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Achieving low energy and low CO2 emission through effective application of window to wall ratio and window glass considering orientation

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Abstract

During the operational phase of a building, a significant amount of energy is used, leading to higher energy costs. Therefore, it is essential to optimize energy consumption to reduce these costs. This can be achieved by exploring various alternatives during the pre-construction stages. This study aims to analyze specific design criteria, such as building orientation, window to wall ratio (WWR), and window glass selection, to achieve optimized energy consumption, lower CO2 emissions resulting from electricity usage, and reduced energy expenses. The energy analysis and optimization are conducted using the Autodesk Insight tool. A case study of a commercial building in Pune is examined by rotating it 360° at 45-degree intervals, considering its operating schedule, and implementing energy-efficient design considerations through Building Information Modelling (BIM). The study explores five different alternatives each for window glass and WWR, combined with five different building orientations, resulting in a total of 125 cases. The objective of the study is to minimize energy consumption and CO2 emissions while optimizing energy costs. The findings reveal that a building with a 90-degree orientation, 15% WWR, and triple low-e glass combination is the most effective for the considered location. This combination leads to a 7% reduction in energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and energy costs. However, given that changing building orientation may not always be feasible, the study suggests that a configuration of 15% WWR and triple low-e glass remains the best choice across all orientations, as it still achieves the desired criteria of energy efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, and energy cost optimization. The results of this study will be valuable for developers and building owners, as they can implement these findings to reduce energy usage, lower CO2 emissions, and achieve energy-flexible, low-carbon buildings at an optimum cost.

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No external funding was received for this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Pune, India

    Rohit R. Salgude, Shubham Dilip Sawant & Vishakha Sakhare

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  1. Rohit R. Salgude
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  2. Shubham Dilip Sawant
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  3. Vishakha Sakhare
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Literature review, material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Shubham Dilip Sawant and Vishakha Sakhare. Design of methodology, validation and interpretation of results were performed by Rohit R. Salgude and Vishakha Sakhare. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shubham Dilip Sawant and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Vishakha Sakhare.

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Salgude, R.R., Sawant, S.D. & Sakhare, V. Achieving low energy and low CO2 emission through effective application of window to wall ratio and window glass considering orientation. J Build Rehabil 9, 40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41024-024-00391-w

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