EVEREST ENGINEERING

COLLEGE
(Affiliated to Pokhara University)
Sanepa-2, Lalitpur

[Subject Code: CVL 290 ]

A MINOR PROJECT PROPOSAL ON

“STUDIES ON ZERO ENERGY

BUILDING”

Submitted by

Prashant Mahat [29]

Sagar Marasini [36]
Samir Karki [39]
Sandesh Roka [41]
Sandesh Lamsal [40]
Sanjeev Ghimire [42]

Submitted to:
Department of Civil
Engineering 
June,2023
 LIST OF ABBREVIATION

ZEB: Zero Energy Building.

NZEB: Net-Zero Energy Building.

HVAC: Heating, ventilation, and

air conditioning.

ii
 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

i LIST OF ABBREVIATION

ii TABLE OF CONTENTS

iii LIST OF FIGURES

iv

LIST OF TABLES

v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1
1.Background
1

2. Problem statement:
2

3. Objectives and Purpose

4

4.Project Features:

4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

5.Definition of ZEB
6

6. Worldwide approach towards ZEB

7

7.Passive and Active solar strategy in Nepal:

8 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

9 CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES

10 CHAPTER 5: EXPECTED OUTCOME 11

REFERENCES

19
 4

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE PAGE

Figure 1.1: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Figure 1.2

2 Figure 1.3

Figure 3:2.1 9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7
Figure 4.1 10

Figure 4.2 10

Figure 5.1 11

Figure 5.2

13 Figure 5.3

14 Figure 5.4

16 Figure 5.5

17 Figure 5.6

18 Figure 5.7

18
 5

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

Table 5.1 12

Table 4.2 14
 1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

A Zero Energy Building (ZEB) is a building with net zero energy

consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the
building on an annual basis is equal to the amount of renewable energy
created on the site or in other definitions by renewable energy
sources offsite, using technology such as heat pumps, high
efficiency windows and insulation, and solar panels. It is also
known as a Net Zero Energy (NZEB) building.

Fig 1.1: Total energy consumption of a building

1.1 Background

Nepal is the under developed country and has become one of the major
energy consumers in the world. This is due to industrial growth and
globalization which increases the energy demand of the consumers. It is
reported in literature that the total energy consumption was growing at a
rate of 2.4 % per year on average as Nepal's total energy consumption in
2010 was about 428 PJ (10,220 ktoe). New renewable energy
sources (excluding large hydropower) such as biogas, micro-hydro and
solar energy contributed about 0.7% to the national balance in
2008/09 altogether. Although the share is still small, it has increased by 40
% since 2005. About 82% of population use solid fuels (charcoal, coal,
crop
wood)waste, dung energy.
as cooking and It is suggested buildings are also generators of
 2

greenhouse gases (GHG), thus posing a threat to the environment. This is

the alarming issues and hence it is necessary to develop energy efficient
building which would facilitate minimization of energy consumption
and reduces GHG. In recent years, buildings in many countries are
designed to reduce the energy consumption, water requirements and
technologies are developed to recycle used water for secondary
usage. Prava Thapa Chhetri1 *, Triratna Bajracharya2 , Sushil
Bajracharya3 carried out a simulation work in December 2015
regarding the design of a net zero energy building with best input in
design, material and technology (Passive and Active design) in Kathmandu
Valley. They reported the case study of Passive Design Approaches (wall,
flat roof, openings and shadings device) and Active Design Approaches
for remaining energy that includes Installation of Solar water
heater and Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power System. In 2017,
a Case Study of CES-Zero Energy Building at Institute of Engineering
was conducted by Sundar Lakhe , Bharat Raj Pahari , Shree Raj
Shakya to analyse and explore core principles of building physics into the
design process and evaluate various possible scenarios of design
strategies in design process and present the way to decision making with
the help of whole building energy model with normative open studio
simulation tool through performance analysis of implemented design
strategies of study project located at centre of Kathmandu valley for
energy efficient building solution. They reported the idea of Fenestration,
Air Infiltration, Interior lighting, HVAC-Zone Heating and
Cooling Thermostat Set Point, etc. The need of the whole
building energy simulation extends beyond to assist designers and
engineers for testing and continuation of energy efficiency measures and
promote the evolution of building metrics. Zero Energy Building in building
sector can have a very significant impact on improving the environment
addressing key energy issues. For the purpose, the collective efforts of
individuals could lead to the most powerful initiation.

