Defining Nearly Zero Energy Building in the UAE – 2017 Report

Sarfraz Dairkee, Secretary

Emirates Green Building Council

Energy Efficiency and Renewables in Buildings

Roda Al Marooj

October 23, 2017

Emirates Green Building Council

Vision

For the UAE to be a global leader for sustainability in the built environment.

Mission

Emirates Green Building Council is a catalyst for collaboration and a hub for excellence to promote sustainability of the built environment in the UAE.

Formed in 2006, with the goal of advancing green building principles for protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability in the United Arab Emirates.

oThe current nZEB/ Architecture paradigm

Globally and in the UAE

oTraditional Architecture approach with

reference to the local environment

and ethos

oContemporary Approach of the Building

Industry and Near Zero Energy Buildings

oEmerging Concept of Harmony with

Nature

oProof of Concept Cases

We will deliberate on

Focus on buildings

40% of the

global energy

25% of the

global water

40% of the

global

resources

1/3 of the GHG

emissions

There is a global transition to mitigate the energy consumption and GHG emissions from buildings

•Buildings account for the largest

amount of energy and water

consumption

•Over 70% Energy usage for

Illumination & Cooling the buildings

•High Ambient Temperatures and

Water Scarce Region further

intensify energy intensity

Region Specific Energy Needs

for the Housing

Transition to nZEBs Europe

Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2010/31/EU Directive, member states aim to make all new buildings nearly zero, by 2020 EU Commission nZEB definition: a building that has a very high energy performance as determined on the basis of the calculated or actual annual energy consumed

.

Figure 2: 411 nZEBs located in 17 European countries in 2017. Image taken from Enerdata

Monitoring tool

Global transition to nZEBs

Advancing Net Zero, a global project which aims to ensure that all buildings have zero

carbon emissions by 2050 WGBC DEFINITION:

Net Zero Carbon Emissions Buildings defined as a highly energy-efficient building utilizing all

remaining operational energy use from renewable energy to achieve net zero carbon

emission annually

UAE’s commitments COP 21 - Paris Agreement

Intended Nationally Determined Contribution of the United Arab Emirates

• In the post-2020 period the United Arab Emirates will continue to expand its ambitious actions to limit emissions and improve resilience through economic diversification, in accordance with Decisions 1/CP.19 and 1/CP.20.

• The UAE’s actions are based on a strategy of economic diversification that will yield mitigation and adaptation cobenefits, consistent with the approach adopted under Decision 24/CP.18.

• To this end, the UAE will pursue a portfolio of actions, including an increase of clean energy to 24% of the total energy mix by 2021.

UAE’s commitments Federal and Emirates Targets

Federal and local sustainability targets in the UAE

Opportunities for nZEBs in the UAE

BAU Building

Building Code

Nearly

Zero

Energy

Building

Net

Zero

Energy

Building

UAE Vision 2021

& UAE Energy Strategy

2050

Evolution of buildings – an example of how nZEBs can propel the UAE

Supporting UAE’s commitments

nZEB definition & target for the UAE?

Countries

Maximum primary Energy

Target (new buildings from

2020)/ kWh/m2year [1]

Average Annual [2]

Residential Non-

residential HDD CDD

Austria 160 170 3181 212

Denmark 20 25 3653 45

Slovenia 50 70 3399 150

Cyprus 100 125 781 1196

UK 44[3] - 2661 94

UAE ? ? 31 3564

• Review of definitions and global implementations of “Zero” Buildings.

• Identify factors and parameters to define Nearly Zero Energy Buildings.

• Analysis of case studies and stakeholder consultation.

• Establish an initial definition for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in the UAE

EmiratesGBC Defining Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in the UAE 2017

Defining “Zero” Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

Average Building energy usage

Figure 1: How nZEBs operate

Defining “Zero”

• The passive house concept is

considered as an optimal model for

nZEBs.

