Application of sustainable building design to improve energy efficiency in residential buildings

Abstract

Energy is essential for all human actions. However, the link between the rising energy demand and consumption coupled with greenhouse gas emission and global warming has attracted increasingly significant attention worldwide. This study aims to investigate the applicability of Sustainable Building Design (SBD) that improve energy efficiency in residential buildings in Uganda. The study aims to explore the SBD that promote energy efficiency, determine the extent of use of the SBD. In addition, the study will highlight the drivers and barriers to implementation of SDB in residential buildings from the designer’s perspective. The study followed a quantitative research approach where a survey was conducted to gather the data with the use of questionnaire as the research data collection tool. The research discovered that the SBD practices are occasionally incorporated into the building design with the passive design strategies being the most applied compared to use of natural energies and use of energy efficient appliances and use of alternative energy sources like solar energy. Limited awareness among the local masses was the greatest barrier to use of SBD in the UCI whereas the most influencing driver that has promoted the use of SBD was discovered as environmental stewardship. Lastly, the most effective way of promoting and increasing the use of SBD in residential building designs so as to achieve energy efficiency is proposed as sensitization of the local masses about the benefits of using energy efficient designs while emphasizing benefits that are directly beneficial to the energy users such as reduced energy bills.