Understanding Net Zero Energy Building Concept Through Precedents from Different Climate Zones

The building sector accumulates approximately a third of the final energy consumption. Consequently, the improvement of the energy efficiency in buildings has become an essential instrument in the energy policies to ensure the energy supply in the mid to long term moreover is the most cost effective strategy available for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The International Energy Agency asserts that `energy efficiency improvements in buildings, appliances, transport, industry and power generation represent the largest and least costly savings' in emissions. Much of the stress people impose on the earth is manifested in the way architects design, construct, and use in built environments; that means buildings and cities must play a vital role in shaping sustainable future. Net zero energy buildings are tools in shaping this future. They are as much representatives of a global approach to build environment as they are exemplary buildings. The lessons they can teach about the power of integrated design and delivery, and about the true interconnectivity between human built environment and the natural world, can be applied to a diverse range of sustainable solutions, such as net zero waste and sustainable water balances in buildings and communities. There is a powerful synergy between net zero energy objectives and other holistic sustainable goals. They all require a focus on performance and an integrated delivery process. Many strategies that reduce energy use can also have a positive impact on indoor environmental quality and, thus, the health and well-being of occupants. The net zero energy approach can be taken to any scale and positively affect the way build and live in communities and cities. One of the ways to introduce net zero energy is through a simple conceptual equation, which states that net zero energy equals the accumulation of passive design plus energy efficient building systems plus renewable energy systems, all over an integrated process. On the other point of view designing and building a net zero energy building means that from beginning, energy demands and energy generation must be consistently kept in balance. This thesis specified some of design requirements of energy efficiency to reach the most cost effective technique intended for minimizing carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover this thesis mostly focused on evaluation of some design requirements of net zero energy building in different climate zones by goals of understanding which kind of requirements better fit each building’s unique climate zone. Keywords: Net zero energy building, Energy efficiency, Design requirement