Energy-Smart Buildings

Design, construction and monitoring of buildings for improved energy efficiency

Contributions by Inger Andresen, Mathias Bjugan, Anne A. Brajkovic, Odne S. Burheim, Tania Bracchi, Fredrik Dessen, Laurina C. Felius, Martin Gjertsen, Bjørnar Hamre, Bozena D. Hrynyszyn, Kristian M. Lien Edited by Dr Jacob J. Lamb, Bruno G. Pollet

Publication date:

02 April 2020

Length of book:

150 pages

Publisher

Institute Of Physics Publishing

Dimensions:

254x178mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9780750332576

Energy-Smart Buildings intends to provide a brief research source for building technology and regulations in terms of energy efficiency, as well as discussing fundamental aspects and cutting-edge trends for new buildings and retrofitting the current building stock. Additionally, sources of renewable and sustainable energy production and storage are reviewed, with case studies of such systems on buildings in a cold climate.

This volume provides industry professionals, researchers and students with the most updated review on modern building ideas, and renewable energy technologies that can be coupled with them. It is especially valuable for those starting on a new topic of research or coming into the field.

This timely and easy-to-read book contains a treasure trove of information about energy-efficient buildings. Starting with (impressive!) statistics, legislation and standards (particularly in northern Europe), the book quickly moves into practical matters. A chapter on heat transfer and energy use reviews the physics fundamentals, including tables of material properties and copious equations. The authors then embark on a review of technological solutions, some passive and some active/smart, including energy production and storage in buildings.

A book of this size cannot go into the full depth of what is required in retrofitting an existing building or constructing a new one to be near-zero emission buildings (nZEBs), the standard for new construction in Europe. Instead, the many and current references in each chapter provide the needed depth. There are no problems or applications at the end of the chapters, but the book could be used as textbook for a graduate course or as reference for a practitioner or interested homeowner. A note to the U.S. reader: the book uses metric units and sometimes uses the European comma instead of the decimal point.

Bogdan Hoanca 2020, University of Alaska Anchorage, Optics & Photonics News