1.2 Problem statement:

Buildings sector in Nepal are among the major consumer of commercial
energy and contributor of greenhouse gases also facing challenges of rapid
urbanization mostly centralized in Kathmandu valley and leads to increase
energy demand in the urban centers of the country. The electricity sales data
shows electricity as main source of energy for the building, around 28% of
electricity produced is consumed in the valley alone with the peak load
1,026 MW while the supply was only 40%, leads to a situation of power
outage in managing the distribution
i.e. almost 12 hours a day in the dry season and 6 hours a day in the wet
season,
 3

Led to a tremendous anomaly in the captive electricity generation by

imported petroleum products. So, the energy efficiency is most in each and
every sector in our country.

Fig 1.2: House hold energy data base of rural area

Fig 1.3: House hold energy data base of urban area

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3. Objectives and Purpose:

The main focus of this study is to analysis the zero energy building available
in Nepal at Institute of Engineering (PULCHOWK).And to construct typical Net
zero energy building with certain modification in input in design, material and
with advance technology (Passive and Active design) in different Nepal. To
achieve the objective of this study, following questions are to be answered:

What is the Typical model of net zero energy contemporary building for

Nepal? How much energy is consumed in typical contemporary building of

Nepal?

How much energy can be saved through proper design and use of our
natural resources?

4. Project Features:

1. Very Economical

Considered the next level of smart homes, zero energy

buildings provide several advantages for their owners.
These buildings produce clean energy and can be cheaper in
the long run than traditional buildings. In addition, they
usually need less maintenance and don't use up as much
electricity. Overall, it is a wise choice to convert your home or
business into one of these structures for your own good.

2. Reliability is one the Key advantages of Zero Energy building

The reliability of a zero energy building is better than

your average building. You will not have to worry about
blackouts, power surges, and brownouts because the buildings
are equipped with generators that run on fuel cells. Generators
can be switched on if there is an emergency, and they will
automatically switch back off when the power returns.

3. Environmental Friendly
 5

The zero energy building is environmentally sound and

sustainable. Such buildings reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, the zero energy building relies on technologies
that enable it to be more efficient with its resources than a
typical building. This means that the zero energy building has
a smaller ecological footprint than any other style of construction.

4. Lower emission of carbon

As environmentally friendly as zero energy buildings are, they are

even better for the environment. They do not emit as much carbon
into the atmosphere, making your home or business a cleaner
place to live in. In addition, these buildings use significantly
less electricity than traditional ones, saving you money on your
electric bill. All of these benefits will provide a boost to your bank
account and a clean environment to live in.

5. Higher resale value

The buildings constructed based on energy-efficient technology

will require less maintenance. Therefore, zero energy buildings are
seen as more desirable and valuable, which means that the price
of your property will rise significantly due to the reduction
in maintenance. An added advantage of zero energy buildings is
that they also have a higher resale value.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of ZEB:

Over the decades, in many articles and research projects number of

ZEB’s were described and evaluated, however almost for each case the
ZEB was defined different or sometimes even no exact definition was used.
Recently, the lack of common understanding and common definition
for ZEB became noticeable and the world wide discussion has begun. .
There are many studies available, in which authors tried to propose
different definitions for ZEB depending on such factors:

• How the zero energy goals are achieved?

• What is the building – grid interaction?
• What are the project boundaries for the balance?

Taking into consideration all the above mentioned scenarios Torcellini , et

al. (2006), distinguish and point out four most commonly used definitions.

• Net Zero Site Energy: A site ZEB produces at least as much energy as
it uses in a year, when accounted for at the site.
• Net Zero Source Energy: A source ZEB produces at least as much
energy as it uses in year, when accounted for at the source. Source energy
refers to the primary energy used to 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.
• Net Zero Energy Costs: In a net ZEB, the amount of money the utility
pays the building owner for the energy 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 Energy Emissions: A net-zero emissions building produces
at least as much emissions free renewable energy as it uses from
emissions
producing energy source.
 7

Fig 2.1: Zero Energy Building

2.2 Worldwide approach towards ZEB:

During the last 20 years more than 200 reputable projects with the claim
of a net zero energy balance have been realized all over the world.
Between 2008 and 2013, researchers from Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Korea,
New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom and USA worked together in the joint
research program “Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings” under
the umbrella of International Energy
 8

Agency (IEA) Solar Heating and Cooling Program (SHC) Task 40 /

Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC, formerly ECBCS) in order
to bring the Net ZEB concept to market viability . The joint international
research and demonstration activities are divided in subtasks. The
objective is to develop a common understanding, a harmonized
international applicable definition framework, design process tools and
advanced building design and technology solutions and industry
guidelines for Net ZEBs. 3.3 Passive and Active solar strategy in Nepal is
blessed with solar resource as it lies at 30o Northern latitude which is
ideal and there are over 300 days of sunshine annually. Further
the annual average solar insolation is 5kWhe/m2 per day. These
conditions are perfect for harnessing solar energy for various
conversion technologies. Therefore solar PV system is best suitable
renewable energy to implement in household for energy generation.
Thorough study on active and passive solar system is studied in the
research.

