buildings: Definitions

The energy performance of an NZEB can be accounted for or defined in several ways, depending
on the boundary and the metric. Different definitions may be appropriate, depending on the
project goals and the values of the design team and building owner. As documented and discussed
by Torcellini et al.(2006), four commonly used accounting methods are net-zero site energy, net-
zero source energy, net-zero energy costs, and net-zero energy emissions. Each definition uses the
grid for net use accounting and has different applicable RE sources.

Net-Zero Site Energy: A site NZEB produces at least as much RE as it uses in a year, when
accounted for at the site.
Net-Zero Source Energy: A source NZEB produces (or purchases) at least as much RE as it uses
in a year, when accounted for at the source. Source energy refers to the primary energy used to
extract, process, generate, and deliver the energy to the site. To calculate a building’s total source
energy, imported and exported energy is multiplied by the appropriate site-to-source conversion
multipliers based on the utility’s source energy type.
Net-Zero Energy Costs: In a cost NZEB, the amount of money the utility pays the building
owner for the RE the building exports to the grid is at least equal to the amount the owner pays
the utility for the energy services and energy used over the year.
Net-Zero Emissions: A net-zero emissions building produces (or purchases) enough emissions-
free RE to offset emissions from all energy used in the building annually. Carbon, nitrogen
oxides, and sulphur oxides are common emissions that NZEBs offset. To calculate a building’s
total emissions, imported and exported energy is multiplied by the appropriate emission
multipliers based on the utility’s emissions and on-site generation emissions (if there are any).

1.4 Advantages of ZEB:

 isolation for building owners from future energy price increases
 increased comfort due to more- uniform interior temperatures (this can be demonstrated
with comparative isotherm maps)
 reduced requirement for energy austerity
 reduced total cost of ownership due to improved energy efficiency

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  reduced total net monthly cost of living
 improved reliability - photovoltaic systems have 25- year warranties - seldom fail during
weather problems - the 1982 photovoltaic
 systems on the Walt Disney World EPCOT Energy Pavilion are still working fine today,
after going through 3 recent hurricanes
 extra cost is minimized for new construction compared to an afterthought retrofit
 higher resale value as potential owners demand more ZEBs than available supply
 the value of a ZEB building relative to similar conventional building should increase every
time energy costs increase
 future legislative restrictions, and carbon emission taxes/penalties may force expensive
retrofits to inefficient buildings

1.5 Zero energy building versus green building

The goal of green building and sustainable architecture is to use resources more efficiently and
reduce a building's negative impact on the environment. Zero energy buildings achieve one key
green-building goal of completely or very significantly reducing energy use and greenhouse
gas emissions for the life of the building. Zero energy buildings may or may not be considered
"green" in all areas, such as reducing waste, using recycled building materials, etc. However, zero
energy, or net-zero buildings do tend to have a much lower ecological impact over the life of the
building compared with other "green" buildings that require imported energy and/or fossil fuel to
be habitable and meet the needs of occupants.

Because of the design challenges and sensitivity to a site that are required to efficiently meet the
energy needs of a building and occupants with renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.),
designers must apply holistic design principles, and take advantage of the free naturally occurring
assets available, such as passive solar orientation, natural ventilation, day lighting, thermal mass,
and night time cooling

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 CHAPTER 2

AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT

The primary goal of construction of Zero Energy Buildings is to reduce energy consumption. This
project will review some of the available efficiency promoting technologies as well as renewable
energy generation technologies that can be utilized to construct zero energy buildings. In addition,
the economic viability of zero energy buildings will be examined. The economic enabling factors
are discussed in consideration of the future for zero energy buildings.
The emphasis in a net-zero energy home is to take a radical approach towards attaining maximum
sustainability by utilizing resources efficiently.

Following are main objectives of zero energy building:

•Minimize overall environmental impacts by encouraging energy-efficient building design and

construction (i.e.LEED)

•Meet the Federal/State mandates associated with energy/carbon

•Provide Energy Security for critical infrastructure

•Reduce carbon emissions and environmental permitted requirements

•Eliminate our dependence of volatile/finite sources of energy

•Better forecasting for long-term strategic energy planning

•Ensure that power will be available over the lifetime of the building

•Eliminate line loss from the electrical grid (improve efficiency)

•Reduce external costs (transportation and conversion losses)

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 CHAPTER 3

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The following is a review of literature related to ZEB definitions and research projects. The
reviewed literature is divided into a number of main important topics for the discussion of ZEB
definitions.

1. Energy focus

Total energy demand in the building is a sum of thermal (heating, cooling) demand and electricity
demand (appliances, lighting), however many studies focus only on one neglecting the other.
Esbensen, (1977) describe an experimental ZEB house in Denmark and point out: “With energy
conservation arrangements, such as high-insulated constructions, heat recovery equipments and a
solar heating system, the Zero Energy House is dimensioned to be self-sufficient in space heating
and hot-water supply during normal climatic conditions in Denmark. Energy supply for the
electric installations in the house is taken from the municipal mains.”

Able, (1994):“Many low-energy building projects seem to have been based on the idea 'decrease
heat supply at any cost'. In some cases, this has resulted in 'zero-energy buildings' which, it is
true, do not need any heat supply but do, instead, indirectly need electricity to operate the heat
pump included in the system.”

In the seventies and eighties, when large part of energy use in the buildings was mostly due to the
heating (space heating and domestic hot water) in publications devoted to Zero Energy Building,
in the definitions only heat was accounted in the zero.

Gilijamse,(1995):“A zero energy house is defined here as a house in which no fossil fuels are
consumed, and the annual electricity consumption equals annual electricity production. Unlike the
autarkic situation, the electricity grid acts as a virtual buffer with annually balanced delivers and
returns”

Iqbal,(2003):“Zero energy home is the term used for a home that optimally combines
commercially available renewable energy technology with the state of the art energy efficiency

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 construction techniques. In a zero energy home no fossil fuels are consumed and its annual
electricity consumption equals annual electricity production. A zero energy home may or may not
be grid connected”

Nevertheless, in the scientific publications exist ZEB definitions including both heating and
electricity demand in total energy demand.

According to Lausten, (2008), “Zero Net Energy Buildings are buildings that over a year are
neutral, meaning that they deliver as much energy to the supply grids as they use from the grids.
Seen in these terms they do not need any fossil fuel for heating, cooling, lighting or other energy
uses although they sometimes draw energy from the grid.”

2. Energy Supply system

In the prevailing literature is the strict distinguish, between off-grid ZEB and on-grid ZEB. The
main difference between those two approaches is that, the off-grid ZEB does not have any
connection to the utility grid, thus it does not purchase energy from the external sources. In other
words the building offset all required energy by producing energy from RES. The on-grid ZEB is
also energy producing building, but there is a possibility for both purchasing energy from the gird
and feeding it back to the grid. This division is also noticeable in the ZEB definitions. The off-
grid ZEB commonly also called autonomous or self-sufficient building has been presented in
many publications:Stahl,(1994),Kramer,(2007),Platell,(2007), however there is no clear definition
of off-grid ZEB.The authors usually set the goals for the projects, which indirectly can be
understood as the ZEB definition, or give the definition which can be used exclusively for
described study case.

Stahl,(1994): “The goals of the project can be summarized as follows:

 use of solar energy to replace other, environmentally damaging energy carriers demonstration of
new concepts of solar architecture integrated into an energetically optimized structure
 utilization of advanced technologies for energy conservation demonstration of new solar energy
systems.

The intention of the project is to show the technical potential of solar energy to replace all
environmentally damaging energy carriers in a dwelling.

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Kramer,(2007):“Objective is to demonstrate solar-hydrogen energy system that allows the
building to operate without any connection to the electrical grid.”

According to the report written by Laustsen in 2008 for International Energy Agency (IEA)
(Laustsen, 2008): ”Zero Stand Alone Buildings are buildings that do not require connection to the
grid or only as a backup. Stand alone buildings can autonomously supply themselves with energy,
as they have the capacity to store energy for night-time or wintertime use.”

According to Rosta,(2008): “Ideally, a ZEH produces as much energy as it consumes in a year’s

time”. The definition is not saying much about the building and its interaction with the grid,
however later in the paper can be read that: “Accounting for the electric energy generated by the
PV system on the ZEH, and defining electric energy used by the utility grid as positive and
electric energy used by the grid as negative, a plot of the net electric energy usage of the houses is
obtained” which indicates, that there is building grid interaction.

3. Single or Community

If one building can be ZEB, then crating a zero energy community should be just a matter of
combining those building into communities, villages or even towns. However, should also the
definition for one ZEB be multiplied by the number of the buildings creating the community or
should zero energy community has a separate definition.

