Sustainable Optimization for thermal comfort and building energy efficiency in Cairo

Abstract

Globally, a significant proportion of the building energy is consumed for achieving the required thermal and optical comfort. The building form and the other associated factors heavily affect the indoor thermal comfort and the lighting energy of any air-conditioned or naturally ventilated building. The most important parameters affecting the thermal comfort and lighting energy requirement of the indoor environment are the building shape, orientation and the window to wall ratio (WWR) of the building. These parameters are interrelated and a proper combination is required to achieve the optimal thermal comfort and energy efficiency.