2.3 Passive and Active solar strategy in Nepal:

Nepal is blessed with solar resource as it lies at 30 o Northern

latitude which is ideal and there are over 300 days of sunshine annually.
Further the annual average solar insolation is 5kWh/m2 per day. These
conditions are perfect for harnessing solar energy for various
conversion technologies. Therefore solar PV system is best suitable
renewable energy to implement in household for energy generation.
Thorough study on active and passive solar system is studied in the
research.
 9

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

In this work, we want to study and analyze the zero energy building available
in Nepal. The study will be carried out based on the need of zero energy
building and method of reducing the building energy consumption
and energy conservation. We have identified zero energy building located
inside the Institute of Engineering in Pulchowk. This building is
energy sufficient building and uses renewable energy sources for heating and
power generation to operate the electrical and electronic appliances. This
building utilizes the natural resources to minimize the burden on infrastructure
and utility systems keeping the emissions less. It also has renewable energy
devices.

Fig 3: Zero energy building of Pulchowk Campus

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CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDIES

Case studies of two building were done in this project. National

buildings are Center of energy studies building of Pulchowk Campus
which is called “Zero Energy Building” and “Mato Ghar”.

Fig 4.1: Mato ghar

Fig 4.2: Mato ghar

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CHAPTER 5: EXPECTED OUTCOME

1. It can be tough to make an individual building into

a zero energy building, while working at the
community scale can offer up opportunities for
energy efficiency and cost-effective renewable energy
generation:

Achieving a net-zero building with today’s technologies and

occupant expectations is hard. There are projects out there proving
that it is possible—for the right building in the right setting
with the right team. But sometimes going after the goal of
net-zero energy use in the building can have unwanted side
effects. For example, a low-rise building on a low-density site will
have a better chance of being net-zero with onsite renewables,
but that type of development is often known as “sprawl.” The
investment in dollars and resources to get to zero are
significant and might be better spent on more cost-effective
energy saving options, such as a more efficient building envelope
or creating a district energy system that can serve an entire
campus.
For all those reasons and more, some argue that while both have
an important role to play, it’s more useful and important to work
toward zero-energy communities rather than net-zero
buildings. Individual high-performing buildings don’t mean so
much if the neighborhood as a whole is wasteful, while if an
entire community is net-zero, that’s meaningful even if the
individual buildings within it are not.

Fig 5.1: Sample of Eco-district.

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2. Energy Auditing of Typical Contemporary Building:

From the questionnaire data survey of contemporary building of
Kathmandu valley was generalized and concluded as follow:
Table 1: Generalized typical contemporary residential building
of Kathmandu valley

Table 5.1: Energy Auditing

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3. Vinayak Colony F-Type:

Fig 5.2 : Vinayak Colony F-Type

The housing unit considered as reference for analysis is a three bedroom unit
with an approximate built up area of 2308.76 square feet. It is oriented towards
east. The ground coverage is about 985.62 square feet which is about 49.1% of
the site area. It has living, dining, kitchen and bathroom in the ground floor.
The housing is constructed in reinforced concrete structure. The external and
the internal partition walls are of locally available brick with cement mortar.
Walls are cement plastered on both sides. The roof is constructed of reinforced
concrete with cement plaster finishing and does not have any internal or
external insulation. Windows are of single glazed. The roof is constructed of
reinforced concrete with cement plaster finishing and does not have any
internal or external insulation. Windows are of single glazed.

Figure: Comparing energy consumption of Vinayak Colony with general building

 14

4. Energy Auditing of F-Type Vinayak Housing Colony :

Table 5.2: Energy Auditing Vinayak housing

colony

5. Zero Energy Building at pulchowk campus:

Fig 5.3: ZEB of Pulchowk

In Nepal, renewable energy sources like solar, hydro and biogas are examples
of what works. Tribhuban University's Centre for Energy Studies has taken
things a step further by building a 'Zero Energy House'-a building that
generates as much energy as it consumes throughout the year and does it
without using any fossil fuel.
Inside the Institute of Engineering in Pulchok, the house's main source
of energy is a 6.5 kW solar photovoltaic system on the roof. All it needs is
4.15 hours of direct sunlight a day to generate 27 kW of electricity which is
stored in
 15

