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Energy Efficient Buildings: The Best Options for Sustainability

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Sustainability has become a keyword of today's economic development all over the world. It is a consensus that human development should not sacrifice our environment. As a result, more and more architecture is therefore designed in a greener way. One such trend is the rise of energy-efficient buildings, especially in big cities.
As the name suggests, energy-efficient buildings can effectively reduce energy consumption, lower building operating costs, and ultimately improve the environmental impact of energy consumption. This is particularly important for many enterprises. For one thing, they want to reduce costs and increase efficiency in their operation. For another, building energy-efficient offices can improve their EHS performance and attract more like-minded partners to cooperate with them.
Considering these, it is important for today's architects to figure out how to make buildings energy-efficient. And it is also necessary for customers and users to understand what makes a building energy efficient.
Contemporary Energy Efficient Building

What Makes a Building Energy Efficient?

For today's energy-efficient buildings, various design details and technologies are applied to reduce energy consumption and improve overall performance. These designs not only lower operating costs for building owners, but also create healthier and more comfortable indoor environments for building occupants. They will enjoy better indoor air quality, ample natural light, and consistent temperatures. This will help boost their productivity and well-being.

1. Site and Building Orientation

When you consider positioning a building on its site, orientation is a crucial factor to take into account. A good orientation can maximize natural light usage and minimize extra energy needs. Optimal orientation considers the sun's path throughout the day and the year. This allows buildings to leverage solar gain in colder months and minimize it during summer periods.
In the northern hemisphere, for example, orienting a building with its long axis along an east-west line will maximize southern exposure for passive solar heating in winter. On the contrary, minimizing west-facing windows will reduce afternoon heat gain in summer. In addition to solar orientation, careful consideration of prevailing winds when locating a building also allows for natural ventilation strategies. 
This kind of careful planning aligning with ecological principles will significantly reduce the reliance on mechanical heating and cooling systems.

2. Insulation

Insulation is another important aspect of energy efficiency. It acts as a barrier to heat transfer through the building envelope, including walls, roofs, floors and windows. Effective insulation design diminishes heat loss in winter while optimizing it in summer. It will maintain a more stable temperature range indoors and reduce the workload on HVAC systems.
There are various types of insulation available to consider, including fiberglass, cellulose, mineral wool and foam. The effectiveness of insulation is measured by its R-value. Higher R-values indicate greater resistance to heat flow. Properly installed insulation combined with air sealing, like continuous insulation (CI), can minimize air leakage and create a thermally efficient building envelope. It will significantly reduce the building's energy consumption for heating and cooling.

3. Ventilation

While minimizing air leakage is fundamental for insulation, proper ventilation is essential for increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and maintaining healthy indoor air quality (IAQ). Through controlled ventilation, stale air, pollutants and excess moisture are removed. And fresh air is introduced by ventilators, windows, and doors. Energy-efficient ventilation technologies and strategies can decrease energy loss associated with air exchange.
Technologies like heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) are highly efficient in transferring heat and moisture between incoming and outgoing air streams. This process pre-heats or pre-cools incoming air, reducing the energy required to condition it. Natural ventilation strategies, such as operable windows and strategically placed vents, can also be used to supplement mechanical ventilation when weather conditions permit.

4. Lighting

Lighting accounts for a significant portion of energy use in buildings. Energy-efficient lighting strategies focus on optimizing natural daylight and utilizing high-efficiency artificial lighting technologies.
Large windows, skylights, and light shelves can effectively distribute natural daylight throughout interior spaces, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day. For many outdoor structure needs, geodesic domes can let through as much natural light as possible with an extensive transparent area design on the surface. Designed by futurist architect Buckminster Fuller, the geodesic dome is one of the most efficient architectural forms and representation of sustainable buildings.
While we can make the most of natural light during the daytime, artificial lighting is still necessary when nightfall comes. When considering lighting choices, LED fixtures are preferred because of their lower energy consumption and longer lifespan.
Shelter Dome Tiny House

5. Energy-Efficient Water Heaters

Aside from the building structure itself, affiliated facilities also play an important part in transforming a traditional building into an energy-efficient one. According to existing surveys, water heaters take up 7% of commercial buildings' energy consumption. Therefore, it is also crucial to choose an energy-efficient water heater.
In addition, you can establish a tankless system for the water heaters. This system doesn't store hot water but heats water on demand as it flows through the unit. This design eliminates standby heat losses and avoids energy waste in storing pre-heated water. This is particularly useful for commercial spaces with fluctuating hot water demands, such as restaurants and gyms.
If this is not suitable for your needs, you can also consider water heaters designed with thicker insulation layers. They can reduce heat loss and increase energy efficiency.

