AUDIT AND RETROFIT EXISTING BUILDING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN HOT ARID CLIMATE

Abstract

Recently energy consumption of existing buildings turns into a load on all countries. Developed counties go to solve energy crisis and environmental problems by treatment existing buildings beside heed to new buildings and projects according to sustainable design strategies, but most developing countries still not concerned to solve energy crisis and environment problems by heed on existing building, although the tools, methods and scientific knowledge of sustainable design strategies and alternatives of environmental treatments are available in these countries and there are applied on new buildings. The research problem is about ignorance the importance of retrofit process of the existing buildings to reduce energy consumption, and there is a gap in the scientific researches about the existing buildings audit and retrofit methodology, so the research aims to improve a frame work about existing building audit and retrofit methodology in hot arid climate by using the tools, methods and scientific knowledge of sustainable design strategies. The research consists of main three studies, first the Theoretical study it's through using monitoring method about the energy crisis and environment problems hugeness in Egypt, also identify the old methodologies of structural and archaeological restoration and identify the tools and the devices which use in the audit stage and environment treatments alternatives which common in Egypt and which can apply on the existing buildings. Second Analytical study it's through compare between most of the international methodologies of audit and retrofit existing buildings and between Egyptian strategies to reduce energy consumption, also illustrate a national case study of (HBRC). Third Experimental study it's by using a questionnaire for the opinions of university professors and environmental design experts in Egypt to reach the steps of the audit stage and the priorities of a retrofit stage alternatives. The research ends by improving a framework of existing building audit and retrofit methodology in hot arid climate by using suggestion denouements like audit forms and evaluation scale to determine the amount of the energy consumption in the existing buildings, then a retrofit stage splits into three levels according to the study conclusion, and remind the problems of the existing buildings, how to check it and how to solve it. Finally, the research shows the conclusion and the recommendations from all studies.