Investigation of decarbonization potential in green building design to accelerate the utilization of renewable energy sources

Abstract

The construction sector as one of the highest carbon emitters in the World has an international initiative for GHG reduction. Green building certifications demonstrate performance, efficiency and economy in the construction sector. The motivation of the research was to investigate whether Green certified buildings which fulfill the minimum energy standards do demonstrate high energy performance compared to energy efficient buildings and renewable systems. The hypothesis was to investigate that RES application could contribute to higher performance, against a typical efficient HVAC system (usually applied in commercial buildings) and a building aiming for Green certification, concerning mandatory energy efficiency requirement. The research scope was to investigate and evaluate various HVAC solutions using triple-criteria evaluation method for decarbonization: energy performance, carbon footprint, and operation cost to formulate systematic solutions in the design phase of projects for wide audience with preferable and applicable results.