Assessment of Passive Design-Based Energy Efficiency Improvement Opportunities Through Energy Audit of Residential Units

• Main Authors: Arif, Farrukh, Saeed, Faiza, Azhar, Nida
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: energy audit; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Energy efficiency; Energy measurement; Insulation; passive design; Ventilation; Wind
• ISSN: 2767-9829
• DOI: 10.1109/ICECE58062.2023.10092497

The energy crisis in Pakistan is as serious as it is around the globe. The energy consumption per capita for Pakistan is 475 kWh / annum, within the residential sector is the major consumer. To reduce the share of residential energy consumption, residential units need to be designed efficiently and existing stock needs to be made more energy efficient through such measures which do not consume any more energy to function. This paper identifies improvement opportunities for the energy efficiency of existing residential units by incorporating passive strategies. The results are derived from a comprehensive energy audit of sixty-eight residential units that among other aspects (beyond scope of this paper) also included the identification of opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. Results show that ventilation in 25% of residential units, infiltration in 30%, insulation in 85%, and shading in typically all of the residential units, were a few passive aspects that came out to have room for improvement. Passive strategies such as; appropriate projection length for shading, weather stripping, caulking for infiltration, polystyrene insulation, double-glazed windows for insulation, and wind catchers and louvers for ventilation have been recommended for identified opportunities to enhance the energy efficiency of existing residential stock.