A DFuzzy-DAHP Decision-Making Model for Evaluating Energy-Saving Design Strategies for Residential Buildings

• Published in: Energies (Basel) 2012-11, Vol.5 (11), p.4462-4480
• Main Authors: Liu, Kuang-Sheng, Hsueh, Sung-Lin, Wu, Wen-Chen, Chen, Yu-Lung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: analytical hierarchy process (AHP); Building construction; Decision making; Design; double-skin facades; Emissions; Energy consumption; energy-saving design; fuzzy logic theory; Green buildings; Social responsibility; solar building materials; the Delphi method
• ISSN: 1996-1073; 1996-1073
• DOI: 10.3390/en5114462

The construction industry is a high-pollution and high-energy-consumption industry. Energy-saving designs for residential buildings not only reduce the energy consumed during construction, but also reduce long-term energy consumption in completed residential buildings. Because building design affects investment costs, designs are often influenced by investors’ decisions. A set of appropriate decision-support tools for residential buildings are required to examine how building design influences corporations externally and internally. From the perspective of energy savings and environmental protection, we combined three methods to develop a unique model for evaluating the energy-saving design of residential buildings. Among these methods, the Delphi group decision-making method provides a co-design feature, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) includes multi-criteria decision-making techniques, and fuzzy logic theory can simplify complex internal and external factors into easy-to-understand numbers or ratios that facilitate decisions. The results of this study show that incorporating solar building materials, double-skin facades, and green roof designs can effectively provide high energy-saving building designs.