Early-Stage Design Guidelines for Net-Zero-Energy Office Buildings in Tropical Climate

The rapid growth of energy consumption in buildings has imposed increasing pressure on environmental protection. Energy consumption in buildings for heating, cooling, and lighting must be reduced in all Indian cities to meet the goals set by the latest directives of the Smart Cities Mission, which require the energy consumption to be reduced by 20% and the use of renewable energy sources to be increased by 20%. These goals can be achieved by constructing net-zero-energy buildings (nZEBs) in the future. In this study, the design approaches required for constructing nZEBs in tropical climate were analyzed through nZEB case studies in a tropical region. These strategies were then applied and tested on an energy-efficient office building in Gurgaon through energy simulation. A calibrated reference model was generated to apply passive and active techniques as well as analyze the simulation results. Finally, renewable energy sources were implemented to provide energy to the building or directly into the grid, which resulted in an nZEB. The case studies and simulation indicate that for every 34-44 m
²
of floor area, photovoltaic panels with a power output of 1 kW are required in nZEBs.