Introduction:
The recent awareness about the ill effects on the climate and the environmental sustainability due to the high rates of the emission of greenhouse gases has prompted the diversification of this field of study to cover almost all the aspects and activities that the individuals of the present day are involved in. The construction, design, use of energy and other related aspects pertaining to construction and buildings has emerged to have become one of the most prominent areas where this awareness manifests in the most illuminated form (Egg and Howard, 2011).
As a matter of fact, the measures and techniques that can be used to decrease the emission of carbon gases into the air and the at the same time maintain the comfort level in the interior of the buildings have emerged to be matters that have occupied centre stage with regard to this field and the present report seeks to explain the ways environmental sustainable and climate protection can be achieved in the context of the design, construction material and energy efficiency of the buildings (Gevorkian, 2010).
1. To what extent do regulations such as Part L of the Building Regulations and BREEAM achieve the goals of sustainability?
Sustainable construction may be defined as construction that balances the needs of the environment with the acknowledgment that it promotes sustainable growth and development (Kubba, 2012).
There are some global sustainable tools are present that analyse the sustainability of building and the primary purpose of the tools is to provide sustainable buildings and making informed decisions about green building.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is one of the most standard and imperative building rating systems, having immense impact on the international rating system (Barlow, 2011).
Source: www.ratingtools.com/countries
Particularly in UK part L of building regulation mainly deals with preservation of fuel and power and establishes least energy performance standard for new buildings. Due to building regulation the carbon emission is relatively reducing and it can be assume that all new buildings will become zero carbon by 2020.
The improvements of reducing carbon in 2006 were 26% and in 2010 it was 45% (Polley, 2001). It is evident from the analytical survey that, it is very difficult to reduce the carbon emission for some types of buildings and aggregate approach is taken by the authority that also provides critical impacts on non-domestic building displayed on impact assessment.
Most importantly, in 2010, a Low- and zero-carbon system was invented that provides a timbale zero-carbon dwelling. This particular system improved by reducing carbon emissions by 26% in 2010 (Tricker and Algar, 2007).
On the other hand, the energy efficiency standard in Part l buildings attended some changes such as more airtight buildings are comes under part F building to ensure that there sufficient resources of ventilation is present and National Calculation of methodology (NCM) further modifies the energy model (Waters, 2003).
Several implications are present regarding the part L building, such as the increase in cost due to the use of energy-efficient building fabric to lower carbon emissions.
Figure 2: Relationship between standard, targets and outcome when charging sustainable construction
Source: www.construction.com/info
BREEAM helps to assess a wider range of environmental aspects of buildings and is widely used in the UK (Silberstein, 2003).
Depending upon the building specification, this particular system provides individual criteria and credits that help to determine the sustainability of the particular building (Barlow, 2011).
If the BREEAM standard is applied by building ten, it will provide good environmental performance and an excellent rating. This particular application provides clear and recognised guidelines, but it is criticised due to its point-based nature.
2. The use of ground source heat pumps has been encouraged by government subsidies. Explain how these systems can be regarded as a low carbon solution, despite using electricity to power them.
These systems are regarded as low-carbon solutions, and geothermal energy is used to help reduce carbon emissions despite using electricity to power them. In heat pumps the heat conduction mechanism takes place.
They play a significant role for water heating in the buildings and they also transfer heat alongside the usual direction of thermal energy.
Heat is provided to the heat pumps from natural surroundings such as air or water. Heat pumps use a smaller amount of energy than other heating systems and provide significant energy savings, although the overall savings depend mainly on the coefficient of performance (Silberstein, 2003).
Electricity demand increases in various hot and cold conditions, and the demand for energy increases. For this, buildings use heat pumps to retain heat, which helps to keep the weather warm in cold conditions.
On the other hand, heat demand can only be reduced through energy efficiency, and therefore, heat pumps are one of the best alternatives present in the current environment, providing benefits both to buildings and to the environment (Barlow, 2011).
In the industrial sector heat pumps also provide a critical impact by delivering the heat in required areas. Therefore, in these recent days the energy efficient energy resources is very demandable and heat pumps are providing the same and it is beneficial for the sociological development.
3. Evaluate the use of glazing for the facade of buildings to achieve low carbon emissions and a comfortable internal environment
Among the most contemporary developments in the mentioned field of study has been related to glazing the façade of buildings. This not only gives the building a stylish and elegant look, but the benefits are much more vital and serious concerning the comfort, safety, and security of the people inside and also in terms of energy efficiency, low carbon emissions, and recycling (Block, 2002).
