Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China

Abstracts: This study investigates the influence of building envelopes on energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building located in northwest China using experimental testing and TRNSYS/CFD simulations. The results indicate that optimized envelope designs, particularly those in...

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Main Authors: Xiaofei Zhen, Shange Li, Jianming Peng, Zhouyang Zhao, Xu Zhang, Chuanxi Tan, Ruonan Jiao, Wenbing Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Results in Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025003299
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author Xiaofei Zhen
Shange Li
Jianming Peng
Zhouyang Zhao
Xu Zhang
Chuanxi Tan
Ruonan Jiao
Wenbing Wu
author_facet Xiaofei Zhen
Shange Li
Jianming Peng
Zhouyang Zhao
Xu Zhang
Chuanxi Tan
Ruonan Jiao
Wenbing Wu
author_sort Xiaofei Zhen
collection DOAJ
description Abstracts: This study investigates the influence of building envelopes on energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building located in northwest China using experimental testing and TRNSYS/CFD simulations. The results indicate that optimized envelope designs, particularly those incorporating rock wool insulation and a suitable window-to-wall ratio, can significantly reduce energy consumption, especially during the heating season, while maintaining indoor thermal comfort. The building's annual heating energy consumption is 10.58 kWh/m²/year, which is below the threshold of 15 kWh/m²/year defined for nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs). Further optimization, such as increasing insulation thickness and enhancing renewable energy utilization, is suggested to achieve higher energy efficiency and fully meet the criteria for NZEBs. This study provides valuable insights into energy-efficient envelope design for cold climates and highlights the importance of selecting appropriate materials and configurations to achieve both energy savings and indoor comfort.
format Article
id doaj-art-3b17f52935a44e9486ba084168434953
institution Kabale University
issn 2590-1230
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Results in Engineering
spelling doaj-art-3b17f52935a44e9486ba0841684349532025-02-10T04:34:47ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-03-0125104243Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest ChinaXiaofei Zhen0Shange Li1Jianming Peng2Zhouyang Zhao3Xu Zhang4Chuanxi Tan5Ruonan Jiao6Wenbing Wu7School of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR China; Key Laboratory of Railway Vehicle Thermal Engineering of MOE, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR China; Corresponding author.School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xi, an Traffic Engineering Institute, Xi'an 710300, PR ChinaLanzhou Zhongjian Construction Technology Limited Liability Company, 730299, PR ChinaLanzhou Zhongjian Construction Technology Limited Liability Company, 730299, PR ChinaSchool of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR ChinaSchool of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR ChinaSchool of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR ChinaSchool of New Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, PR ChinaAbstracts: This study investigates the influence of building envelopes on energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building located in northwest China using experimental testing and TRNSYS/CFD simulations. The results indicate that optimized envelope designs, particularly those incorporating rock wool insulation and a suitable window-to-wall ratio, can significantly reduce energy consumption, especially during the heating season, while maintaining indoor thermal comfort. The building's annual heating energy consumption is 10.58 kWh/m²/year, which is below the threshold of 15 kWh/m²/year defined for nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs). Further optimization, such as increasing insulation thickness and enhancing renewable energy utilization, is suggested to achieve higher energy efficiency and fully meet the criteria for NZEBs. This study provides valuable insights into energy-efficient envelope design for cold climates and highlights the importance of selecting appropriate materials and configurations to achieve both energy savings and indoor comfort.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025003299Near-zero energy buildingsBuilding energy consumptionIndoor comfortBuilding envelopeCold regions
spellingShingle Xiaofei Zhen
Shange Li
Jianming Peng
Zhouyang Zhao
Xu Zhang
Chuanxi Tan
Ruonan Jiao
Wenbing Wu
Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
Results in Engineering
Near-zero energy buildings
Building energy consumption
Indoor comfort
Building envelope
Cold regions
title Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
title_full Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
title_fullStr Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
title_short Analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near-zero-energy building in Northwest China
title_sort analysis of building envelope for energy consumption and indoor comfort in a near zero energy building in northwest china
topic Near-zero energy buildings
Building energy consumption
Indoor comfort
Building envelope
Cold regions
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025003299
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