Zero-Energy Design: an approach to make your building sustainable

Reduction of energy consumption of buildings is an important step in the move towards a sustainable economy. How can buildings be made net zero energy, in different climates?

This course introduces you to zero energy design. It will teach you a stepped approach to design a zero energy climate concept for existing buildings: homes, schools, offices, shops etc. It will demonstrate how an integrated approach, which takes into account both passive measures (such as thermal insulation and sun shading) and active measures (such as heat pumps and photovoltaic panels), can deliver the best results.

It will do so by providing you with an overview of possible measures, and through reviewing several case studies of zero energy buildings in the Netherlands, with lessons for other climates as well. Thus, you will learn which measures are most suitable for individual buildings under local climate conditions.

This course is for anyone interested in making buildings more energy efficient, who already possess basic technical knowledge.

Week 1 Energy in the built environment
Introduction to Zero Energy Design
Analyse the energy consumption of a selected building

Week 2 REDUCE: Passive measures
Analyse the local climate and choose passive measures to reduce the energy demand, like thermal insulation and sun shading.

Week 3 REDUCE: Active measures
Overview of active measures to reduce the energy demand, like demand-controlled heating and ventilation.

Week 4 REUSE
Overview of the opportunities to reuse energy flows in buildings, like heat recovery from ventilation air and warm waste water

Week 5 PRODUCE
Overview of the opportunities to produce heat and electricity in the building, like PV-systems, ground source heat pumps.

Week 6 INTEGRATE
Apply all the measures from the previous weeks in an integrated net zero energy concept for the selected building

Week 7 Wrap up