Chapter 2

Literature Survey

The escalating global environmental concerns, coupled with the imperative for energy
security, have spurred an extensive body of research and practical development within the
domain of sustainable building design, with the Net-Zero Energy (NZE) concept emerging as
a pinnacle of this evolution. Academic discourse and industry publications over the past two
decades reflect a growing consensus on the critical role of buildings in mitigating climate
change, given their substantial contribution to global energy consumption and associated
greenhouse gas emissions. Early efforts focused primarily on incremental energy efficiency
improvements, leading to the proliferation of "green building" standards and certifications.
However, the more ambitious NZE goal, which mandates an annual balance between on-site
renewable energy production and total building energy consumption, represents a significant
leap forward, demanding a holistic integration of design principles and advanced technologies.
This literature survey aims to systematically synthesize the existing knowledge base
surrounding the NZE concept in commercial buildings. It will critically examine the
definitional ambiguities that have historically characterized the field, dissect the core principles
of energy demand reduction, and explore the array of high-performance systems and renewable
energy technologies central to achieving net-zero targets. Furthermore, this review will
highlight the methodologies employed for performance prediction and verification, while also
shedding light on the persistent technical, economic, and policy-related challenges that
continue to impede widespread adoption. By consolidating insights from seminal works, recent
research, and real-world case studies, this survey seeks to establish a comprehensive
understanding of the current state-of-the-art and identify crucial areas for future investigation
within this transformative field.

2.1 General
The term net zero refers to the balance between the amount of produced greenhouse gas and
the amount removed from the atmosphere. The term Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) are
characterized as zero net energy consumption buildings i.e. the total sum of energy used
annually by the buildings is approximately equal to the total sum of the renewable energy
 Chapter 2: Literature Survey

produced on site. Recently, the idea of NZEBs, has changed from the study to practice. There
are only a limited number of highly productive builders at present. The construction of NZEBs
is becoming more and more feasible owing to advancements in building technology, renewable
energy systems and academic research. It is hard to locate a building that can be considered the
first NZEB. One of the explanations may be that NZEBs might not be a new idea for a building,
but just a modern term for houses. However few publications appeared in the late 70s and early
80s, in which phrases ‘A zero energy home or an autonomous energy house’ or an “energy-
independent house” has been used. This was the moment when the oil crisis had its
consequences, the problem of fossil fuel sources and energy usage has begun to be discussed
overview of the concepts of ZEB and NZEB is targeted and addressed topics such as the
methodologies of energy balance, the limits of NZEB and NZEB type and energy. In the
literature various NZEBs have been identified and evaluated over the decades, However the
NZEBs was either defined differently or without an exact description in almost every article
has been used. Quite frequently, the forms in which the zero-energy target has been reached
that affected the meaning of NZEBs.

The lack of common understanding of NZEBs became noticeable, as this concept of

construction is thought to be an efficient way to reduce the use of electricity and greenhouse
gas emissions from the building energy sector. The analysis has shown that NZEBs are a
complicated term that has been defined with the broad variety of words and terms. Over 40%
of primary energy use and 24% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to worldwide energy
use in buildings. Energy use and emissions include both direct, on-site use of fossil fuels as
well as indirect use from electricity, district heating/cooling systems and embodied energy in
construction materials. Given the global challenges related to climate change and resource
shortages, much more is required from the building sector than incremental improvements in
energy efficiency. Recently, a prominent vision touted by so many stakeholders in the building
sector proposes so-called “net zero energy” buildings (NetZEBs). Although this term had to
encompass several meanings that are poorly understood, several IEA countries have adopted
this vision as a long-term goal of their building energy policies. However, to mainstream
market adoption of NetZEBs, what is needed is a wide consensus on clear definitions and
agreement on the measures of building performance that could inform “zero energy” building
policies, programs and industry building practices, as well as design tools, case studies and
demonstrations that would support industry adoption.

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 Chapter 2: Literature Survey

2.2 Literature Review

Paul Torcellini, Shanti Pless, and Michael Deru,[Link], (2006), this paper presented the ZEB
definition can emphasize demand-side or supply strategies and whether fuel switching and
conversion accounting are appropriate to meet a ZEB goal. Four well documented definition
net-zero site energy, net-zero source energy, net-zero energy costs, and net-zero energy
emissions—are studied; pluses and minuses of each are discussed. These definitions are applied
to a set of low-energy buildings for which extensive energy data are available. This study shows
the design impacts of the definition used for ZEB and the large difference between definitions.
It also looks at sample utility rate structures and their impact on the zero energy scenarios.

Peter O. Akadiri,[Link], (2012), this paper presented a conceptual framework aimed at

implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based
on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency
and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle
involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is
explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods.