In the scientific publications the prevailing definitions are focus only on one building/house/home
only Laustsen, (2008) in the ZEB definitions uses plural: “Zero Net Energy Buildings are
building. Zero Carbon Buildings are buildings…etc” Though, later in the paper author indicates
“Compared to the passive house standards there is no exact definition for the way to construct or
obtain a zero energy building.”

4. Building type

The ZEB definitions can be also divided according to the building type. In the prevailing literature
there is almost no difference between the ZEB definition for a commercial building and a
residential building. Commonly in the publications three phrases are used: zero energy building,
zero energy house and zero energy home. As the first term is the most comprehensive and

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includes both residential and commercial building, the two others typically are used for the
residences.

Generally, there is this tendency, when the scientific studies of zero energy concept are not
devoted to one, specific study case (building) the authors tend to use the phrase zero energy
building: Torcellini, (2006), Kilkis, (2006),Voss, (2008), Laustsen, (2008). The U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program (NREL, 2006) uses one ZEB definition for
both building types “a residential or commercial building with greatly reduced needs for energy
through efficiency gains, with the balance of energy needs supplied by renewable technologies.”

5. Application of renewable energy sources.

Good ZEB definition should also indicates, what is the supply-side of the renewable energy
sources. According to Torcellini,(2006) there are two options: on-site supply or off-site supply.
Within the on-site supply authors distinguish building footprint and building site separately.
Within the off-site supply the building either uses RES available off-site to produce energy on-
site, or purchase off-site RES. Tocellini, et al. (2006) propose a ranking of preferred application
of renewable energy sources:

Option ZEB Supply-Side Options Examples

Number
0 Reduce site energy use through low- Day lighting, high-efficiency HVAC
energy building technologies equipment, natural ventilation, evaporative
cooling, etc.
On-Site Supply Options
1 Use renewable energy sources available PV, solar hot water, and wind located on
within the building’s footprint the building.
2 Use renewable energy sources available PV, solar hot water, low-impact hydro, and
at the Site wind located on-site, but not on the
building.
Off-Site Supply Options
3 Use renewable energy sources available Biomass, wood pellets, ethanol, or
off site to generate energy on site biodiesel that can be imported from off
site, or waste streams from on-site
processes that can be used on-site to
generate electricity and heat.
4 Purchase off-site renewable energy Utility-based wind, PV, emissions credits,
sources or other “green” purchasing options.
Hydroelectric is sometimes considered.

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Torcellini,(2006) indicate: “Rooftop PV and solar water heating are the most applicable supply-
side technologies for widespread application of ZEBs. Other supply-side technologies such as
parking lot-based wind or PV systems may be available for limited applications. Renewable
energy resources from outside the boundary of the building site could arguably also be used to
achieve a ZEB. This approach may achieve a building with net zero energy consumption, but it is
not the same as one that generates the energy on site and should be classified as such. We will use
the term “off-site ZEB” for buildings that use renewable energy from sources outside the
boundaries of the building site.”

“A good ZEB definition should first encourage energy efficiency, and then use renewable energy
sources available on site. A building that buys all its energy from a wind farm or other central
location has little incentive to reduce building loads, which is why we refer to this as an off-site
ZEB. Efficiency measures or energy conversion devices such as day lighting or combined heat
and power devices cannot be considered on-site production in the ZEB context. Fuel cells and
micro turbines do not generate energy; rather they typically transform purchased fossil fuels into
heat and electric passive solar heating and day lighting are demand-side technologies and are
considered efficiency measures.

Energy efficiency is usually available for the life of the building; however, efficiency measures
must have good persistence and should be “checked” to make sure they continue to save energy.
It is almost always easier to save energy than to produce energy.”

6. Type of renewable sources

The main concept of zero energy building is the independence of fossil fuels, thus the utilization
of the renewable energy sources. By renewable energy sources can be understood: solar thermal,
solar photovoltaic (PV), biomass and wind or wave energy. In the prevailing literature ZEB
definitions are not focus on one particular renewable technology.

According to Kilkis, 2007: “ZEB is a building, which on annual basis, uses no more energy than
is provided by the building on-site renewable energy sources”.

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Laustsen, (2008) includes in the ZEB definition all RES, however emphasizes solar energy: “Zero
Energy Buildings are buildings that do not use fossil fuels but only get all their required energy
from solar energy and other renewable energy sources.”

Bagci, (2008): “The potential of different alternative energy resources was considered, such as
solar, wind, tidal, wave, energy crops and MSW (municipal solid waste).”

Research on Embodied Energy in Buildings

Yan Thormark (2002) concluded that the embodied energy in the production of very low energy
apartments in Sweden (1954 kWh/m2) constitutes 46% of their 50 year life cycle energy use. The
embodied energy for production can also be calculated as being equivalent to 43 years of
operational energy use.

Sartori & Hestnes (2007) analyzed 60 buildings found in the literature (10 of which they
considered low energy buildings) with different construction techniques and sizes and in different
climates to see how important the embodied energy in the building materials was compared to the
life cycle energy use of the buildings. The overall trend showed that even with increases in
embodied energy for low energy buildings due to more materials used, the increase is still small
compared to the life cycle energy use as a whole.

Verbeek & Hens (2007) concluded that although the there is significant embodied energy in the
extra materials required to make low energy buildings (13,890 kWh to 41,670 kWh for the houses
they analyzed), the savings in operational energy more than offset the extra embodied energy.
They estimated the energy payback time (EPBT) for this type of construction to be typically less
than 2 years. "The EPBT is defined as the proportion of the extra embodied energy for energy
saving measures to the yearly energy savings they achieve". After the energy is paid back in that
short time, for each additional year during the life of the house, the annual energy savings are
significant, between 8,330 kWh/yr and 30,555 kWh/yr.

Zmeureanu & Rivard (2008) did a literature review concerning embodied energy in six homes
located in varying climates across the world (Canada, USA, Sweden & New Zealand). The
embodied energy in the construction materials, normalized to house floor area, ranges from 633

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kWh/m2 to 1306 kWh/m2. This is attributed to different climate conditions, with the house in
Montreal having the lowest estimation. For the six homes in the studies, the results show that it
takes 7, 7, 15, 18, 19 and 57 years for the operation of the houses to consume as much energy as
is embodied in the construction materials. That large difference is attributed to the fact that the
smaller number of years is for colder climates like Canada and Sweden, which require significant
heating compared to the 57 years for the house located in Auckland NZ, a much milder climate.

A few conclusions can be drawn from these studies. Some of the studies report that the embodied
energy makes up a large percentage of the life cycle energy of low energy houses whereas other
studies reported that it is only a small percentage. In very low energy houses it makes sense that
the embodied energy would be significant because in these cases the operational energy is very
low. These differing conclusions may be due to improvements in building design and materials
(better efficiency with less materials), less intensive production methods, the effect of different
climates as well as the inherent uncertainly and variability in the calculation of embodied energy.
However, more important and less divisive is the issue of whether the incremental increases in
embodied energy needed to make low energy buildings is beneficial. The answer to this appears
to be a resounding yes. Even if the building material embodied energy is significant compared to
the reduced operational energy in a low energy building, the energy payback time appears to be in
the range of only a few years. Therefore, after the embodied energy is "paid back" in this short
time, compared to standard, less efficient houses, energy use is being reduced from then on.

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 CHPTER 4

COMPONENTS AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

4.1 Design and Construction

The most cost- effective steps toward a reduction in a building's energy consumption usually
occurs during the design process. To achieve efficient energy use, zero energy design departs
significantly from conventional construction practice. Successful zero energy building designers
typically combine time tested passive solar, or natural conditioning, principles that work with the
onsite assets. Sunlight and solar heat, prevailing breeze and the cool of the earth below a building,
can provide day lighting and stable indoor temperatures with minimum mechanical means. ZEBs
are normally optimized to use passive solar heat gain and shading, combined with thermal mass to
stabilize e diurnal temperature variations throughout the day, and in most climates are super
insulated.. All the technologies needed to create zero energy buildings are available off- the- shelf
today.
Sophisticated 3D computer simulation tools are available to model how a building will perform
with a range of design variables such as building orientation (relative to the daily and seasonal
position of the sun), window and door type and placement, overhang depth, insulation type and
values of the building elements, air tightness (weathering action), the efficiency of heating,
cooling, lighting and other equipment, as well as local climate. These simulations help the
designers predict how the building will perform before it is built, and enable them to model the
economic and financial implications on building cost benefit analysis , or even more appropriate -
life cycle assessment.
Zero- energy buildings are built with significant energy- saving features. The heating and cooling
loads are lowered by using high-efficiency equipment, added insulation, high- efficiency
windows, natural ventilation, and other techniques. These features vary depending on climate z
ones in which the construction occurs. Water heating loads can be lowered by using water
conservation fixtures, heat recovery units on waste water, and by using solar water heating, and
high- efficiency water heating equipment. In addition, day lighting with skylights or solar tubes
can provide 100% of daytime illumination within the home. Nighttimes illumination is typically
done with fluorescent and LED lighting that use 1/3 or less power than incandescent lights,
without adding unwanted heat. And miscellaneous electric loads can be lessened by choosing

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efficient appliances and minimizing phantom loads or standby power. Other techniques to reach
net zero (dependent on climate) are Earth sheltered building principles, super insulation walls
using straw- bale construction, Vitruvius built prefabricated building panels and roof elements
plus exterior landscaping for seasonal shading.
Zero- energy buildings are often designed to make dual use of energy including white goods; for
example, using refrigerator exhaust to heat domestic water, ventilation air and shower drain heat
exchangers, office machines and computer servers, and body heat to heat the building. These
buildings make use of heat energy that conventional buildings may exhaust outside. They may use
heat recovery ventilation, hot water heat recycling,combined heat and power , and absorption
chillers units.

