Impact of Building Envelope Materials on Residential Energy Consumption in the Indian Composite Climate: Insights from Gurugram

Abstract

In India, the residential sector currently accounts for 26% of total electricity consumption, a figure anticipated to surge to 38% by 2030 and 39% by 2047. This escalation is primarily attributed to the growing prevalence of air conditioning systems, serving to achieve thermal comfort in both urban and rural settings. To align with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11), fostering environmentally friendly practices, integrating energy-efficient products, and employing sustainable techniques in the residential sector become imperative.Among the various strategies, the adoption of energy-efficient building envelope designs emerges as a pivotal approach in curbing operational energy consumption. This study investigates the impact of different building envelope materials on energy consumption in residential buildings, employing an optimization study utilizing the e-Quest simulation tool. The research focuses on an existing residence in Gurugram, Haryana, situated in a composite climate. A notable aspect of the study is the exploration of the most influential building envelope component-whether walls, roofs, or fenestrations-in achieving maximal energy consumption reduction.The findings show the significance of designing building envelope components, particularly walls, roofs, and fenestrations, to minimize heat gain and maximize energy consumption reduction. Notably, energy-efficient walls exhibit a more pronounced impact than other components. Lightweight concrete walls emerge as more energy-efficient than counterparts with cavities, AAC blocks, concrete blocks, cellular concrete, and bricks, showcasing substantial variations in energy consumption reduction. The introduction of insulation materials proves to be a crucial factor, contributing significantly to reduction in energy consumption combined with any wall material. Collectively, an energy-efficient building envelope design presents a remarkable potential to reduce operational building energy consumption by approximately 18%.