The effect of building orientation on energy efficiency

The energy demand of buildings is currently central to the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy. As energy demand increases, it is critical to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. Several architectural studies have shown that building orientation is one of the primary factors that affect building performance. However, there are still many misaligned buildings where energy costs are higher than when standard methods are used. To address this discrepancy, a research study was conducted using different building profiles. Simulations were conducted as part of the research to link a building’s orientation to performance measures, such as energy use intensity (EUI), cooling load, and heating load. In addition, the impacts of solar heat gain and ventilation air exchange values on building energy performance at various orientations were demonstrated. Although building orientation affects building energy performance, the study shows that not all factors related to building efficiency are equally influenced by orientation, and the effects vary by climate zone and building size. Energy efficiency and optimization are timely topics that require further study and exploration. This study discussed the effect of a building’s orientation on its energy usage and performance using optimization techniques. Research methodology can be employed to determine the optimum orientation of buildings. The simulation was performed for two warm and cold climate zones using IES VE and Rhino/Honeybee tools. It is shown that the orientation of the building does not have a significant effect on the energy use intensity (EUI). Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.).