4.2 Foundation
While constructing a Zero Energy Building, following points need to be considered for an
appropriate foundation.
i. Select a site suited to take advantage of mass transit.
ii. Protect and retain existing landscaping and natural features. Select plants that have low
water and pesticide needs, and generate minimum plant trimmings. Use compost and
mulches. This will save water and time.
iii. Recycled content paving materials, furnishings, and mulches help close the recycling
loop.
A proper and sustainable foundation will yield best results.

4.3 Material Efficiency

Materials used in the formation of Zero Energy Building have a huge contribution in its overall
efficiency. Hence material efficiency has to be taken into account.
Strategies to increase material efficiency:-
i. Select sustainable construction material and products by evaluating several characteristics
such as reused and recycled content, zero or low off gassing of harmful air emissions, zero
or low toxicity, sustainable harvested materials recyclables, durability, longevity, and

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 local production. Such products promote resource conservation and efficiency. Using
recycled-content products also helps develop markets for recycled materials.
ii. Use dimensional planning and other material efficiency strategies.
iii. These strategies reduce the amount of building materials needed and cut construction
costs. For example, design rooms on 4-foot multiples to conform to standard-sized
wallboard and plywood sheets.
iv. Reuse and recycle construction and demolition materials. For example, using inert
demolition materials as a base course for a parking lot keeps materials out of landfills and
costs less.
v. Require plans for managing materials through deconstruction, demolition, and
construction.
vi. Design with adequate space to facilitate recycling collection and to incorporate a solid
waste management program that prevents waste generation.

4.4 Energy Generation Technologies

There are several energy generation technologies which are being used to displace the use of
fossil fuels on the supply side. These technologies are used to produce electricity, hot water, and
heat in buildings.

4.4.1 Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. The semiconductor materials
interact with the sunlight to free the electrons and produce electricity. The major raw material is
silicon. Silicon is primarily used for its high light to electricity conversion properties and its
abundance. A system is composed of individual PV cells that are wired together to form a
module. PV modules provide from 10 to 300 Watts of power.
Power production from PV cells is intermittent due to their dependence on the sun. In addition,
the quantity of electricity generated is proportional to the light intensity and the angle of light
incidence on the PV cells. As a result, a well designed system needs unobstructed sunlight access
for most of the day, year-round.
The drawback with PV systems is their inability to effectively store energy. Batteries can be used
for backup, however, they are expensive and do not have high efficiencies. A new measure called

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net metering alleviates this problem by tying PV systems to the utility grid. In these
circumstances, the PV modules are connected to an inverter that changes the system’s direct-
current (DC) electricity to alternating current (AC), which is compatible with the utility grid.
When the PV cells are producing more energy than needed by the building, the utility meter runs
backwards and supplies electricity to the grid. This results in an even swap for grid power used by
the building at other times. Net metering allows consumers to pay for their “net” electricity
consumption from the utility.

Figure 4.1 Layout of PV And Utility Grid Connection

4.4.2 Solar Water Heating

Solar water heaters use the sun to heat either water or a heat transfer fluid in the solar collectors.
The water is then stored for use as needed. A typical solar water heater provides approximately
two thirds of residential hot water needs. As a result, a conventional fuel is needed for backup.
There are two main categories of systems: active and passive. Active systems use electric pumps,
valves, and other controllers to circulate the fluid through the collectors. The three types of active
systems are direct, indirect, and drain back systems. Direct systems circulate the water directly

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through the solar collectors. These types of systems are most appropriate in areas that do not
freeze for long periods of time. In addition, these systems perform the best when the water is not
hard or acidic. Indirect systems circulate heat transfer fluids through the collectors. The heat from
these fluids is then transferred to the water stored in the tanks through a heat exchanger. The final
active system is a drain back system.

Figure 4.2 Indirect Solar Hot Water System

Drain back systems pump the water through the collectors. When the pump stops, the water in the
collector piping drains into a reservoir tank. Consequently, this system is Suitable for colder
climates where freezing is an issue. Passive systems circulate water through the system without
pumps or valves. The absence of electrical components makes these systems more reliable and
easier to maintain. The two main types of passive systems are batch heaters and thermo siphon
systems.

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 Figure 4.3 Batch Solar Water Heater
Batch heaters, also called integral collector storage systems, are comprised of one or more storage
tanks. The storage tanks are placed in an insulated box with a glazed side facing the sun. Batch
heaters are only appropriate for warm climates since they must be protected from freezing.

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 Figure 4.4 Thermosiphon Solar Water Heater
Thermo siphon systems take advantage of the natural convection of warm water. Water circulates
through the collectors and heats up, becoming lighter as it gets warmer. The lighter water rises
naturally into the tank, which is located above the collector. Simultaneously, the cooler water in
the tank sinks down the pipes to the collector, resulting in flow circulation through the system.

4.4.3 Geothermal Heat Pump

Geothermal heat pumps (GHP), also known as GeoExchange or ground source heat pumps, use
the earth’s natural energy to provide heating and cooling. The system consists of piping and a heat
pump. While the system does not convert electricity to heat, it uses electricity to transfer the
thermal energy between the building and the ground. In heat mode, the system draws heat from
the ground and transfers it to the building. In cooling mode, the reverse occurs and heat from the
building is extracted and transferred to the ground. A heat transfer fluid circulates through the
pipes transferring heat between the earth and the ground. The earth provides a constant
temperature of about 55oF and acts as a heat sink. There are two types of GHP systems, open loop
and closed loop systems. An open loop system draws in ground water and circulates it through the
system. The water is discharged from the GHP circuit into a discharge well. From here, the
groundwater can return to the aquifer it came from.

21
 Figure 4.5 Open Loop GHP System

When there are concerns of groundwater contamination, a hybrid open loop is used. The
groundwater is isolated from the building’s water flow and is pumped through a heat exchanger
where heat is transferred to the interior water flow. The two fluids never come in contact in this
setup. Closed loop systems are buried below grade or are submersed at least 10 feet down in a
body of water in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. Horizontal loops are typically buried 4
to 5 feet below grade. Economically, it is cost prohibitive to place the piping deeper due to OSHA
regulations. Due to their proximity to the earth’s surface, horizontal loops are more vulnerable to
the atmospheric temperature. More loop length is required to combat this effect. These effects
limit the capacity of horizontal loops relative to vertical loops. A horizontal acre provides 25 – 30
tons of cooling compared to the 250- 400 tons provided by a vertical acre. Vertical loops reach
depths of 15- 450 ft depending on the soil’s thermal conductivity.

22
 Figure 4.6 Closed Loop GHP System

4.5 Energy Conservation Technologies

Demand side management of energy consumption in buildings can be controlled through energy
efficient construction technologies. Not only do these technologies reduce the consumption of
energy, they also make the use of renewable energy sources more viable.

4.5.1 Passive Solar Design

Passive solar design uses the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces. The
building design takes advantage of the basic natural processes associated with radiation,
conduction, and natural convection that are created in building materials by exposure to the sun.
Building materials can reflect, transmit, or absorb solar radiation from sunlight. Air warmed by
the sun also moves in predictable patterns within buildings.

4.5.2 Passive Solar Heating

Passive solar heating systems capture the sun’s heat within the building’s elements and release
that heat when the sun is not shining. While the building’s materials are absorbing the heat for
later, solar heat is available for maintaining a comfortable temperature. The two main elements of

23
passive solar heating are south facing glass, also known as glazing, to pass sunlight into the
building, and thermal mass for absorbing, storing, and distributing heat. There are three
approaches to passive systems – direct gain, indirect gain, and isolated gain.
In a direct gain system, the actual living space acts as the solar collector, heat absorber, and
distribution system. Solar energy passes through the south facing glass and directly and indirectly
strikes the thermal mass materials in the house. Thermal mass materials have a high capacity for
absorbing and storing heat. A material’s thermal conductivity, specific heat, and density
determine its thermal storage capabilities. In direct gain systems, materials such as brick, concrete
masonry, concrete slab, tile, adobe, and water are functional parts of the building. The thermal
mass mitigates the daytime heat intensity by absorbing the heat. At night, the thermal mass
radiates heat into the living space.

