• Energy Research

The concept of net zero energy buildings (Net ZEB) has received increased attention throughout the last years. A well adapted and optimized design of the energy supply system is crucial for the performance of these buildings. To achieve this, a holistic approach is needed which accounts for the interdependencies between the different supply technologies as well as the construction energy of the installations, consumption profiles and on-site energy resource availability. This paper aims at developing such a model for the optimal sizing of renewable energy supply systems (RES) for residential Net ZEB's involving on-site production of heat and electricity in combination withelectricity exchanged with the public grid. The model is based on linear programming and determines the optimal capacities for each relevant supply technology in terms of the overall system costs. It has been successfully applied in a case study. The approach can easily be extended to all kind of RES technologies and also allows for implementing further constraints and requirements proprietary to residential Net ZEBs such as e.g. reliabilities, noise levels or space requirements of relevant technologies.

Amid the modern-day fluctuating energy prices, the impact on the climate and the statistics regarding the energy consumption, buildings are the main consumers in India. If the energy efficient methodologies are brought into the design procedures, the buildings so constructed will be future ready and highly efficient. The existing buildings will thus be a thing of the past and energy producing and low carbon footprint producing buildings will be achieved. Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) are the buildings that will shape the futuristic societies and help us achieve what was previously thought to be impossible. These NZEBs will be the saviours of the environment and will represent the future of humanity. The NZEBs are all about the interconnectivity of the man made environment and the ecosystem. With the future of the resources getting diminished day by day, the modern buildings need to be energy efficient as well as energy producing. In a NZEB, the total energy that is consumed is equal or sometimes less than the energy generated by renewable energy technologies installed on site. Multiple strategies are placed in to make the NZEB very efficient. In this paper, we tend to discuss the necessary arrangements that need to be deployed in Net Zero Energy Buildings in the Kashmir division of the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, India.

Life cycle zero energy buildings (LCZEBs) can present energy use more accurately than net zero energy buildings (NZEBs). Economic benefits are crucial for residents to accept LCZEBs. However, few relevant case studies have been conducted. A comparative analysis between a NZEB and a LCZEB with a multi-story apartment in a temperate region that meets the requirements of local building energy codes as the reference building was conducted in this study to ascertain economic feasibility of LCZEB. First, a building model and an energy model were established on the basis of site test, survey, and monitoring data. Then, the energy balances of the NZEB and LCZEB were calculated on the basis of the results of energy simulation and the foregoing data. Finally, the LCZEB and NZEB were realized on the condition that high thermal performance materials and high energy efficiency building equipment were adopted in accordance with the principle of maximizing net present value (NPV) and solar energy was fully utilized. Results demonstrate that solar hot water and photovoltaic systems are critical to the NZEB and LCZEB. Annual net energy (ANE) and annual NPV per square meter of thermal collector are −571.11 kWh and $455.5, respectively, and ANE and annual NPV per square meter of photovoltaic panel are −115.62 kWh and $13.2. The NZEB and LCZEB are economically feasible in the temperate region although the NZEB is superior to the LCZEB in terms of economic benefits. Their NPVs for the calculation period (20 years) are $15369.64 and $4718.77, and their payback periods are 11 and 16 years. This study can provide references for energy and economic optimization of NZEBs and LCZEBs.

Dear Colleagues, on behalf of the Organizers, it is our great pleasure and an honor to welcome you to the X IAQVEC 2019: nearly Zero Energy Buildings, which will be held on September 5 to 7 in Bari, Italy. The Conference was hosted by the Politecnico di Bari and co-organized by three universities, the Ryerson University (Ontario, Canada), the Politecnico di Bari (Italy), the Universita del Sannio (Italy). X IAQVE 2019 focused on the theme “Healthy nearly Zero Energy Buildings” and envisaged the participation of over 450 scientists, researchers and practitioners and the submission of over 300 papers covering a broad range of topics relevant to the main subjects of Building Science. List of Scientific Committee X IAQVEC 2019 are avaliable in this pdf.