Quantifying benefits of energy efficient house design through monitoring of specified air quality and household energy activity

Abstract

Energy efficient building design aims to use passive design principles such as orientation, insulation, materials and surrounding area layout to minimise the need for active space heating or cooling. Implementation of the principles of energy efficient design in specifically low-cost houses delivered by government can have numerous benefits such as monetary savings, increased comfort and health indoor environments for homeowners and inhabitants. The project described here measured the indoor air quality of six energy efficient houses in two project areas as well as energy activity and potential benefits related to energy efficient house design. It was concluded that a small reduction in CO2 is achieved in an energy efficient house when compared with a conventional house. However, the reduction achieved is dependent on the type of fuel used for space heating. Overall, the energy efficient houses observed in the project were more comfortable and households spent less on space heating requirements than conventional houses. It is recommended that the principles of energy efficient design should be a minimum requirement in low-cost housing delivery.