battery banks in the basement. The excess power is supplied to the

campus' power grid so that during cloudy days when there isn't enough
sunlight, power can be 'borrowed' from the grid.
"The energy given and taken from the campus grid is equal, hence the term
Zero
Energy House," explains the brain behind the house and director of the
campus' Centre for Energy Studies, Jagan Nath Shrestha.
The building has been fitted with thermos cole insulation between the walls
to help maintain its temperature and includes a solar water system and
solar kitchen equipped with a sun-powered cooker. A wireless system in the
campus computer lab reduces power consumption, a weather station
and other
appliances such as a gasifier-an efficient smokeless burner used for drying
large cardamom-are also being developed and used.
The Centre for Energy Studies is also working on a unique Earth Air
Tunnel system which works on the principle that four metres below ground
level the air temperature remains constant, which at the university grounds
is at about 19 degrees. The system sucks outside air into a tunnel where
it mixes with the underground air and cools down or heats up depending
on the season. This
regulated air is then blown into conference halls and classrooms by
convection, where it acts as an air conditioner or heater depending
on the outside temperature.
"The Zero Energy House wouldn't be immediately applicable for the lay
person but there are features which are attractive. The EAT for heating
and cooling homes and offices is one such feature," says energy expert Bikash
Pandey of the
international energy group, Win rock, "the thing now is to make architects
more aware".
The Zero Energy House was designed entirely by the Pulchok campus
faculty. It took five years to build and cost around Rs 60,000,00.
Because it is a model house, it has used every conceivable source of
alternate energy available in Nepal: there is even a working model of a
micohydro
powerplant on-site that students can observe and study without leaving
the campus.

I. Interior Lighting: In Zero energy building of pulchowk the model

lighting levels were determined by the space-by-space method and the
corresponding lighting power intensities have been calculated and
considered as per standard manual[10]to reflecting existing case. For
calculation each space was assigned a light power intensity based on its
use and the overall zone lighting power intensity was calculated by
adding the power intensities of the spaces in the corresponding zone and
dividing by the zone area. See figure for interior lighting considered for
energy model.
 16

Fig 5.4: Interior Lighting

II. Air Infiltration:

In Zero energy building of pulchowk, The infiltration rate was considered as
per
standard [11].The infiltration rate was based on testing buildings at greatly
increased pressure difference than in normal operating conditions. The
infiltration schedule was assumed as such no infiltration occurred when
the HVAC system was on and occurred only when the HVAC system was
III. Fenestration :
off .
In Zero energy building of pulchowk, The vertical glazing was modeled as
fixed and flush with the exterior wall as in existing case. No shading
projections and no shading devices such as blinds or shades were modeled
in energy model, The shape, size and distribution of windows were
referenced to the architectural drawing of study project building to reflect
the existing case.The U-value were considered as per standard.
IV. HVAC-Zone Heating and Cooling Thermostat Set Point:

The study model of building was divided into two thermal zones
i.e.Controlled Zone and Normal Zone. The systems with EAT maintained a 20
oC heating set point and 24 oC cooling set point during occupied hours.The
setback thermostat control called for heating or cooling to maintain the
setback temperature as per standard[14
 17

6. Active Design Approaches for remaining energy:

 Installation of Solar water heater: The Valley is well-situated for the
use of solar water heaters, as it has 300 sunny days annually.

Fig 5.5: solar water heater

 Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power System: It is the best option of

renewable energy for residential building in the context of Kathmandu.
The total energy consumption per year for the proposed house was 517
kW he (considering passive design). The surveyed feasible roof area was
approximately 50.37 square meters of flat type where the PV array
inclination will require to be made 30◦ to 40◦ towards south direction, to
collect maximum solar radiation throughout the day. The solar electricity
generated during the day time could be used in the same building and at
the same time the surplus electricity could be feed to the NEA grid line.
 18

Fig 5.6

Fig 5.7: Solar Photovoltaic Power System in Nepal

 19

REFERENCES

1. S Adhikari. Electricity demand side management of residential sector

in kathmandu valley. Master’s thesis, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Nepal, 2012.
2. Timila Batracharya. Energy efficient building in kathmandu valley-
case
study of passive and contemporary residential building. Master’s thesis,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Engineering,
Nepal, 2014.
3. American Society of Heating Refrigerating and
AirConditioning Engineers. Standard 189.1-2009 user’s
manual. 2009.
4. Design Strategies to Energy Efficient Building in Kathmandu Valley -
A Case Study of CES-Zero Energy Building at Institute of Engineering.
5. 0 Energy House
A prototype house with infinite energy-saving potential.
6. https://energypedia.info/wiki/Nepal_Energy_Situation