Improving energy efficiency performance utilizing building envelope design in high standard housing in Egypt

Abstract EN

Nowadays Climate change is the main dilemma urging the world actions to mitigate it,
mainly through fossil fuel independency and energy consumption management.

Energy
deficient performance of the building envelope in residential buildings is a major driver
increasing energy consumption rates.

Since the cooling loads and lighting are on top of
the electric consumption rates in housing, then a key mitigator to improve the energy
efficiency performance of a building envelope is the adequate management of energy
flow through the household by the passive strategy (cooling and daylighting) techniques
to acquire the best advantage of the local climate.

Selecting the high standard housing
segment represented in new Gated communities, spotting the gap between the formal and
new market criteria and how it is widely spreading with no considerations to their
building envelope energy deficiency performance and accumulation of energy
consumption loads urges the need to take the High standard housing into an actual high
standard not only per income level, but also in its energy high performance aligning with
global aspect.

Cases studied were analyzed to observe their passive cooling techniques
implemented in the Building Envelope to improve the energy efficiency performance.

Then one base case study (SODIC EAST-MVvilla) is selected and adapted with
previously induced eight passive cooling techniques then simulated with DesignBuilder
software to assess the energy consumption, thermal performance, and CO2 production of
the building.

The study resulted in significant electric consumption annual decrease by
41% thermal comfort annual improvement by 66% that lead to a decrease in CO2
production by 41% annually and that is when a building improves its energy efficiency
utilizing the building envelope using passive cooling strategies.