AmirHosein GhaffarianHoseini1, [Link],(2013), this paper analysed the significant

advancements of intelligent building design as a key constituent of eco-city development for
creating greener and effective built environments. Current effort in this study is also geared
toward considerable and practical implementations that were carried out in order to create
buildings with zero energy consumption. Emphasis is placed upon reviewing the recent
theories, attempts, implementations, and challenges towards the development of zero energy
intelligent buildings (ZEIB).

Elena Perlova,[Link],(2014), this paper discussed that, the object is to design buildings with
zero energy consumption or close, which is planned to construct on the site of the Polytechnic
University. The novelty of the project consists in an integrated approach of the house design,
which will be entirely autonomous and independent from the urban networks.

Eleni S. Vergini,et. al,(2015), this paper presents the concept of ZEB and specify a
methodology of modeling its operation. Defining the parameters that should be taken into
consideration and classifying ZEBs helps that attempt. Energy management and intelligent
control are playing a key role in the successful operation of a ZEB, improving its performance

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 Chapter 2: Literature Survey

and reducing its consumption. The method of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) is appropriate for
problems with many parameters, where mathematical modeling and calculations have difficult
or, in some cases, impossible solution.

Rizwan Bashir,[Link], (2017), presented Smart buildings with the Internet of Things capabilities
are gaining popularity. This research discovered and evaluated 22 relevant papers using the
SLR method. The data from these investigations were analyzed to determine the problems and
potential remedies. Scholars and practitioners will use this study article to perform more study
and development in this crucial field.

Joud Al Dakheel,[Link],(2020), in this paper, the concept and characteristics of these structures
have yet to be precisely and uniquely defined. Simultaneously, an energy retrofit idea for
existing buildings has been developed to aid in achieving the virtually Zero- Energy Building.
as well as to identify potential issues with smart retrofit applications. The study's second
component looks at the present Key Performance Indicators for assessing smart building
performance and goals. Building smartness is founded on the need for a quantitative guideline
to increase energy efficiency and technological innovation. As a consequence, a collection of
nine common smart building performance indicators has been developed. This article identifies
existing gaps in the literature as well as future research opportunities.

Paul A. Torcellini and Sammy Houssainy,[Link],(2020), this paper is a simple metric to

evaluate the alignment of renewable sources and storage with building loads. This process can
provide insights on building design considerations, including the use of flexible loads and
optimal resource management and will improve with better data and analysis techniques.

Mr. Nitin U Thakare1, Mr. Utkarsh Manwar2,[Link],(2020), according to the study a major
effect of building on the total worldwide energy feasting level i.e. around 40% of the total
energy is expended by only buildings and becoming a major main energy consumptive part of
the global structure.

Y. Li,[Link],(2020), this paper analyzed the technical feasibility of net zero energy building in
the hot summer and warm winter climate zone in China through case studies of two demo
projects. Simulation and real-site measurement are used to obtain energy consumption data of
the case buildings. The results show that the realization of net zero energy building should not
only depend on the traditional energy-saving technologies, but should also depend on the
transformation of the energy system and the combination of information technologies.

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 Chapter 2: Literature Survey

Dongsu Kim,[Link], (2022), in this paper, we discussed the existing articles in the literature,
mostly since 2000, to explore technological advancement in building energy and environmental
systems that can be applied to smart homes and buildings. This review study focuses on an
overview of the design and implementation of energy-related smart building technologies,
including energy management systems, renewable energy applications, and current advanced
smart technologies for optimal function and energy-efficient performance.

2.3 Summary of Literature Review.

We have referred multiple papers which, diverse and evolves the landscape of zero-energy
buildings (ZEBs) and smart building technologies. A central theme is the importance of
defining what constitutes a ZEB, with discussions on various metrics such as net-zero site
energy, source energy, costs, and emissions. These studies also highlight the significant impact
these definitions have on building design and performance. This papers also deals into the
technical and conceptual frameworks for implementing ZEBs. This includes:

• Sustainability and design: One paper proposes a framework for building projects
based on resource conservation, cost efficiency, and human adaptation. Another paper
focuses on intelligent building design as a key component of eco-city development.
• Modelling and management: One study suggests using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps
(FCMs) to model ZEB operations due to the complexity of many parameters, while
another introduces a metric to evaluate the alignment of renewable sources and storage
with building loads.
• Case studies and practical applications: Research from other country also presents
case studies on the technical feasibility of ZEBs in hot summer and warm winter
climates, emphasizing that achieving this goal requires more than just traditional
energy-saving methods.
• Smart buildings and the Internet of Things (IoT): A review of 22 papers evaluates
the challenges and potential solutions for smart buildings with IoT capabilities. Another
paper explores the concept of smart building retrofits and develops a set of nine key
performance indicators to assess a building's "smartness."
• Technological advancements: A comprehensive review discusses technological
advancements in building energy and environmental systems, focusing on smart home
and building technologies like energy management systems and renewable energy
applications.

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