6. Surrounding Landscape

The surrounding landscape plays a significant role in enhancing a building's energy efficiency as well. Vegetation like trees and shrubs can provide shade to reduce solar heat gain in summer. They also act as windbreaks to lessen wind chill and minimize heat loss in winter.
Besides planting trees around, roofs covered with vegetation, also known as green roofs, function as insulation layers to lower stormwater runoff and mitigate the urban heat island effect. Such permeable paving material can lower the building's surface temperatures, reducing the need for extra cooling equipment in summer. It's a good way to mitigate energy demand and increase energy efficiency of the building.

7. Renewable Energy Technology

Integrating renewable energy technologies is a crucial step in constructing highly energy-efficient buildings. These technologies reduce reliance on fossil fuels and significantly cut down a building's carbon footprint:
  • Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels: These panels convert sunlight into electricity directly, providing a clean and renewable energy source.
  • Solar thermal collectors: They primarily convert solar radiation into thermal energy, which can be used for water heating or space heating.
  • Geothermal heat pumps: By utilizing the earth's stable temperature, geothermal heat pumps provide efficient heating and cooling.
  • Wind turbines: Wind turbines generate electricity from wind energy, which helps reduce the loss of non-renewable energy.

8. Meet Building Energy Efficiency Standards

In addition to measures to construct energy-efficient buildings, adhering to building energy efficiency standards and codes is also essential when designing the details. Standards like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Energy Star, and local building codes, set benchmarks for energy performance and provide guidelines for buildings. You get a more comprehensive understanding of the design points of energy-efficient buildings from these standards. Check them out before getting started to ensure that buildings incorporate best practices in energy efficiency and contribute to broader sustainability goals.

Shelter Dome: Provide Sustainability Solutions for Energy-Efficient Buildings

If you are looking for a trusted partner to assist with your building project, or an energy-efficient building case study to deepen your understanding, take a look at Shelter Dome. We provide the best practices of geodesic dome designs. Ensure your energy-efficient project excels in weather resistance, aesthetic appeal and cost-effectiveness. Compared to traditional buildings, our geodesic dome triangular frames are made with less material consumption, but maintain the same or even greater structural strength.
Our geodesic domes also offer energy efficiency and sustainability in a variety of ways. For example, their spherical shape, with no additional support structures inside, reduces heat loss from their surface and maintains high air thermal efficiency. As a result, they can reduce heating and cooling energy consumption by about 30% compared to traditional structures. The design of insulation layers can minimize heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. The installation of solar-powered exhaust fans ensures more controllable ventilation and renewable energy is used. The application of recyclable metal frames is in line with the goal of reusing building materials.
There is a wide range of options available at Shelter Dome. We can construct your ideal domes customized to your expectations and needs. You can decide what materials to use, what sizes to apply, and what configurations you need with details.
Geodesic Dome Tent

Conclusion

The pursuit of energy-efficient buildings is not merely a trend today but also a crucial step towards a sustainable future. As explored in this article, there are a variety of ways that make a building energy-efficient. From choosing building orientation to implementing robust insulation, efficient ventilation and intelligent lighting systems, each element plays a vital role. The integration of energy-efficient water heaters, thoughtful landscaping, and renewable energy technologies also enhances a building's sustainability profile.
If you are looking for a trusted partner who can provide sustainable building solutions with customization services, don't hesitate to check out Shelter Dome. With the high-quality use of materials and thoughtful designs, we have been trying our best to approach sustainability in manufacturing and satisfy our customers with best practices.

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