Figure 4.7 Direct Gain Passive Solar System Operation

In an indirect gain system, the thermal mass is positioned between the sun and the living space.
The main application of an indirect gain system is with thermal mass walls also known as Trombe
Walls. A portion of the south wall is constructed of thermal mass material. A glass pane is
positioned about two inches from the thermal walls surface. Sunlight enters, the heat is trapped by
the glass, and the thermal mass wall absorbs the heat. In the evening and at night, the heat is
radiated into the interior of the room. The indirect gain system uses 30-45% of the sunlight
streaming through

24
 Figure 4.8 Indirect Gain Passive Solar System Operation

In an isolated gain system sunlight is collected in an area that can be closed off from the rest of
the building. An example of an isolated system is a sunroom. Sunlight enters the sunroom and is
retained in the thermal mass and air in the room. Heat is conducted through the shared thermal
mass wall into the rest of the building. Vents can allow air to be exchanged between the sunroom
and the rest of the building. The remainder of the solar energy is retained in the sunroom.

Figure 4.9 Isolated Gain Passive Solar System Operation

25
4.5.3 Insulation and Infiltration
Insulation thermally encloses buildings and improves their resistance to heat flowing out of the
building. This allows buildings to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The R-value
measures a materials thermal resistance and a higher R-value indicates a better insulator. Another
essential key to a building’s energy performance is minimal air infiltration or air leakage. Air will
rapidly flow through cracks and crevices in the walls allowing heat and cold to bypass the
insulation. This leads to large energy losses. Air infiltration is measured by the number of air
exchanges per hour (ACH). A good energy efficient building will have between 0.35 and 0.50
ACH under normal winter conditions. When a building is more air tight than 0.35 ACH,
mechanical ventilation is needed to avoid problems such as moisture build up, indoor air quality,
and inadequate venting for fireplaces and furnaces.

4.5.4 Advanced Solar Control Windows

One important way to reduce energy demand in buildings is through advanced solar control
windows. These types of windows need to be selected for the climate they will be used in.
Coatings are added to windows to provide some of the desired properties. For cold climates,
windows that maximize solar heat gain are ideal. The Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)
measures this property. A low SHGC keeps out the sun’s heat, whereas a high SHGC allows the
sun’s heat to pass through. Another important property of windows is the conductance or U-value
(Btu/hr-sqft-oF). Windows with low U-values are better insulators and have reduced heat
transmitted through them. Spectral selectivity is another important feature for energy efficient
windows. With a spectral selective coating, only the visible portion of the solar spectrum is
transmitted through the window. Infrared and ultraviolet light which cause overheating and fading
of interior materials are filtered out. In addition, special care should be taken with non-solar
glazing. Non-solar glazing refers to windows that are not south facing. Windows on the north side
of a building lose significant heat energy and gain little useful sunlight in the winter. East and
west windows tend to increase heat gain and cooling needs in the summer. These energy needs
can be balanced out with aesthetic needs for non-solar glazing. Triple glazing (three panes of
glass) or low-e (low emissivity) coating reduces heat loss while allowing sunlight to enter.

26
4.5.5 Window overhangs
One method of reducing the amount of cooling required for buildings in the summer is by adding
window overhangs. Window overhangs block the sunlight in the summer when the sun is higher
in the sky. The shade created by the overhang helps prevent solar gain or heat build up on the
walls and windows. Conversely, in the winter, the sun is lower in the sky and more sunlight and
heat can enter through the windows

Figure 4.10 Cooling Effect of Window Overhang

4.5.6 Interior Space Planning

Energy can be conserved in homes by placing rooms in strategic locations. Considering how the
rooms will be used in different seasons and at different times of the day can save energy and
increase comfort. For example, locating the room that produces the most heat on the north side or
coolest side of the house increases the heating/cooling efficiency.
Similarly, low occupancy areas such as storage rooms and bathrooms can be placed in the north
side of the building. These rooms don’t need as much heat, and would not benefit as much from

27
the warmth brought by a southern exposure. Accordingly, interior spaces that need the most light
and heating/cooling should be along the south face of the building. Grouping baths, kitchens and
laundry rooms near the water heater will also save the heat that would be lost from longer water
lines.
4.5.7 Landscaping
Well designed landscaping can leverage different greenery to enhance the energy efficiency of
homes. Trees that provide shade placed on the east and west side of the building help keep the
interior cool in the summer. In the winter, shrubbery and trees can protect the house from cold
winds. Low shrubs and plans placed on the south side of the house increase the exposure to the
sun during the winter.

Figure 4.11 Landscaping

4.6 High Efficiency Lighting

The use of compact fluorescent lights can reduce a building’s lighting electricity load by 75%.
These lights provide almost equivalent light (lumens) and are indistinguishable from traditional
incandescent bulbs. They also last 10,000 hours versus the 2,000 hour operating life of standard
incandescent lamps. In warm weather, a secondary benefit is the reduced heat emitted by the
lamp. This reduces building cooling loads.

28
 Figure 4.12 Compact fluorescent lights

4.7 High Efficiency Appliances

Although high efficiency appliances have higher upfront purchase costs, they can significantly
reduce energy consumption resulting in long term operating savings. Many high efficiency
appliances are commercially available. Among these are refrigerators, washer dryers, and HVAC
systems.

Figure 4.13 High Efficiency Appliances

29
 4.8 Building Envelope
4.8.1 Importance of Building Envelope
The building envelope separates the inside of the house from the outside, protecting inhabitants
from the elements. Ours has been designed and constructed so we can live without any heating or
cooling. This contributes 30% towards the Zero Energy goal, as the average home utilizes this
much of its energy consumption in space heating.

There are cost and health benefits to living without the need for heating or cooling:

 We don’t have to worry about paying for heating as electricity prices go up in winter, and
year-on-year.
 We don’t need to worry about the maintenance of mechanical units.
 The entire house is warm rather than having warm areas in heated living areas and cold
pockets in bedrooms.
 We get fresh air, because we can open windows in winter and the house will still be warm.

4.8.2 Building Envelope Design

 Facing windows towards the north, and designing their size to allow the right amount of
passive solar energy into the house.
 Placing living areas like the lounge, dining, and bedrooms on the warmest side of the
house (the north) and spaces less lived-in such as the kitchen and bathrooms on the south.
 Placing the kitchen at an eastern corner to take advantage of morning sun.
 Designing the size and shape of the first floor overhang to provide shading to living areas
in the summer, but allow a lower winter sun to penetrate and heat the concrete thermal slab.

Products and Methods to help control the temperature inside

4.8.2.1 Framing

Our framing is a little different. We've constructed it to allow for a higher standard of insulation,
one of the key elements in eliminating the need for heating. The change we've made is to remove
the nogs from between the studs and replace them with supporting battens that run along the

30
inside of the wall. The same approach is taken in the ceiling.This achieves two key improvements
over a standard approach:

Figure 4.14 Framing

1. Reduced thermal bridging. Taking out the nogs allows us to run insulation uninterrupted
the full height of each floor between the studs. With standard framing, panels of insulation
would be placed between each nog. Timber is a 'thermal bridge' that allows heat to travel
outwards from the house; removing the nogs reduces this thermal bridging, increasing
insulation properties of the walls.
2. An insulation layer. With supporting battens on the inside of the walls and ceiling, this
allows us to run a second layer of insulation horizontally between the battens. This not
only provides a thicker overall insulation layer, it also lays insulation over the studs -
which reduces the thermal bridging effect even more.

31
 4.8.2.2 Insulation

Insulation is critical to building performance and the health of homeowners. However, it's
important to understand that the insulation required in the building code is
a minimum specification; you can install much more than that. At the Zero Energy House, the
reduction in thermal bridging and use of double insulation layers have enabled us to achieve a
50% increase in performance above building code.

We chose to use Greenstuffs from Autex for a number of reasons:

Figure 4.15 Green stuffs from Autex

 It is extremely durable and comes with a 50 year warranty.

 It contains no fibreglass, which makes it nicer to install.
 It is endorsed by Asthma New Zealand.
 It is made from a minimum of 45% recycled plastic bottles and is fully recyclable,
meaning no waste.
 It doesn’t absorb moisture so doesn’t need any treatment during manufacturing to keep
moisture out.
 There are no issues with wiring around it, compared with polystyrene insulation.

