ABSTRACT
Overall, 28 percent of the annual global greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings come from operational energy, with more than half coming from the residential sector. Hence, this chapter explores routes to designing for clean operational energy, underpinned by the three-tier approach to sustainable heating, cooling, and lighting. First, architects should employ “bioclimatic” design processes, which allow buildings to act as passive heating and cooling systems which can significantly decrease operational energy consumption and associated carbon emissions of buildings while maintaining thermal comfort for occupants. The second section of this chapter explores what energy sources should be used, if necessary, to meet any remaining operational energy requirements of a building. Questions on renewable sources of energy, how to create “net zero” homes, and whether that is the best measure of sustainability are discussed. The third section looks at energy rating systems, which can facilitate building stakeholders, particularly governments, to understand the environmental impact associated with their city's housing stock. As the last section emphasizes, however, while climate-responsive design strategies are helpful, dematerialization strategies – including building less and building light – play the most important role in lowering operational energy emissions.
