Advancing Energy Efficiency in Residential Construction: Building Envelope Optimization in Hot-Arid Climates

The efficiency of a building's envelope significantly influences its ability to conserve energy and minimize carbon emissions, especially in residential structures. This research investigates how different envelope design features affect energy use in an arid climate. A residential house in Bahrain served as the case study, with simulations conducted using IESVE energy modeling software. The analysis explored the influence of various envelope components and operational variables. Among the strategies assessed, incorporating 50 mm of expanded polystyrene insulation into external walls emerged as the most effective method for reducing energy demand in Bahrain's climate. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that the g-value of windows has a greater effect on reducing solar heat transfer compared to the U-value.