In residential buildings, the main contributor is external heat from the envelope, unlike commercial buildings where internal loads of the occupants and equipment contribute equally, if not more, to its heat load. A good building envelope design can improve thermal comfort drastically, by reducing heat gains in hot climates and reducing heat losses in cold climates. This reduces your reliance on cooling or heating equipment to keep comfortable and thus, saves significant energy over the building lifetime.
The design of a comfortable and energy efficient residential building depends on:
- First, the design and properties of its building envelope i.e. walls, windows and roof.
- Second, use of efficient lighting (like LEDs), cooling equipment (star-rated fans, air-conditioners) and other efficient household appliances.
- Third, renewable energy generation is the building premises
