Design and concepts of nearly-zero energy buildings

Global warming and climate change have become increasingly important issues in recent decades. The use of fossil fuels is one cause. The use of fossil fuels causes CO2 emissions. Therefore, buildings need to be designed with a new strategy on low energy with very high energy efficiency. In order to reduce the dependence of the building on primary energy, the concept of nearly-zero energy building (NZEB) is created. It is recommended that the definition of near-zero energy buildings, renewable energy and efficiency measures work together. The European Union (EU) aims to drastically reduce domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. In this work, design strategies, the use of low conductivity materials, the installation of low energy devices to reduce the energy demand of buildings and the necessary additions of renewable energy systems are presented to achieve a near zero energy building design. These aforementioned approaches are implemented in an example building as a case study. The obtained results show that there are many ways to achieve a near-zero energy building, but the cost issue remains the most important decision parameter.