A comparative review of national and internatioal green building assessment schemes based on energy performance


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Uludağ Üniversitesi, Turkey

Approval Date: 2016

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: AYŞE FİDAN ALTUN

Supervisor: MUHSİN KILIÇ

Abstract:

Recent studies indicate that the demand for sustainable building facilities with minimal environmental impact is increasing. Rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns are the catalysts for such high demand. The environmental and human health benefits of sustainable buildings have been widely recognized. As a result, worldwide, individuals and organizations have responded to the increased demand for green buildings. Many countries and international organizations have initiated rating systems for sustainable construction. Currently, a number of different rating systems are used to rate the environmental performance of the buildings. These include but not limited to: United States's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), United Kingdoms's BREEAM and Turkey's TSE. Among the buildings in any country, existing buildings are more energy inefficient than the new ones. As a result, building energy efficiency retrofit plays a crucial role in order to achieve sustainable building targets. The outcome of this paper is an objective comparison of national and international rating systems and asses a project which is energy efficiently retrofitted according to the criteria of TSE Green Building Certificate's Energy related credits. Results from the analysis prove that energy efficiency retrofit, helped to decrease in energy consumption of the building and eventually reduced operational expenditures and greenhouse gas emissions in a very short payback period.