Multi-criteria Design and Impact on Energy Consumption of a Residential House–A Parametric Study

High energy consumption problem has become increasingly acute human needs. Domestic heating in winter involves considerable expenses, so the idea of energy conservation and the need to implement reliable and innovative solutions in the field of energy in constructions emerged. Given these constrains, a judicious approach of the built environment is the study of energy consumption starting from the concept phase. This paper presents a parametric study regarding impact on energy consumption for different factors and the weighing associated. The analysis has been performed using an energy simulation program, which is able to provide a complex analysis of the thermal behavior of the building for different cases. The thermal behavior of a building should be the result of a multi-criteria optimization, considering both thermal comfort and energy savings. The purpose was to determine for each climatic zone when it is ineffective to increase the thermal resistance of the envelope element and the gain in energy economy begins to be insignificant. From these results we have chosen the optimal case for certain characteristics of glazed and opaque elements analyzing which is the best orientation for this case, considering both, heating and cooling load. The study indicated an optimal configuration of the envelope elements and optimal orientation of the building in order to reach the passive house level, demonstrating the necessity of such a step from the design phase.