32
 4.8.2.3 The Green Roof

Fig.4.16 Green Roof

We’ve installed a green roof between the main house and the garage. As well as being nice to
look at, it provides a stable thermal mass that performs to a similar level as a concrete slab.
It’s extremely important to have a good membrane product between the soil and timber to stop
moisture getting into the wood. We’ve chosen to use the Enviroclad product from Viking Roof
spec due to its performance and environmental credentials:

 It is extremely watertight – it’s even used in ponds to contain water.

 Joins are heat-welded which eliminates the need for oil-based lap tapes and primers.
 It is puncture resistant to a level that rivals bituminous membranes, but isn’t made from
bitumen so is 100% recyclable.

33
4.8.2.4 Windows & Glazing

Windows perform three key functions in terms of the building envelope.

First, they allow heat in. It's therefore important to position them correctly in order to maximize
this solar gain. As we mentioned above, we've placed most of our windows on the north side for
this reason.

Second, they stop heat from escaping when closed. Their performance in this regard is controlled
by the framing and glazing materials. We've gone with timber framing, as it has a higher
insulating level than aluminum joinery. The windows have been constructed by Heirloom Joinery.

The third function the windows perform is ventilation. The window design we've chosen allows
them to be opened inwards at both the sides and bottom. The bottom-hinge means we can tilt
them back to allow ventilation closer to the ceiling level where it is needed most (hot air rises).
They're also secure in this position so we can ventilate the house while we're not there. And,
finally, their angle of tilt and placement underneath the first floor overhang means they can be left
open when it's raining.

Fig. 4.17 Double glazed window

34
Key design areas for designing a building to be as energy efficient as possible are in the following
table.

Design Area Strategy

Lighting Install the most efficient lighting you can afford
for the best lighting design you can afford.
Day lighting Ensure the building form, orientation, and its
openings are designed to maximize natural light in
the building without dramatically increasing the
cooling requirement. Install lighting controls to
turn off lights when there is sufficient natural
light.
Equipment Though not regulated today, specify the most
energy efficient equipment (computers, elevators,
vending machines, etc.) available.
Glazing Select glazing that maximizes visible light
transmission minimizes solar heat gain and
conduction, while balancing the beneficial passive
solar effects.
Opaque Constructions Optimize the construction assembly to minimize
energy use while balancing HVAC operation
schemes (night ventilation, etc.).
Natural Ventilation If the local climate and neighbourhood permits,
design the building to maximize cross ventilation
and stack effect.
HVAC System If all of the above are done correctly and
depending on the climate, some or all portions of
the HVAC may be able to be eliminated.

35
Figure 4.18- Components of Zero Energy Building

36
 CHAPTER 5

THE NET ZERO ENERGY BUILDING CERTIFICATION 

The Net Zero Energy Building Certification was launched at Green build International
Conference and Expo in October 2011, and is tied to the International Living Future Institute’s
Living Building Challenge. Certification in both programs is based on actual performance and
buildings seeking certification must be operational for at least 12 consecutive months prior to
evaluation. To earn Net Zero Energy Building certification, buildings must address the
following four imperatives:

1. Limits to Growth. Buildings may only be built on gray fields or brown fields—previously
developed sites that are not classified as sensitive ecological habitats. In documenting this
imperative, firms must provide a historic image taken no later than Dec.31,2007 that shows the
site and its adjacent properties to a minimum distance of 100 feet before the building property
line. Existing buildings operational prior to Dec.31,2007 are exempt.

2. Net Zero Energy. One-hundred percent of the building’s energy needs must be supplied by on-
site renewable energy on a net annual basis. Renewable energy for the program is defined as
passive solar, photovoltaic, wind turbines, solar thermal, direct geothermal, water-powered micro
turbines, or fuel cells powered by hydrogen generated from renewable powered electrolysis.  No
combustion is allowed and green tags or green power purchases are not recognized as compliance
paths. Teams must supply a completed energy usage table with monthly information gathered
from tracking systems that record energy consumed and produced, as well as energy bills for a
continuous 12-month period.

3. Rights to Nature. The building may not block access to, nor diminish the quality of fresh air,
sunlight, and natural waterways to any member of society or adjacent developments. Teams must
provide calculations or 3D diagrams demonstrating compliance with maximum shading
allowances of adjacent properties.

4. Beauty + Spirit, Inspiration + Education. The building must contain design features intended
solely for human delight and the celebration of culture, spirit, and place appropriate to its

37
function. Educational materials about the performance and operation of the building must be
provided to the public to share successful solutions and to motive others to make change. As part
of these goals, teams must conduct a survey of building occupants and users and hold at least one
annual open-house day to educate the public about the building’s systems and achievements.

The first of the two projects to meet these four requirements, Painters Hall, is part of Pringle
Creek Community, a 32-acre mixed-use development in Salem. The development as a whole was
named Green Land Development of the Year in 2007 by the National Association of Home
Buildings, and features 139 residential lots. Painters Hall converted an 80-year-old existing
building into a community center with a 20.2 kilowatt rooftop solar array (which produces enough
power to meet the building’s energy needs). The project is LEED Platinum-certified and also
achieved three petals of the Living Building Challenge—the energy, equity, and beauty petals—
which earned the project Living Building Challenge Petal certification, or partial recognition as a
living building.

The Ideas Z2 facility transformed a concrete, windowless U.S. Bank building from the 1960s into
a modern office building in San Jose. The 34,000-square-foot facility meets 100 percent of its net
energy requirements via photovoltaic and has a net-metered rooftop PV array that provides
enough electricity to meet the building’s needs. The "Z2" in the project’s name references the
goal of being net-zero energy and net-zero carbon.

38
 CHAPTER 6

LIST OF SOME ZERO ENERGY BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD

Sr. no Name of Project Location

1. SunCarier Omega Building Bhopal, India

2. Shunya-Net Zero Energy Home Noida, India

3. La’ Residency - Zero Energy Hostel Thane, India

4. Lotus Valley-Pre Nursery School Noida, India

5. Pearl River Tower Guangzhou, China

6. Strategic Research Centre Aalborg Denmark

7. Green Acres New York,U.S.A

8. The headquarters of Hudson Valley Clean Energy Rhinebeck,U.S.A

9. Dongtan Eco-City Shanghai, China

10. The House, Eastman Quebec, Canada

11. OIIC Office Tower Iran

12. Masdar City Abu Dhabi, UAE

13. Painters Hall, a community building Salem, Oregon

14. IdeasZ2 Design Facility, an office building San Jose, California

CHAPTER 7

39
 CASE STUDY

7.1 Case Study 1:-

La’ Residency - Zero Energy Hostel Project, Thane, India

Name of the project La Residency at ACC Limited

Occupancy Type Guest House

Completed May 2010

Location Thane-Maharashtra

Certification or Rating Platinum

Certification given by LEED-Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design

Fig 7.1 La Residency-Thane

40
Project Team Profile:-

Owner : ACC Limited

Architect : Work sphere Architects

Sustainable Consultant : Clancy Global Consulting Engineers

Area Statement:-

 Building Foot Print :441.39 sq.mt(G+3)

 Plot Area :3045 sq.mt
 Building Carpet Area :12955 sq.ft

Salient Features of La’ Residency - Zero Energy Hostel Project:-

 Geo Thermal Air Conditioning

 LED lighting in all occupied areas
 Solar PV system installation
 Thermal insulation for all internal walls
 95% of external structure and 90% of internal interior structure retained
 100% grey water reuse for flushing and landscaping using STP.
 Adequate day lighting and green areas
 Safety System-Fire Alarm System
 Eco-friendly ETP
 Water Saving

41
1 Geo Thermal Air Conditioning:-

 Cooing water is taken from the underground tank or surface water, circulated to the individual
heat pumps
 Cooling water is then passing through expansion valve enter into evaporator
 Required amount Chilled water after evaporation is then passed to building
Cooling water is send to condenser via compressor from evaporator to the ground via a disposal
well.

Fig 7.2 Schematic of Open Loop Heat Pump Operation

42
2 LED lighting:
 LED stands for light-emitting diode. LEDs are small light sources that become illuminated by
the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material.
 LEDs can be integrated into all sorts of products to provide white and coloured light, such as
flashlights, light bulbs, and integrated light fixtures.

Benefits:-
 Long lasting
 Durable
 Cool
 Mercury free
 More efficient
 Cost effective

Fig 7.3 LED Lighting

43
3. Solar PV systems:

Solar Panel

Photovoltaic systems (PV system) use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity

 A system is made up of one or more photovoltaic (PV) panels, a DC/AC power converter (also
known as an inverter), a racking system that holds the solar panels, electrical interconnections,
and mounting for other components.
 Optionally it may include a maximum power point tracker (MPPT), battery system
and charger, solar tracker, software, solar or other equipment.
 A small PV system may provide energy to a single consumer, or to an isolated device like a lamp
or a weather instrument.
 Large grid-connected PV systems can provide the energy needed by many customers. The
electricity generated can be either stored, used directly or fed into a large electricity grid powered
by central generation plants or combined with one or many domestic electricity generators to
feed into a small grid

Fig 7.4 Solar Panel

44
Solar Water Heater

 Solar water heating systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy.
 In a "close-coupled" SWH system the storage tank is horizontally mounted immediately above
the solar collectors on the roof. No pumping is required as the hot water naturally rises into the
tank through thermo siphon flow.
 In a "pump-circulated" system the storage tank is ground- or floor-mounted and is below the
level of the collectors; a circulating pump moves water or heat transfer fluid between the tank
and the collectors.

