Strategic Building Energy Management, Policies, and Insulation Materials

Abstract

The building sector is responsible for 15% of energy consumption and 40% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the world. Among the various building energy uses, heating and cooling require 40% of the energy in residential houses and 27% in commercial buildings. To reduce energy use in heating and cooling, it is important that improved insulation be used that will increase the thermal resistance of heat flow from outside in summer months and from inside in winter months. This research focuses on the selection of best insulation materials in buildings from the standpoints of energy saving and greenhouse gas potential using a decision-making process known as Analytical Hierarchal Process (AHP). A modified form of AHP was used to compare various synthetic and natural insulation materials on various attributes based on their thermal, environmental, and cost performance. Out of eleven materials considered, coir, a natural fiber, performs better than fiberglass, the best performing synthetic fiber, and hemp, another natural fiber, performs almost equal to fiberglass. This thesis also discusses the building energy codes and barriers to building energy transition. The role of strategic building energy management is demonstrated trough a case study which has shown that implementation of energy audit and conservation measures can save both energy and money in the long term.