Zero Energy Building

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Civil Engg
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ZERO ENERGY BUILDING
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Literature review..............................................................................................................................3
Research objectives.........................................................................................................................8
Research methodology.....................................................................................................................8
Electricity.......................................................................................................................................12
Methods for acquiring a zero-energy building..........................................................................14
Method for obtaining a natural free energy cooling system......................................................14
Other means of generating electricity...........................................................................................15
Time frame.....................................................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................18

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Introduction
Climate change has demonstrated to be the main detriment in a different part of the world in the
past decade. non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels have increased in expense, thus making
them unaffordable and too costly to be produced due to their limited amount (Hootman, 2011,
p. 782). To combat this threat, the infrastructures which are being constructed should run
on a net zero energy i.e. the amount of energy generated by the source should be equal to
the amount which is being used the structures, Currently, the generation of clean and safe
energy is one of the greatest scientific challenges faced by humanity. The reason behind the
construction of a zero energy building lies on the efforts of reducing pollution by not
contributing to it, advances renewable energy technology , controls the climate back to
normal, hence preventing further damage to the environment and at the same time to ensure a
future for the generations to come. Although it can at the same time refer to the non-electric
items, it must be clearly understood as a progressive , technological and scientific
advancements of humanity, it is a great challenge to divest electrical equipment (Reeder,
2012, p. 189).
The design of a net zero carbon house involves the generation of zero-energy methods of
obtaining power for the household items, heating systems, and air cooling systems. The
design of a net-zero building will involve the application of the correct and available
renewable energies to generate the appropriate type of the zero-energy for a naturally
generated internal heating and cooling systems (Maclay, 2015, p. 256). This will involve
obtaining all the requirements which will be possible to facilitate with other external
technological means.

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The following are aspects of the sustainable, full functional net-zero energy house household.
Highlighting the significance of this technologies and how they don’t contribute to the
emission of the greenhouse gases, all the past innovations and how they have been
enhanced and why and how they are being altered over time and their impacts; any
improvements that are necessary to further establish a zero energy household. This
research project will highlight the significance of designing a house and then making
application of the zero-energy technologies based on the location of the project. The main idea
behind this project is not to abolish or devalue. Dispute or vilify the use of the household
electrical items of any kind. So long as the item does not independently contribute towards the
emission of the greenhouse gases (Attia, 2010, p. 90).
Literature review
Many nations are focused on addressing the issue of zero energy technology and climate change.
The development of the zero-energy building will be able to pose importance in the future of
both the technology and the impacts it will have on the enhancement of the environment.
The creativity and design behind the zero –energy is very pleasing and advantageous to
the environment and the cost-effectiveness of the zero-energy designs proves to be
economically successful. In latest and newer infrastructure renewable energy technology has
been shown to substitute non-renewable sources. For instance, scientists have found out how
solar energy has been able to replace most of the non-renewable sources and due to that
most houses have installed photovoltaic solar cells to collect energy from the sun. The
proposed zero energy building makes the application of solar energy, hence, it is a critical space
of this research.

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Appropriate air ventilation in all buildings is of great significance. This will ensure that the air
in the building envelope is not polluted by household items such as cooking gas or oil, and
at the same time does not cause detrimental effects on human health. If stoves and other
fuming materials are continuously present without the support of the vents or ventilation
to get rid of them, there will be high possibility of fire explosions in the house and that will
make it difficult to breathe in the house which will have detrimental effects on the lungs
(Athienitis, 2018, p. 11). The most sound solution to obtain cool and fresh air in the
house would derive from the length air vents that will permit air from the outside to
become cooler as it enters the household. All the ventilation systems should be placed in
zones with high walls , which would supply sufficient fresh air to travel throughout the
building, as for more confined locations, The ventilation systems should be positioned in
strategic places within these smaller rooms , in order to prevent discomfort and continue the
flow of air from rooms which have high walls. The main reason for the cross ventilation is
the most desirable and favorable systems is they offer a better technical solution for the
circulation of the air within the house. Nevertheless, the proper effects of the ventilation are
dependent on how it is designed. For instance, a large vent will be able to generate a better
quantity of ventilation (Hu, 2014, p. 77). The cross ventilation system can offer homes
with the ability not only to receive cooler airflow but also enough amount of sunlight. While
designing and construction a net-zero-energy house, it is very significant for the engineers
to determine the type of cross ventilation which i.e. required , whether technical or simple.
Currently, computers are used to analyses the kind of ventilation designs that are needed to
enable maximum impacts of the structure to minimize energy consumption to net zero.

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In order for the buildings to provide a safe and standard level of air circulation , it should
be fitted with cross ventilation. Nevertheless, in humid weather especially in when there is
no wind , this technique will not be able to support the idea of the zero energy cooling. A
mechanism which allows evaporative cooling will be required for the low wind conditions.
Evaporative cooling refers to the concept which is derived from the idea that heating of water
takes longer than the heating of air (Garde, 2018, p. 44). This idea is driven by the beaches
and oceans. It is a challenge to obtain the evaporative cooling in the subterranean or dry
locations and as a result, humidity would be formed during the process of evaporation
because of the heated climate within these areas. Nevertheless, liquid cooling
demonstrates a successfulness when vapour concentration in the atmosphere and for the
temperature in the liquid are solved in an inactive manner or in a coupled manner. The
technique of evaporative cooling can be indirect evaporative cooling , The in directive
cooling refers to the type of cooling technology which can be undertaken in a number of
different ways which includes history, background, current status, concepts, system
configuration, standardization, operating configuration, research and industrialization, market
prospects and barriers as well as the future focus on marketing. Hence, a mechanism must be
developed in which the liquid cooling through evaporation can be carried out.
A journal article entitled ‘Improving the power of a solar by cooling and light
concentration’ carried out an experimental procedure to determine the impacts of how the
external environment. This is because the majority of the solar panels absorbs the photons
from the light. The journal highlighted how the solar panels overheat because of the
intense solar rays which are likely to overwhelm the solar cells and damage them at the
same time, the overheated solar cells are usually less efficient. From the experiments