When Energy Saving Is Part Of The Fabric Of Home Or Building Design

The world’s urban population is expected to grow by over 2.5 billion by 2050, making the construction of energy efficient buildings an essential component of economic adaptation. Moreover, the building sector must be decarbonized by 2050 in order to meet the stipulations of the Paris Agreement – a legally binding international treaty on climate change. How are architects currently incorporating energy saving considerations into the design of homes and commercial buildings, and what technologies and features can help them achieve this aim?

New developments in big data management and AI are providing the building sector with great opportunities for energy savings, owing to the increasing use of technologies such as AI, blockchain, and the Internet of Things. Information obtained from individual devices and entire units (including smart meters, sensors, and IoT devices) can be used to design and operate buildings in a more sustainable manner. The data obtained provides key information about occupant behavior, temperature, and control signals, amongst other things. Through the analysis of the relationship between consumption patterns, different building components, and energy loads, architects can design buildings for optimal energy efficiency.

Energy efficient homes protect the environment and enable home owners to make significant financial savings. There are many ways to reduce heating and cooling costs – including using smart thermostats, and bringing down energy bills by using recommended thermostat readings. However, energy savings can begin at the architectural stage, through the design of well insulated buildings whose walls and roofing contain regional standard amounts of insulation. Optimal insulation ensures that all parts of a home are energy efficient – including the roofs, walls and decks. In order to limit the thickness of insulation, materials with optimal thermal conductivity allow for increased thermal resistance. Next-generation insulation, made of foam, contains a series of composite materials that make the final product more eco-friendly, while helping restrict heat escape from attics, walls, facades, and other spaces in the winter.

Increasing the efficiency of building envelopes – mainly windows – can reduce heat loss in many ways. New technology includes chromogenic glazing for windows, which adapts to different temperatures and light-level conditions. The use of spectrally selective glass for windows, meanwhile, allows an optimal amount of natural light to enter buildings, while preventing heat loss. By controlling solar heat entry in summer and preventing the loss of heat in cooler seasons, this type of glass allows home dwellers to reduce their electricity consumption (since they can make the most of the daylight). Photovoltaic panels can also be used to absorb solar radiation, thus preventing heat from moving through the building envelope.

The need for greater energy efficiency in buildings has led the construction industry to increasingly rely on new technological innovations. These include AI, which uses big data to enable constructors to make more accurate predictions on a building’s energy needs and uses. Insulation and improvement of the building envelope, meanwhile, can preserve optimal temperatures indoors, thus reducing energy consumption.