ABSTRACT
In the modern world, energy consumption per capita became one of the parameters to determine the Human Development Index (HDI) of any state. Since nonrenewable energy sources will exhaust one day, energy conservation and sustainability drew global attention. To achieve this goal, energy conservation and sustainability through buildings has shown its global concerns these days. Approximately 39% of total energy consumed in U.S. is inside buildings. There are two ways to design energy-efficient buildings (EEBs). One, such as regulating Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC), lighting, and so on are categorized as active energy-efficient strategies; however, improvements in building envelops can be classified under passive strategies. A building envelop is the surface that separates the outdoor and indoor environments of a building. The indoor environment of a building can be controlled irrespective of transient outdoor conditions by designing this envelops. Thus, various components of this envelop, such as walls, roofs, fenestrations, external shadings, thermal insulation, thermal mass, and so on, have a vital role to play in EEBs. Various modern contemporary technologies related to these components of envelops, such as photovoltaic roofs, green roofs, and so on, are discussed in this chapter. Aerogel, vacuum glazing, reflective panes in modern fenestration technologies are also presented here. Different types of material and designs of these components along with their maintenance are also discussed in this review.
