Efficient Envelope Designs to Maximize Residential Cooling Energy Savings in Bangkok Neighborhoods

Abstract

Architectural design can significantly improve home energy-efficiency. New energy-saving techniques are regularly proposed; however, integrating all design parameters into the energy simulation specific knowledge and is time-consuming, making it difficult for non-experts in building energy analysis. This present study investigates the impact of envelope designs on household cooling energy consumption in housing complexes located in Bangkok neighborhood areas. The study selects a representative house and identifies a range of envelope designs, including thermal properties of exterior walls and roof, painted color, length of roof eaves, and window-to-wall ratio (WWR). The Latin hypercube method randomly generates two hundred sets of design scenarios based on those design parameters. The eQuest model is used to perform analysis of household cooling energy consumption for four orientations, and the simulation results are validated. The standardized regression coefficient (SRC) is used to determine a strong correlation between design parameters and cooling energy consumption in detached houses. The results reveal that improving a window’s solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), wall painted color, wall u-value, and length of roof eaves could reduce energy consumption by up to 19.7 percent. The WWR and building orientation were found to have only a small impact on household cooling energy consumption, especially for a square-shaped house. The results provide designers and non-professional a simple design guideline to improve the energy efficiency of their home designs.