Applied Energy 76 (2003) 211–217

www.elsevier.com/locate/apenergy

Towards sustainable-energy buildings

Dorota Chwieduk*
Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Swietokrzyska 21,
00049 Warsaw, Poland

Accepted 10 October 2002

Abstract
Energy consumption in the residential and tertiary sectors is especially high in developed
countries. There is a great potential for energy savings in these sectors. Energy conservation
measures are developed for newly constructed buildings and for buildings under refurbish-
ment. However, to achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption apart from the
standard energy-efficiency methods, innovative technologies should be implemented, includ-
ing renewable energy. Coherency of standard, modern energy efficiency and renewable
options becomes necessities. To approach the idea of sustainable buildings, a few develop-
mental steps are needed, regarding energy, water, land and material conservation, together
with environmental loading, and the qualities of the indoor and outdoor environments.
# 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Energy conservation; Renewables; Sustainable buildings

1. Introduction

In many countries, the structure of energy consumption by different consumer

groups is characterised by a high share of the residential and tertiary sector, which is
very often responsible for about 40% of the total final energy demand. In the EU
residential sector, about 57% of the total final energy consumption is used for space
heating, 25% for domestic hot water and 11% for electricity. The share of space
heating in Polish households is even higher and accounts for 70%. There is a great
potential for energy savings through the implementation of energy efficiency in the
residential and tertiary sector. Apart from the traditional energy-saving measures

* Tel.: +48-22-826-1281x337; fax: +48-22-826-8815.

E-mail address: dchwied@ippt.gov.pl (D. Chwieduk).

0306-2619/03/$ - see front matter # 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0306-2619(03)00059-X
212 D. Chwieduk / Applied Energy 76 (2003) 211–217

such as: improvement of the building envelope; modernisation of heat sources and
ventilation; introduction of automation and heat metering; improvement of other
installed equipment; there is a need to introduce environmentally-friendly energy
technologies to achieve further significant reductions in energy consumption in the
building sector.
Going towards sustainable-energy buildings, we can consider a methodology of
several steps towards energy conservation and environmental protection in build-
ings. The first is focused on standard methods of energy efficiency, which are eco-
nomically feasible. The second one supports the energy-savings measures, which are
beneficial to the environment. The third one tries to the find equilibrium between
present and future energy needs and environmental requirements, whilst saving
energy resources and keeping a clean environment for future generations. We can
classify three types of buildings according to the appropriate steps mentioned above:

 energy-efficient buildings
 environmentally-friendly buildings
 sustainable buildings

Energy efficiency in buildings is the first necessary and fundamental step towards
sustainable-energy buildings.

2. Energy-efficient buildings

Energy-efficiency measures can often be developed specifically for old buildings,

which need to be refurbished, and for new buildings before the construction process.
However, many ideas and issues are common for new and old buildings.
Energy efficiency is made to be introduced by energy requirement building stan-
dards. The average annual energy requirement for space heating is described in the
form of thermal-energy consumption coefficients for space heating expressed in
energy [kWh] per square metre of heated area (or cubic metre of heated volume) per
year. According to Polish thermal-efficiency standards for residential buildings, the
coefficients are required to be in the range 90–120 kWh/m2/year [1]. Application of
new technologies and materials for the building envelope have become more wide-
spread recently. As a result, the overall heat-transfer coefficient for building envel-
opes is in the range 0.30–0.45 W m 2 K 1, which is much lower than it used to be
(e.g. 0.55 W m 2 K 1 in 1993–1997; and 0.75 W m 2 K 1 in 1986–1992). However,
the use of hot /warm/cold water and electricity is not included in building regula-
tions.
Thermal modernisation of old buildings, or buildings constructed recently but in
poor thermal condition, is performed to achieve significant reductions in energy
consumption and to improve indoor-climate conditions. The energy efficiency
activities during refurbishment of the existing housing stock take into account the
economic feasibility of possible measures. They are focused on the reduction of
energy demand in buildings, which is mostly achieved by:
 D. Chwieduk / Applied Energy 76 (2003) 211–217 213

 improvement or exchange of building envelope elements.

 reduction of heat losses in local heat distribution systems and local heat
sources, including the introduction of automation and control.
 total or partial exchange of heat sources.

Very rarely, innovative technologies and modern options of energy conservation

are implemented. However, according to the new trends of energy policy in Europe,
this situation should be changed quite soon. A new proposal for the Directive of the
European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings [2] is
the indicator of policy in the building sector. There is also Polish national law, i.e.
the Thermal Modernisation Law [3], accompanied by executive regulations, which
after changes in the year 2001, can be used for the support of investments in
renewable-energy systems in buildings during the thermal modernisation process.