• The passive house concept can be

applied to all building types, budgets

and climates

• All renewable energy sources can be

successfully integrated

Passivhaus Standard Primary Energy < 60 kWh/m2/year

UAE Case Studies Data Collection

General Characteristics

Design and Actual Energy

Consumption

Energy Costs and Savings

• 12 cases studies: Most of them are residential villa and

offices

• Case studies with EUI > 250 kWh/m2/year were excluded

• The actual energy consumption and costs of most of the

cases studies were not provided

UAE Case Studies

Results – Villa Projects

43.6

81.1

98.8 104.3

118.8

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

V1 V2 V3 V4 V5

Energy Use Index (kWh/m2/year)

Energy Produced Index (kWh/m2/year)

V1

V3

V5

UAE Case Studies Results – Office Projects

90.6 92.1

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

O1 O2

Energy Use Index (kWh/m2/year)

Energy Produced Index (kWh/m2/year)

UAE Case Studies Conclusions

• Several concepts including Nearly Zero, Net

Zero and Net Plus Energy Residential and Office

Buildings already exist or are under construction

in the UAE.

• Nearly all the case studies have on-site

renewable energy generation.

• The five residential villas have an Energy Use

Intensity (EUI) ranging from 44 to 119

kWh/m2/year.

• The two Office nZEBs have EUI of 90.6 and

92.1 kWh/m2/year with RE ratios of 5% and 11%

Stakeholder Survey

Objectives

1. Measure the market perception for nZEBs

2. Identify factors and parameters that need to be

addressed in the UAE’s definition for nZEBs

Methodology

1. An online questionnaire was used for the

survey.

2. Key stakeholders were asked to fill the

questionnaire (55 respondents

Stakeholder Survey

Results

Findings

nZEB is a globally adopted concept with clear targets set in the several countries with a general timeline of 2020-2030 set for adoption of the concept.

The concept of nZEB strongly aligns with and supports the UAE National Vision and commitments. Stakeholders agree that the market will be ready for the adoption of the nZEB concept between 2020 and 2030.

The time is appropriate to transition from an ‘early adopter’ state to ‘mainstream adoption’ in the UAE

Findings

It is recommended to commence with the introduction of the concept in the public sector prior to roll out in the private sector

A nZEB action plan should be cost effective and hence focus on aggressive passive measures

It is recommended to consider renewable energy beyond the plot boundary within the nZEB consideration

Findings

Initial nZEB definition for residences and offices in the UAE:

A Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) in the UAE can be defined as a highly energy

efficient building with a site EUI less than 90 kWh/m2/year and covers a significant portion of its annual energy use by renewable energy

sources produced on-site or off-site.

Energy Strategy

Minimise energy demand through good passive energy

design

Maximise the efficiency of energy

delivery

Renewables

Energy Recovery

? Energy and Sustainability

Energy is a means to process

materials to goods and services.

In present context Electricity is

only one way of ensuring delivery

of these needs.

What we are forgetting is that all the forms

of energy are not equal or alike.

Some forms of energy may be better

suited to be directly applied to

demands rather than through

conversion to and expenditure of

electricity.

Matching appropriate energy supply to

end use is the answer.

The 'Energy Crisis' does not stem from

a lack of energy…

…but from a failure to match forms of

energy to the real requirements

Amory Lovins

Most existing Built Environment &

Systems are designed for an easy

unending accessibility to grid power….

With a mindset of controlling………. at

flick of button ..

Rather than collaborating with nature...

Designs that look impressive but were suited to a

different climatic conditions and rarely adapted to the

local environmental factors….

We have to integrate ancient wisdom (which

was derived with experience) with newer

technologies.

There are traditional techniques that

offers promising possibilities for

adaption with modern materials and

design tools to achieve optimum

comfort

Thank You! Questions?

Sarfraz H Dairkee Fellow of Association of Energy Engineer,

LEED AP, CEM, CEA, CBCP, PSAT