4. Discuss traditional methods for cooling buildings and evaluate low-carbon solutions for controlling temperatures within buildings
As recent scientific research and studies have proved, environmental awareness and protection have been matters that have been at the forefront of human concerns even in the past decades, when people used natural and traditional methods to cool down buildings in summer to be safe and comfortable inside them (Garg, 2007).
If the pages of history are unfurled, one would observe that the traditional substitute for the modern day air-conditioners was something known as the Vapor Compression system or VC system.
In this setup, refrigerant fluid is injected from a high-pressure to a low-pressure area through a pipe, induced through evaporation, and cooling the surroundings.
Other traditional systems included the system of geothermal cooling, meaning that a system where the surface of the earth is used to serve the purpose of a heat sink and a liquid is cycled through a system of looped pipes and through this setup the heat of the liquid is transferred to the surface of the earth and the cooled down liquid is transferred to the building (Mitchell and Braun, 2013).
Some more backdated traditional methods of cooling the houses included the systems of Morphogenesis, which is a passive cooling control method that keeps the buildings and the lobby cooler even in scorching heat outside.
Other traditional methods include the system of, what is known in India as “Jaali” meaning nets and this netted screen is used as a thermal screen and placed on the outside walls of buildings to reduce the direct heat radiated to the inside of the classrooms (Raguin and Draper, 1995).
Moreover, the use of mosaic tiles, stone walls and amorphous-shaped courtyards and lobbies marked in the traditional buildings provided ample daylight and heat gain, reducing the use of energy and cutting down the emission of carbon dioxide gases which would have otherwise been emitted.
The use of traditional as well as modern energy efficiency techniques to ensure the convenience, safety, and comfort of the building’s inmates led to lower energy use for heat generation and heat retention or for lighting purposes, thereby automatically reducing the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Randl, 2001).
Figure 5: Diagram representing the setup of a VC system
Source: www.repositoroes.lib
5. In temperate and cold climates, heating is the major energy need. Explain how we can reduce this need within buildings
Building heating is essential in cold and temperate climates; however, such a system leads to energy consumption and carbon emissions. To reduce this unhealthy impact on the environment, the concept of reducing energy usage within the building has evolved as a major area of research and study.
Building safeguarding is a unique way of energy caving. At the domestic level, digging underground tunnels could be vertically connected to geothermal power and transport heat inside the house (Cellura et al. 2013).
This type of natural heating system is called ground source heating, which not only helps in energy saving but also in lowering electricity consumption and decreasing the family’s electricity bill. The geothermal plant is a natural way of reducing energy consumption and could be perfectly used for cooking and bathing purposes.
This is the system of transferring heat from the core of the earth and could be transferred to various parts of the house to be used in bathing, cooking or keeping the ambience warm and cosy for absolute comfort.
Research confirms that in the US, residential and commercial buildings account for 39 percent of energy consumption and 38 percent of carbon emissions.
Situations like space heating, room heating, and domestic usage add to energy consumption in both commercial and residential buildings (Moss, 2007).
Figure 6: Building envelope
Source: http://www.isover.com/var/isover_com/storage/images/media/images/priority/2115-1-eng-GB/priority.jpg
Another way of reducing such energy consumption is by developing a building envelope. This is a defined interface that could be constructed between the interior and outdoor environment, such as a wall, foundation, or home roof.
This acts as a thermal barrier, and helps in enveloping the building to regulate the temperature properly (Beerepoot, 2007). It also helps in identifying the quantity of energy required to maintain the thermal comfort within the building. Hence eliminates the scope of energy wastage and unnecessary heating.
Figure 7: Passive solar heating system
Source: http://www.wbdg.org/images/psh_1.gif
Energy-efficient buildings could be developed using geothermal power or by using various elements like bioclimatic architecture, exposed thermal mass, building envelope, high-performance controlled ventilation, thermal insulation, air tightness, and controlling air leakage in cold climates.
When the air movement from outside into the building is controlled properly, it can soon help in reducing energy consumption in the particular building.
Conclusion:
Considering the high energy demands the buildings command, the methods and techniques that can be effective in reducing the demand for energy in the buildings for the safety, convenience, and comfort of the inmates have become a prominent field of study and research.
Energy reduction in buildings is a serious issue that has recently encouraged building developers to concentrate on architectural craftsmanship. Inclusion of exposed thermal mass, building envelope, or geothermal methods are methods of saving energy that promote healthy and pollution-free living inside the building.
Such approaches encourage people to use solar energy instead of continuing the use of artificial sources like the air conditioning system or heaters. They would therefore ensure energy saving and reduce carbon emission in the environment by constructing energy saving elements in the building (Mitchell and Braun, 2013).
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