Retrofit Guidelines Towards Achievement of Net Zero Energy in a University Building

Abstract

A zero energy building (ZEB) is a type of sustainable structure that can meet its energy needs by producing the required quantity by itself, that is, the energy demand of such a building is met through installation of renewable energy sources as a part of the building as well as by reducing the existing consumption through other passive strategies in order to ensure a high performance than conventional structures. Some of the advantages of moving towards zero energy buildings are decreased operation or maintenance costs, lower impact on the environment and more energy security, and a higher resilience in cases such as power outages and blackouts as well as natural disasters. The energy consumption of new buildings as well as pre-existing buildings can be decreased through retrofits for energy efficiency, energy conservation programs, reduction of plug loads, and integrated structural design. However, to proceed with retrofitting, there is a prerequisite of understanding the characteristics of the retrofits and careful planning as it is complex. Many methods of building retrofitting have been investigated previously to achieve near-zero energy or zero energy status. Therefore, the primary focus of this project lies in the review and proper assessment of available retrofitting technologies and how these can be applied to a pre-existing institutional structure in a university campus and their corresponding effect of the current energy consumption of the selected structure. Further investigation on the possibility of adopting these techniques requires thorough studies to be carried out through numerical simulations or experiments.