The development of rational strategies for the design of zero carbon commercial buildings

Abstract:

<p>This document is a summary for the project titled 'The development of rational strategies for the design of zero carbon commercial buildings'.</p> <p>Most existing buildings in Britain were constructed with little regard for energy conservation and consequently there is a large potential for improvement. Buildings currently represent 75% of Britain's demand for heat; but with new builds insulated and designed effectively; this could be reduced to almost zero. The Government has announced plans for all new non domestic buildings to be "zero carbon" in operation by 2019, "zero carbon" is a term for a building with zero net energy use, but this objective brings with it a huge number of technical complexities.</p> <p>The project brings together technical and economic issues in order to produce a set of feasible design solutions for zero carbon commercial buildings for a range of designated regions within the North West. It will identify the most cost effective method of achieving "zero carbon emissions" and identify any knowledge gaps which will need to be filled by means of future research.</p>

Author(s):

Edwards, R.