3. Coherency of standards and modern energy-efficiency options for buildings

The importance of energy conservation in the building sector provides the base for
the elaboration of the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the
Council on the energy performance of buildings. The Directive indicates the necessity
and possibility of savings through the implementation of traditional and modern
options based on:

 improvement of the building envelope, with the focus on thermal insulation

and glazing;
 improvement of residential hot-water boilers;
 improvement of other installed equipment, e.g. lighting and air conditioning;
 introduction of environmentally-friendly energy-generation installations;
 introduction of bioclimatic building design and orientation.

The proposal of the Directive underlines that environmentally-friendly energy systems

in buildings can be realised by the application of renewable-energy sources, including
heat pumps (under certain conditions), combined heat and power—CHP and district
heating. CHP is recommended for large buildings such as apartment blocks, hospitals,
hotels, office buildings and public centres. District heating/cooling is beneficial for new
residential areas. Application of renewable energy is a modern approach to energy con-
servation in buildings, which can be developed with regard to solar energy, i.e. solar
thermal in a form of active and passive systems, daylighting, natural cooling, pho-
tovoltaics, and biomass, in a form of solid biofuels: logwood, woodchips and pellets.
According to the EU Directive, the concept of bioclimatic design and construction
can reduce energy demand even by up to 60%, assuming that all traditional thermal
standards are met, improving heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting.
All methods that can be applied to achieve really significant reductions in energy
consumption are based on standard energy conservation measures, coupled with the
introduction of innovative technologies, including utilisation of renewable energy.
214 D. Chwieduk / Applied Energy 76 (2003) 211–217

The basic rule should still be first to introduce standard well-proven energy-efficient
technologies and then to use new unconventional methods of energy conversion,
storage and utilisation, including implementation of renewables. The future of
energy-conservation measures depends on coherency between economics, energy
efficiency and environment protection.

4. Environmentally-friendly buildings

It can be said that energy conservation in buildings depends on normative build-

ing standards and mortgage rules. The energy-efficient building has a proper envel-
ope, its thermal properties are very good, all heating and electric systems operate
under control with high efficiencies, and heat recuperation is applied. All these make
the building consume smaller quantities of energy and are therefore beneficial to the
environment. However, it is only part of the problem. The important issue for the
environment is what fuel is used for energy production, what method of energy
conversion is applied, and as a result, how much the environment is polluted because
of specific energy generation processes, energy transmission and the end-use of the
energy. Considering energy efficiency in buildings, usually we deal with the demand side
of the process. We are not interested in where and how energy is produced and trans-
mitted. For environmentally-friendly buildings, we consider the energy conservation
problem more globally, especially in the case of using renewables. The idea of imple-
mentation of renewables makes the process of building design and construction more
complex and interdisciplinary.
As a consequence of implementing innovative renewable technologies, the build-
ing starts to use much less fossil-fuel and the pollution of the environment is reduced
or does not exist at all, depending on the type of energy source (e.g. for solar and
wind there is no pollution, but biomass incurs some pollution). Energy from
renewables is usually produced and used at site or energy production is in the
neighbourhood of the end-user (apart from large hydro and wind systems). The
‘‘vicinity’’ of energy production makes the problem of energy conservation be ana-
lysed start from the point of energy production, through energy storage (if required)
and energy transmission to the end use. The energy savings and environmental
‘‘savings’’ are analysed from the point-of-view of primary-energy use. Comparing
different methods of energy conservation, the analysis is based on primary-energy
fuel, giving priorities for the most clean energies and high-efficiency energy conver-
sion and transmission technologies.
The idea of environmentally-friendly buildings is usually implemented by applying
in a building, apart from the standard energy conservations solutions, the following
innovative technologies and measures based on renewables and wastes (of energy
and materials):

 bioclimatic building design and orientation, including:

 a concept of low-energy architecture, aiming to use passive solar and to
make use of the building itself, either to gain as much solar energy as
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possible, or to protect the building from the Sun, depending on season

and climatic conditions, that are connected with the proper design of
building surrounds, including trees and plants;
 application of daylighting;

 integration of solar-active thermal and photovoltaic systems into building

structures;
 short and long term (seasonal) energy storage (e.g. underground thermal
energy storage);
 space heating accomplished by heat pumps based on renewables or waste
heat;
 heat recovery; including sewage system, ventilation and air conditioning
systems;
 waste sorting, collecting and utilisation or re-use of wastes;
 water management, including introduction of water-saving equipment, water
treatment, re-use of waste water and rain water.

