Design of self sustainable zero energy building

Abstract One of the important milestones in zero energy building construction is the energy consumption followed by utilization and supply in any buildings. Energy conservation is equally as important as energy harvesting. So, for a zero energy consumed building, it is very much required to focus on building energy consumption. This paper deals with material used to construct such a building whose average consumption is very low as well as make use of the availability of renewable energy sources (mainly solar energy) to meet the energy needs. Building materials plays a great role in heating and cooling such as to save internal heat in winter as well as to block the entering external heat in summer. In this aspect a wide range of energy efficient options have been discussed in this paper. This paper deals also with the energy calculations and the materials needed for insulation needed in an energy efficient building. Need for zero building and use of equipments using solar energy are discussed in this paper as well building materials and insulation needed for an energy efficient building is also discussed at a certain extent.