Fig 7.5 Solar Water Heater

45
3 Day lighting:-
 Day lighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so
that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting.
 Particular attention is given to day lighting while designing a building when the aim is to
maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy use.
 Energy savings can be achieved either from the reduced use of artificial (electric) lighting or
from passive solar heating or cooling.
 Artificial lighting energy use can be reduced by simply installing fewer electric lights because
daylight is present, or by dimming/switching electric lights automatically in response to the
presence of daylight, a process known as daylight harvesting.

Fig 7.6 Day Lighting

46
4 Green areas:

 Green area are provided those which uses less water, protects natural vegetation, promotes
biodiversity, uses native/naturalised species, optimises energy efficiency, efficient waste
management, use of eco-friendly materials and provides healthier, recreational & inspirational
spaces for community.
 The plantation scheme in landscape is thoughtfully done, keeping in mind the water
consumption and the native plant variety that are exiting and maintaining the current micro
ecosystem.
 Entire landscape is irrigated by waste water generated in the building.
 The intelligent usage of water feed through drip irrigation to right part of the plant would
ensure the saving of water.
 The presence of vegetation would lower the heat gain hence would tends to keep the
temperature comfortable.

Fig 7.7 Green Areas

47
6. Wastewater Recycle:-

 Recycle of waste is carried by the accumulation and deposition of wastewater from building
for reuse before it reaches the aquifer.
 Waste water is collected from building & water collected is just redirected to a deep pit with
percolation. & treatment is given to such water by the process of rainwater harvesting
 Uses of recycle water include water for garden, water for livestock, water for irrigation.

Fig 7.8 Wastewater Recycle

48
Project Description:

La’Residency is a project true to its use and is proposed to be a state‐of‐the art hostel facility
created for the users of the ACC Academy who come all across the globe to enrich themselves
with knowledge. The facility is being provided in an existing residential building constructed for
the ACC employees as Quarters in year 1965. The existing building is a ground + 3 structure with
12 flats; converted to accommodate 30 users. This project has been designed to showcase the
Global best practices in all key components of sustainable development. These include
efficiencies in use of water, energy, land and materials and deploy cutting edge Technologies in
each.
The project aims to achieve platinum ratings in the LEED’s criteria under two Categories and
parallely a “Zero Energy” and near ‘zero carbon’ status. Unlike other such projects where the
higher ratings are achieved at high first costs, in this project the costs are held below the baseline
costs of a conventional Hostel Project.

49
 Fig 7.9 Simulation Model
Design Procedure / Considerations:

The goals with regards to sustainability were set right at the inception of the project, with the
target set at achieving and exceeding the LEED Platinum rating coupled with achieving a ‘zero‐
energy building’. The design process has been governed by the simulation process, whereby a
computer model of the existing building (refer Fig 7.8) has been put through various iterations to
mock the proposed usage while altering the thermal properties of the existing structure to achieve
reduction in the cooling load of the project (refer Fig 7.9).

Fig 7.10 Heat Loads v/s Power Consumption

The same model has been updated to simulate the effects of: using LEDs for lighting, high
efficiency pumps/motors, measures taken to reduce raw power usage, optimise usage of
renewable sources i.e. PV panels for electricity and solar thermal for water heating; all to
minimise the power requirements for the project and optimise to achieve a ‘zero‐energy building.

50
Achievements:
Knit within the existing urban fabric:
Since the existing building is well within the city limits, it is well connected to the infrastructure.
In‐fact the total power consumption for the building is lesser than what it was originally designed
for in‐spite of adding air‐conditioning into the building.

Reducing the carbon foot‐print during construction:

The existing structure has been retained without any major alterations; limited to replacing the
windows and adding one internal wall. Also, 90% of the materials used for upgrading the interiors
fall in at‐least one of the following categories defined by LEED i.e. locally sourced materials,
rapidly renewable materials, salvaged materials, certified woods, low VOC materials.

Minimising water requirements:

The use of potable water is reduced by selecting low‐flow fixtures, usage of grey water for
flushing & landscape and usage of machines generating water from ‘air’ for drinking purpose.
Rainwater is harvested by letting the water into the well at site.

Economically achieving the zero‐energy status:

The main goal was to reduce the power requirement for the project and the same was achieved by:
(1) Optimising the cooling load by
(1.1) adding 50mm insulation on the inner side of the external walls
(1.2) including UPVC shutters on all windows
(1.3) adding insulation on the roof
(2) Usage of LEDs for both internal and external lighting
(3) Usage of ground‐source heat pumps for air‐conditioning
(4) Reducing the allowable usage of raw power.
The total reduction in power requirement achieved compared to a building following any Indian
standard/ECBC is in the tune of approx. 65‐70%. To achieve a ‘zero‐energy’ status the renewable
sources of energy used are PV cells to generate electricity (the angle to achieve maximum output
was determined from the simulation –solar thermal for water heating and ground‐source heat

51
pumps for air‐conditioning). The key is that all measures used to achieve ‘zero‐energy’ set the
payback economies at approx. 8 yrs.

Adding the human factor:

All rooms achieve an average daylight factor of more than 2%. The levels of fresh air are
maintained in each room by having ventilators (placed at the top and bottom of each centrally
pivoted window). Extensive landscape area which is approx. 10 times the building footprint is set
to set positive and clean surroundings for the occupants.

Fig 7.11 Performance of PV

52
Fig 7.12 Ground Source Heat Pump

53
Electrical Load Calculation:-

Total
TCL for TCL for all TOTAL
S. No.o Diversity MD/UNI
Description 1 Unit UNITS Max.D.
No. f Factor T (KW)
(KW) (KW) (KW)
Units

1 Flats ( Ground to 3rd floor )

As
a 3 BHK - Guest room Flats 12 5.48 65.78 0.9 11.02
above

2 Common Areas

a Staircase, lobby area 8 0.004 0.032 1 0.032 0.032

b Terrace area (2 points on each side) 6 0.004 0.024 1 0.024 0.024

External

c Landscape Lights (26W CFL -bollards) 64 0.03 1.92 1 1.92 1.92

d Street Lights (40W CFL, Pole mtd.) 22 0.045 0.99 1 0.99 0.99

Landscape Uplighter lights (120W PAR,

e 10 0.12 1.2 1 1.2 1.2
spikes)
Recessed step lights (18W CFL, Floor
f 6 0.023 0.138 1 0.138 0.138
washer)

3 Water Pumps

a Water pump-WTP (3HP, 8 Hrs working) 1 2.22 2.22 1 2.22 2.22

b Water pump-Flushing (1HP, 1 Hr. working) 1 0.74 0.74 1 0.74 0.74

c Water pump-domestic (2HP, 1 Hr. working) 1 1.48 1.48 1 1.48 1.48

4 Central A/C - Solar

a 20TR Total (0.6KW/TR) 1 12 12 1 12 12

b Ch. Water pumps, 1Working+1 standby)-3HP 2 2.2 4.4 0.5 2.2 2.2

Cond. Water pumps, 1Working+1 standby)-

c 2 2.2 4.4 0.5 2.2 2.2
3HP

Grand Total for All areas 95 36

Cost Analysis:-

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 Proposed (WAPL) Budgetary Estimate for La' Residency , ACC , Thane

Date 09/09/2009  

  Summary Proposed Amount

  Area under development in Sq.ft. 25,300

     
1 Total For Interior & Civil 8,396,890
2 Other Interior Works 4,194,150
3 Exterior FIns Works 1,358,200
4 Bought Out Furniture / Items 4,636,300
  Total 18,585,540
6 HVAC Hi Side 1,954,600
7 HVAC Low Side 1,755,557
8 Electrical Works -Part I 2,289,125
9 Electrical Works - Part II (LED Fixtures) 936,645
10 Fire Alarm Systems 535,824
11 Access Control 754,230
12 Solar Systems 6,777,000
13 Plumbing & Sanitation 4,480,549
14 Landscaping Works 6,095,885
15 LAN (Active Component) 2,000,000
  Grand Total 46,164,955
  Contingencies 5% 2,308,248
  Add: Vat @ 8% 3,877,856