However, environmentally-friendly buildings are identified with a much wider

scope of problems and tasks. Environmentally-friendly buildings are often recog-
nised as buildings designed and constructed in accordance with the Green Building
Challenge process [4]. The Green Building Challenge gives scope with detailed
identification of problems of interest. Thus the most important issues of envir-
onmentally-friendly buildings are as follows:

 consumption of resources with regard to energy, land, water and material

resources;
 environmental loading, which includes: emission of GHGs (Global Heating
Gases), ODSs (Ozone-Depleting Substances), solid wastes, effluent (e.g.
treated sewage) and impact on the surroundings of the building;
 indoor environmental quality, which includes: thermal comfort, illumination,
acoustics, air quality and ventilation;
 quality of service, which includes: adaptability of the building (change
of room use, preparation for new installations); controllability
(autonomous and automatic control of energy systems with easy
handling by tenants); maintenance of performance (e.g. access to systems);
amenity.

It is noticeable that the idea of environmentally-friendly buildings couples the

main aims of energy efficiency and environmental protection, resulting in solutions,
which can be termed human-friendly building strategies. The result of the imple-
mentation of such strategies gives improved indoor environmental quality, indivi-
dual health benefits, as well as economic benefits, reduced pollution in both the local
and global environment. When all energy performance, environmental and indoor
climate standards are met and the proper quality of service is assured, the approach
to sustainable buildings is developed.
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5. Sustainable buildings

In the case of sustainable buildings, the details of energy consumption and the
environmental effects of the building are performed using a Life Cycle Analysis
(LCA). LCA considers the energy and environmental effects of the buildings, its
systems, elements and materials starting from the extraction through production
and use to the end-use. Embodied-energy analysis is a very important part of the
consideration.
In sustainable-building analysis, stress is put on three most important ‘‘flows’’
through a building, i.e. energy, water, and materials [5]. The idea of conservation is
true for energy as well as for water and materials. Designers of buildings and their
services take into consideration the role of these three components in the process of
building planning, construction, use and decomposition (not demolition).
In a sustainable-buildings strategy, we can find all the elements of energy efficient
and environmentally-friendly buildings. In addition, stress is put on promotion of
quality, which includes:

 quality of the indoor environment;

 quality of the residential area;
 quality of building materials.

In analysing buildings from a sustainable point-of-view, we put attention on the

present and future protection of energy, water and land resources. Use of renew-
ables and recycled sources is promoted, because the life cycle of a building as a
whole and its elements can be closed: renewables are renewed by nature; recycled
products and materials get a second life and become an input product for the next
final product. Selection of materials is performed with the least environmental
impact taking into account the complete lifetime. Quality of life, indoor life and life
in the residential area, are considered to be strongly connected with the quality of
the environment. Therefore the short and the long-term impacts on the environment
caused by the building itself and its surrounding during the processes of erection,
occupation and decomposition, are minimised. The idea of sustainable buildings can
also be transformed to thermal modernisation processes, and then we can develop
sustainable refurbishment. It is characteristic that among energy-efficient buildings,
there are a lot of new trends which consider the energy aspects from different points-
of-view. Utilisation of renewables and wastes in extreme cases leads to self-energy
sufficient buildings. These buildings do not require energy to be supplied by external
sources, the energy is produced and used at site. It could be said that they are the
best option for environment. However, self-energy sufficient buildings need usually
high-tech systems, which can be unfeasible from the economic point of view; the
embodied energy in systems and their elements can be high; and extraction of raw
materials and production of building materials and systems can cause environmental
pollution.
The other type of modern energy-efficient buildings are intelligent buildings. The
name is taken from the intelligent Building Management System (BMS). The main
 D. Chwieduk / Applied Energy 76 (2003) 211–217 217

aim of this system is to control all systems in the building to assure the proper
management of the energy demand, to conserve energy, to improve the comfort
levels including indoor-air quality, and to increase the building’s productivity
through leveraging information. The idea of integrated building services functions is
beneficial from the energy efficiency point-of-view. However, sometimes the role of a
human being in this too technical world can be lost. In addition, economic viable
and embodied energy can be an important issue. In the case of self-energy-sufficient
buildings and intelligent buildings, the detailed analysis of building operation with
elements of sustainable methodology ought to performed, so as not to lose the
impacts of the building on the environment and human beings.

References

[1] Regulation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Dz.U.132 item 878, 1997.
[2] Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings,
COM(2001) 226 final, 2001/0098 (COD), 2001.
[3] Thermal Modernisation Law. USTAWA, o wspieraniu przedsiêwziêæ termomodernizacyjnych
(Dz.U. Nr 162, poz 1121), with changes Ustawa 21.06.2001 (Dz.U. Nr 76, poz . 808), 18.12.1998.
[4] GBC. Green Building Challenge 2000. Stokholm: The Swedish Council for Building Research; 2000.
[5] Anink D, Boonstra Ch, Mak J. Handbook of sustainable building. London: James & James Ltd.;
1998.