Author(s): Aarav Shrestha, Nisha Poudel, Saugat Koirala and Bikram Thapa

Abstract: India’s rapid urbanization and housing expansion have significantly increased residential energy demand, particularly for space cooling and lighting. This study investigates the integration of passive design strategies as a means to enhance energy efficiency and thermal comfort in contemporary Indian housing projects. Representative residential prototypes were modeled across four major climatic zones composite (Delhi), hot-dry (Jaipur), warm-humid (Chennai), and temperate (Bengaluru) using simulation tools compliant with Eco-Niwas Samhita (ENS) 2024 and Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC 2017) benchmarks. The study evaluated annual energy intensity, discomfort hours, daylight autonomy, and peak cooling loads, supported by statistical analyses including bootstrap confidence intervals and sensitivity testing. The findings revealed that integrated passive design packages can achieve an average reduction of 40-45% in annual energy consumption, 30-35% in peak cooling load, and approximately 45% in thermal discomfort hours compared to baseline models. Daylight autonomy improved by up to 18 percentage points, highlighting the synergy between visual and thermal comfort. Sensitivity analysis indicated that a combination of optimized orientation, solar shading, roof insulation, and cross-ventilation offers the greatest energy and comfort benefits with minimal additional costs. The discussion emphasizes the necessity of mainstreaming passive design through building codes, incentive-based policies, and professional capacity-building. The study concludes that passive design integration, when incorporated at the early stages of project planning, can deliver cost-effective and climate-resilient housing solutions aligned with India’s long-term sustainability and energy transition goals.

Pages: 14-18 | Views: 5 | Downloads: 4

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