Energy efficiency of ecological buildings in Tunisia: Natural fiber composites and passive strategies impact

Improving the thermal insulation and energy efficiency of building envelopes is a major objective worldwide and has significantly developed in the recent years. This study aims to evaluate the impact of ecological additive and passive strategies on building energy efficiency. An experimental study was carried out to examine the effect of the incorporation of treated Alfa and Posidonia-Oceanica fibers on the thermal properties of cement and gypsum composite samples. The experimental results were then introduced in a numerical study using TRNSYS software to perform a comparison of the energy efficiency and thermal performance of three individual buildings; two ones constructed with our ecological materials and the third one with typical materials is considered as a reference case under the Tunisian climate. The obtained results indicate that the buildings built with Alfa fibers (BAF) and Posidonia-Oceanica fibers (BPOF) are economically effective since they allow a decrease of about 48.20% and 43.48% in heating, 45.71% and 42.77% in cooling, leading to a reduction in CO2 emission of 47.90% and 43.40%, respectively, in comparison with the reference case. The investigation also focuses on the improvement of the ecological building envelope by a storage wall integrated on the south front and shaded by solar movable overhangs during the summer season. The indoor climate results reveal that incorporating passive strategies into the building improves indoor air temperature and preserves a comfortable indoor relative humidity. Heating requirements decrease by 82.82% for BAF and by 79.76% for BPOF. The cooling requirements of the reference building are also reduced by 63.46% for BAF and 60.45% for BPOF by the use of natural night ventilation (4 ACH) and the appropriate shading for Trombe walls and windows. Consequently, the implementation of passive strategies on the ecological buildings led to a net reduction in CO2 emissions by up to 80.55% for BAF, compared to the reference case.