Energy conservation strategies in residential building-A case study

Abstract

Thermal comfort is essential in a tropical climate and building air conditioning offers better thermal comfort compared to other systems. But the air conditioning system in the building consumes a lot of energy to meet the needs of thermal comfort in a tropical climate. Research has proved that excessive use of air conditioners is detrimental to the environment as the refrigerants are a major source of global warming. An effective thermal insulation system in the building can increase energy efficiency by reducing consumption for cooling systems, but it can also decrease the lighting comfort of natural light. This research aims to study the effectiveness of different energy saving strategies and to find the best compromise between visual comfort and thermal comfort in the building in India by taking a building as a case study, and subjecting it to thermal and lighting simulations.