Energy Efficiency in Buildings

CELINA FILIPPÍN,; SILVANA FLORES LARSEN

Energy Efficiency, Recovery and Storage

NOVA Publishers

Lugar: New York; Año: 2007; p. 223 - 245

Of the total energy consumption in the world, the energy consumption of buildings is between 35% and 40%, with a contribution of around 30% of the world emissions of CO2. The use of environmentally-sensitive design strategies, the improvement of buildings envelope, the change of energy consumption patterns in people through information and awareness, the combination of sustainable technologies and dynamic strategies, and the use of renewable energy are the main alternative ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce gas emissions. Examples of “green” buildings are of principal concern for the construction sector, and their thermal and energy auditing are crucial to demonstrate how drastic improvements in thermal comfort and conventional energy savings are obtained. This chapter describes the current trends on research and development on energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings, and it includes an analysis of an energy efficient educational building (1-year auditing of indoor temperatures and energy consumption), characterized by high internal loads and intermittent use.