  Add: Service Tax @ 4.12% 1,997,096

  Grand Total With Taxes 54,348,155

  Consultancy Fees with Taxes 4,600,000

  Project Cost 58,948,155

7.2 Case Study 2:-

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Shunya – The Net Zero Energy Home (India’s 1st Zero Energy Home)

Name of the project Shunya

Location Sector 107, Noida

Fig7.13 Shunya-Net Zero Energy Home

Project Team Profile:-

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Owner and Developer : The 3C Company

Architect : Design and Development

Salient Features of Shunya – The Net Zero Energy Home:-

 3600 of Greenery
 Photovoltaic panels for electricity generation.
 Solar Garden Lights
 Green Wall-Vertical Landscaping
 The Garden Court
 Environment Friendly Materials
 Eco Friendly Interiors
 Energy Consumption Monitoring System
 Use of Water-efficient Plumbing Fixtures
 Efficient systems, Efficient lightings, lighting sensors
 Efficient appliances and day lighting strategies
 Disposal of waste by on-site treatments-composting

Project Description:

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Shunya is an evolved way of thinking & sustainable living. A Net Zero Energy Home works on the
principle of utilizing maximum renewable energy from sun & is independent of any electricity
grid. The emphasis in a net zero home is to take a radical approach towards attaining maximum
sustainability by utilizing resource efficiency. To reach net zero affordably, designers
aggressively reduces energy demands & loads. Optimize passive strategies & if needed.
Incorporate efficient active mechanical strategies. The focus is on reducing peak energy demand
of the building.
India’s first working model of a net zero energy home has been made in 25 days by using
redundant cargo containers.

Fig. 7.14 Shunya

Landscaping:-

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 3600 of Greenery
 Low-water consuming plant species 
 Efficient drip irrigation system
 Aesthetically designed landscape with strategically placed evergreen and deciduous trees 
to enhance the microclimate of the site
 Vertical landscape green wall 
 Vegetable garden produces food on-site 
 Reduce heat island effect 

Fig 7.15 Landscaping

The Garden Courtyard:-

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 Give open-air shade
 Natural ventilation of house
 Beautiful view to look
 Gives natural daylight to house
 During summer glare is cut-off with help of louvers
 During winter more light and heat come with help of louvers

Fig.7.16 Garden Courtyard

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Environment Friendly Materials:-

 Bamboo Flooring
 Jute Coir Mat
 Use of Refurbished Old Furniture
 Bamboo Wallpapered walls as bamboo is rapidly renewable product
 Mineral Fibre Wool Ceiling
 Use of Low involatile Organic Compound Paints

Fig.7.17 Interior View of Shunya

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Online BMS System:-
 A Building Management System (BMS) is a computer-based control system installed in
buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment
such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems.
 The four basic functions of a central, computer-controlled BMS are:

 Controlling
 Monitoring
 Optimizing
 Reporting
the building’s facilities, mechanical, and electrical equipment for comfort, safety, and efficiency.

Fig. 7.18 Television Connected to Online BMS System

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Solar Panels:-
 Shunya was designed to run on the electricity produced by the 3 kW photo-voltaic systems
assisted with 96 volts battery bank, installed on 25 sq. m. of the roof area. The energy
simulation predicts the annual consumption of Shunya to be 4,252 kWh. Thus the photo-
voltaic modules on an annual basis are able to produce the same amount of the electricity
required to run the house.
 Solar Garden Lights

Fig. 7.19 Solar Panels

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7.3 Case Study 3:-

The SunCarrier Omega Building- India's First Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building

Name of the project The SunCarrier Omega Building

Occupancy Type Office

Built up area 9888 Sq ft

Completed October 2012

Location Bhopal- Madhya Pradesh

Certification or Rating Platinum

Certification given by LEED-Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design

Fig. 7.20 SunCarrier Omega Net-Zero Energy Building

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Project Description:-

The office of Sun Omega Private Limited located in Bhopal, Central India, is one of India's first
Net Zero Energy Buildings. The energy generated by a solar PV system installed by Sun Carrier
feeds the lighting and air conditioning load for the building, while also charging the large capacity
Cellcube vanadium redox flow battery and energy management system. The Cell cube provides
adequate power at nights and on days when the solar power generation is inadequate. The facility
does not draw any power from the grid, nor does it depend upon the traditional diesel generators
for its electrical needs. Sun Omega achieved LEED PLATINUM certification under LEED India
NC version 1.0. Sun Omega office sports many green features that directly contribute to the
environment in terms of reduced energy consumption, impact on the local environment and usage
of natural resources. En3 has been working closely with the Sun Omega team to make their office
a green building and become one of India's best LEED Platinum buildings and also a Net Zero
Energy Building.

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 Fig.7.21 The SunCarrier Omega Building
Site Sustainability Features:-

 The project is located in close proximity to public transportation thereby minimizing

transportation pollution and strain on local infrastructure
 Provision of battery charging stations for 14% of the total car parking capacity in an effort
to promote use of alternative and low emitting vehicles and to reduce transportation
pollution.
 Provision of carpooling spaces for 14% of the total car parking capacity within the
premises in an effort to promote share-rides to reduce transportation pollution as well as
strain on the local infrastructure.
 51% of the site area – exclusive of building foot print, is covered with native or adaptive
landscape species ground
 The project has a rain water recharge pit with a capacity of 180 cu m per day. The
recharge pit has filtration media, which has the capacity to remove 80% TSS.
 81% of roof area is covered with a highly reflective material to reduce heat islands and to
minimize impact on microclimate and human and wildlife habitat.
 100% of non-roof impervious areas are installed with high SRI paver blocks.

Water Efficiency:-

 Water is an integral part of the Campus and every effort is been taken to minimize water
use by installing water efficient fixtures. Low flow dual-flush toilets, sensor based urinals
and other low flow fixtures have been selected to install at site to reduce water
consumption by over 40%.
 100% of wastewater is being treated onsite to tertiary standards and the treated water is
being reused for landscaping and other purposes.

Materials and Construction

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  Recycling and reuse are essential elements of sustainable design adopted wherein the
grounds and roads were paved with high recycle content pavers and the broken bricks and
mortar leftovers from the construction of the building. The building material, itself, has a
large local content. Moreover, the ergonomic furniture used is made of wood from
specially grown trees (rapidly renewable material) and the wood used in the building is
according to FSC guidelines. The adhesives used release no harmful fumes.

Energizing the Building:-

 The Project has been designed as a Net Zero Building, where the energy requirements for
the whole building are being met from renewable energy generated on site from PV
modules.
 The project has achieved 43.83% energy cost reduction in proposed design.
 Energy efficiency measures such as Hi albedo paint on roof, efficient lighting design,
efficient HVAC design and VRV systems for saving more energy than the conventional
systems.
 The project is designed as a net zero Building and 100% of the building’s annual energy
consumption is sourced through on-site renewable energy 1, 40,000 kWh of renewable
energy would be generated per annum.
 Selection of CFC free and HCFC free refrigerants thereby avoiding global warming and
ozone depletion.

Indoor Environmental Quality:-

 In order to support enhanced IAQ and long-term well-being of all occupants, 30% more
than the minimum ventilation rates as per ASHRAE standards is provided.
 The entire building is a non-smoking building thereby ensuring the health and safety of all
its occupants.
 For densely occupied areas, the project has provided CO 2 sensors to measure the CO2
levels in the breathing zone between 3 feet & 6 feet above the floor.

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 Low emitting paints, carpets and composite wood products have been used to enhance the
indoor environment and provide superior workplace for all employees.
 After completion of all interior activities, the project has done proper building flush out in
line with LEED requirement to enhance their staff working spaces.
 77% of the occupants can control the air speed and temperature of the cassette units in
their workspaces.
 More than 81% of the regularly occupied areas have daylight.
 The building occupants in 92% of the regularly occupied spaces will have direct lines of
sight to perimeter glazing.

Fig. 7.22 Indoor Environmental Quality

Novelties:-

 The project is designed as a net zero Building and 100% of the building’s annual energy
consumption is sourced through onsite renewable energy. 1,40,000 kWh of renewable energy
would be generated per annum. 100% of the energy requirements have been met with
Generation of clean energy on site.
 The project has achieved 40.9% reduction in potable water use.

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 More than 95% of the debris generated during construction has been diverted from landfills.

The SunCarrier Omega NZEB evolved as a multi-act play:-

Act One: Deployment of a renewable energy generator in the form of Solar PV system. The
SunCarrier SC 260 was chosen since it was one of the largest sun-tracking solar PV systems
worldwide, with a designed energy yield that was 35-40% higher than that of similarly rated static
systems. Its large format, and its ability to track the sun, has made it a beacon for the eco-
inquisitive and eco-concious from all walks of life. It now acts as a great motivator for those
desirous of adopting sustainable energy policies for their own residential or commercial
operations.

