Toward comprehensive zero energy building definitions: a literature review and recommendations

ABSTRACT

Buildings are one of the most important emitters of CO₂, causing climate change. This fact, together with the finiteness of conventional energy, results in the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) being future buildings. Although ZEB is a simple concept, but there is no valid universal definition. This is one of the significant building's energy systems challenges, which need to be appropriately addressed. Thisreview paper is going to review and summarize existing definitions to address a comprehensive definition of ZEB. The published articles were reviewed, and the definitions of zero energy buildings were drawn out. Then the differences in the existing definitions were analysed. Finally, suggestions are presented on suitable definitions from four perspectives, including energy, carbon, exergy, and economics. This definition is used as a standard communication by energy planners and policymakers to facilitate their decision making on energy transition.

KEYWORD:

• Zero energy building definition
• climate change
• energy security
• energy policy making
• passive design
• embodied energy
• life cycle assessment

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) for funding this work, through a grant number 97010771.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) for funding this work, through a grant number 97010771.