Application of passive measures for energy conservation in buildings

Application of passive measures for energy conservation in buildings – a review

Amirifard, Farhad / Sharif, Seyed Amirhosain / Nasiri, Fuzhan

A significant share of the total primary energy belongs to buildings. In many buildings, the energy usage can be significantly reduced by adopting passive strategies. These methods might not need additional capital investment. For instance, an integrated building renovation approach, in which passive methods are implemented, can reduce the energy consumption of building, compensating the additional cost of new technologies. This paper strives to make a technical review of the passive measures in buildings. A categorization of passive energy measures is provided. The review explores several types of insulation materials along with their selection criteria. Application of thermal mass as a redeemable energy technique is also discussed. In addition, performance of different techniques including heating and cooling flow control, optimum place and thickness of insulation, air transport control, water vapour control, natural heating, cooling, and lighting are presented. Advancements in these techniques including the naturally-ventilated envelope, Trombe walls, sunspaces, natural daylighting, sun shading, fenestration, glazing materials and framing, are also discussed. It is concluded that despite their performance in decreasing energy consumption, implementing the most effective combination of these passive technologies, with respect to the characteristics of the buildings, has remained a big challenge for building designers/managers.