The Energy and Environmental Benefits of Design Choices that Provide Excellent Comfort

Design choices for home envelopes and appliances have a large impact on comfort, energy consumption and environmental impact. A positive impact requires a well-considered design objective as well as its successful implementation. This presentation provides examples of affordable design choices that combine superior comfort with significant life cycle cost benefits, reduced primary energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It focuses primarily on the role of the envelope in providing affordable and environmentally beneficial comfort for the occupants, but also illustrates the synergy with smaller equipment selection and better comfort control when the envelope is optimized for efficiency.