Fig 7.23 SunCarrier SC 260 at SunCarrier Omega NZEB site

Benefits of the SunCarrier:-

 25+ years Life 
  Low in maintenance and long lifetime Stable construction (wind loads of up to 144 km/h,
snow loads up to 0.8 kN/sqm)
 Worldwide proven with over 6,500 installed SunCarrier entities 
 Easy installation

Act Two: Incorporate demand-side energy efficiencies. The SunCarrier Omega NZEB design
incorporated daylighting for high utilization of natural lighting; LED lighting and occupancy
monitoring sensors. The air conditioning system chosen was one with ozone friendly refrigerant

69
and carbon dioxide monitoring sensor system and low noise inverters. Water harvesting system,
controlled water discharge toilets, and sewage treatment with zero discharge ensured efficient
usage of water. The furniture chosen, too, was 95% recyclable. 
Act Three: Integration of a large capacity energy storage system, the Cellcube FB 10-100. In
addition to its ability to store upto 100 kWh of energy per unit, it also functions as an effective
energy management system. Excess energy produced during the day by the SC 260 is stored in
the Cellcube, which in turn supplies energy during the night hours, and during monsoon days
when the sun does not shine.

Fig. 7.24 Cellcube FB 10-100 at SOPL NZEB site

Based upon the sizing for the SunCarrier Omega energy plan, the system was configured with 2
units of SunCarrier SC 260, with an overall rating of 67 kWp, for a planned yield of over 130,000
kWh per annum. 3 units of Cellcube FB 10-100, each with a maximum power rating of 15 kW,
and a storage capacity of 100 kWh, were configured. 1 SMA Multi-cluster box completed the
configuration.
Exceptional Properties of Cellcube:
 High security and reliability - liquid energy storage medium
 Long lifetime - temperature management, robust against deep discharge
 High storage stability - optimized reactor design

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 State-of-charge control - reading of the available energy
 High efficiency - multi-stage mode
 Low maintenance - smart controller with remote communication

Act Four: 
Extension of its energy generation capacity in keeping with the anticipated growth in occupancy
of the building. To support its growth, and still maintain its NZEB status, SunCarrier Omega has
planned to integrate small Wind Turbines, the WindCarrier, in the energy mix. WindCarrier is a
gearless, vertical axis wind turbine, based on the Darrieus principle, with a power rating of 10
kW. WindCarriers are highly efficient, and startup even at low wind speeds. With a hub height of
10 m and the ability to harness wind power regardless of wind direction, the Windcarrier may be
deployed in urban environments to supply wind energy for private and commercial households,
single family homes, farms, administrative and corporate buildings, and industrial plants.

Fig.7.25 Wind carrier proposed at SunCarrier Omega NZEB site

Benefits of Windcarrier:
 No gears - reduced energy loss

 Everything from one source

 Use of a free, inexhaustible energy source

 High degree of efficiency

 Well-engineered electronic components

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  Reduced noise generation

CHAPTER 8

HOW TO MAKE A EXISTING BUILDING “ZERO ENERGY”

Though it may sound easier to design a zero energy building from scratch, it is possible to
remodel your existing home to achieve net zero or near zero status by adopting following
strategies.

8.1 Passive Strategies to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Solar panels are probably one of the first images that come to mind when you think of generating
our own energy; and while they do play a significant role in the design of many net zero homes,
we should first take smaller steps-passive strategies-to tighten our home's shell and reduce our
energy use. Begin with a home energy audit, and depending on the results, implement some of
these energy-saving strategies:

 Beef up the insulation in our floors, walls and especially in our attic and around air ducts.
 Service our HVAC system regularly and replace outdated elements with energy-
conserving models.
 Replace or improve our windows to increase energy-efficiency
 Invest in Energy Star-rated appliances.
 Switch incandescent bulbs for more efficient CFLs or LEDs.
 Reduce "ghost loads," energy suckers such as computers, TVs and other appliances. If we
don't use it daily, unplug it.

These upgrades go a long way in reducing our energy use, but to truly go net zero, we have to
make our own energy.

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8.2 Renewable Energy Systems

There are five basic sources for renewable energy:

1)Biomass

Biomass is energy stored within organic matter, such as wood, plants and manure. Heat our home
with a biomass stove that burns wood or pellets.

2)Geothermal
Harness the energy within the earth to heat our home. Dig a geothermal well and a system of
pipes will transport heat from deep underground. In the summer, the reverse occurs: heat is
extracted from our home and deposited into the earth as a "heat sink," or used as a source of free
hot water.

3)Solar
The most common way to harness renewable energy, solar panels transform the rays of the sun
into electricity you can use. Photovoltaic panels can be attached to your roof and you may not
even notice they’re up there.

4)Wind
Dutch countryside-modern wind turbines are usually slender and white. They harness wind
energy and convert it to electricity. If we have the space in your yard and live in a windy-enough
climate, we can install a turbine that will meet your energy needs.

5) Water

While water power is not an option for most of us, those who live next to a river can install micro-
hydro power systems. It's not exactly a novel concept: moving water turns the generator and
produces electricity.

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8.3 Off-Site Renewable Energy
If we are unable to meet our energy needs via on-site renewable systems, we can still make our
home net zero by purchasing some our energy from off-site renewable sources. We should look
for Green-e certified producers in our area who use wind or solar to generate their power, or
consider purchasing emissions credits.

8.4 Off-Grid Living

We've incorporated passive strategies to tighten our home's envelope and reduce our energy use,
and we've installed a renewable energy system to take care of our electricity and gas needs. If
disconnecting ourself from the "grid" (municipal power supply) and effectively putting an end to
energy bills appeals to us, first consider these issues.

What about water? One option is to dig a private well, and another is to collect rainwater from a
cistern. We can choose to reuse gray water from our sinks and laundry to irrigate our lawn. As for
sewage, install a septic system. For those who live in rural locations, we can already do without
municipal resources and are closer than our think to going completely off the grid.

8.5 Examples of Net Zero Remodels

It is possible for a home like ours to become net zero. Get inspired by these examples:
The Zenergy House, a 1950s home in Los Angeles, CA was completely renovated as a net zero
energy prototype. Following a comprehensive energy audit, the HVAC system and water heater
were replaced with new, energy efficient models. The attic was sealed and insulated, and silicone-
and water- based calk tightened the home's envelope. Existing single pane windows were replaced
with dual pane, insulated, low-e aluminum clad wood windows. Solar PV (photovoltaic) panels
generate electricity to meet the home's entire needs.

Homeowners Eric and Cyndi Strid transformed their large Northwest Oregon home into a model
of energy-efficiency. They began by hiring an energy consultant and implemented his

74
suggestions, such as installing a new metal roof, solar panels and a ground-source heat pump.

A net zero renovation transformed this 1970s ranch house in Boulder, CO into a modern, energy-
efficient abode. Thanks to a major insulation update, solar panels and a solar hot water system,
this home produces 130 percent of its energy needs. A Web Energy Logger (WEL) allows the
owners to monitor continued energy use.

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 CHAPTER 9

CONCLUSION
The report so far presented suggested that the concept of Zero Energy Building will play a pivotal
role to combat &compensate the negative impact of the reckless industrialization and
commercialization on the environment. Indian have always nurtured the idea of eco friendliness,
thanks to the raddiwallas who recycle waste.
Zero Energy Building has tremendous benefits both environmentally and financially.
Environmentally Zero Energy Building provide efficient use of water, energy and material. Green
work spaces have proven to be viable, in terms of cost effectiveness. Although, the initial costs
may be higher green work spaces save a lot of money in long run, with increased productivity
from the employees and lower maintenance costs.
Zero Net Energy buildings are a technically feasible method of reducing energy demand. The
combination of demand side management with renewable energy sources provides a technically
attractive way of constructing buildings with no demand on the utility grid. Viable renewable
energy sources consist of photovoltaic cells, solar water heaters, and geothermal heat pumps. On
the demand side, passive solar design techniques reduce the energy demand of buildings. The use
of high efficiency lighting and appliances also contributes to energy efficiency.
The Shunya prototype home demonstrates one way these different technologies can be combined
to build a zero net energy home. However, the study serves to demonstrate that zero net energy is
more than just a long term vision. It is a current reality.
Shunya is an evolved way of thinking & sustainable living. A Net Zero Energy Home works on
the principle of utilizing maximum renewable energy from sun & is independent of any electricity
grid. The emphasis in a net zero home is to take a radical approach towards attaining maximum
sustainability by utilizing resource efficiency. To reach net zero affordably, designers
aggressively reduces energy demands & loads. Optimize passive strategies & if needed.
Incorporate efficient active mechanical strategies.

76
Zero energy Building can not only mitigate environmental damage but also provide return on
investment and improve working condition for its inhabitant.

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