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Passive Building Energy Saving: Building Envelope Retrofitting Measures to Reduce Cooling Requirements for a Residential Building in an Arid Climate

Author

Listed:
  • Mohamed H. Elnabawi

    (Architectural Engineering Department, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates)

  • Esmail Saber

    (School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK)

  • Lindita Bande

    (Architectural Engineering Department, College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates)

Abstract

In arid climates, a significant portion of the urban peak energy demand is dedicated to cooling and air-conditioning during the summer. The rapid urbanization rates in developing countries, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), have intensified the pressure on energy resources to meet the indoor comfort needs of residents. As a result, there has been a substantial increase in energy demand, with a 2.3% rise recorded in 2018. Electricity consumption in residential buildings accounted for over 48.6% of the total electricity consumption. The choice of building fabrics used in a residential building can significantly impact the building’s passive performance and carbon footprint. This study aimed to enhance our understanding of how specific fabric details influence cooling energy usage in arid climates. To achieve this, a validation simulation model was initially created as a base case for a residential housing typology in Al Ain, UAE. This was followed by a parametric energy evaluation of various building envelope features. The evaluation was based on the reduction of yearly cooling load energy. The simulation results indicate that incorporating 50 mm of expanded polystyrene insulation into the outside walls significantly reduced energy consumption for cooling requirements in the arid UAE climate. Furthermore, no substantial difference was observed in the various roofing choices, including cool and green roofs, gravels, and sand roofs. Additionally, we concluded that the total solar energy transmittance (g-value) of windows played a more significant role than thermal transmittance (U-value) in reducing solar heat gain within the spaces. These findings should guide strategic decisions on building envelope upgrading for sustainable societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamed H. Elnabawi & Esmail Saber & Lindita Bande, 2024. "Passive Building Energy Saving: Building Envelope Retrofitting Measures to Reduce Cooling Requirements for a Residential Building in an Arid Climate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:626-:d:1316936
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Taleb, Hanan M. & Sharples, Steve, 2011. "Developing sustainable residential buildings in Saudi Arabia: A case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 383-391, January.
    2. Radhi, Hassan, 2009. "A comparison of the accuracy of building energy analysis in Bahrain using data from different weather periods," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 869-875.
    3. Streltsov, Artem & Malof, Jordan M. & Huang, Bohao & Bradbury, Kyle, 2020. "Estimating residential building energy consumption using overhead imagery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu Zhou & Ernesto Antonini & Jacopo Gaspari, 2025. "Impact of Courtyard Microclimate on Building Thermal Performance Under Hot Weather Conditions: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Hongshan Wu & Xue Jiang & Kun Song & Ce Xiu & Junru Lin & Qiangsheng Xu & Heng Chen, 2025. "Life Cycle Evaluation of Substations with Carbon Reduction Based on Analytic Hierarchy Process Considering Multiple Performance Measures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, February.

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