Integrated Net-Zero Energy Design for Hot-Dry Institutional Buildings: A Scenario-Based Energy, Carbon and Cost Assessment for Jaipur, India

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Original abstract

Net-zero-energy buildings in hot-dry regions must reconcile high cooling demand, limited roof area, grid interaction, embodied carbon and investment constraints. This study develops an integrated design-stage assessment for a four-storey, 6,000 m² institutional building in Jaipur, India. The baseline is aligned with the Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code 2024, while the proposed case combines east–west massing, solar control, improved opaque-envelope performance, high-performance glazing, daylight-linked LED lighting, efficient variable-refrigerant-flow cooling, demand-controlled ventilation, plug-load management and a 235 kWp rooftop photovoltaic system. A transparent monthly/end-use energy model is linked to annual and representative hourly energy-balance checks, an A1–A5 embodied-carbon inventory, a 60-year operational carbon model, a 25-year discounted cash-flow analysis and a 5,000-run Monte Carlo uncertainty assessment. The modeled annual site energy decreases from 748.8 to 375.0 MWh, equivalent to an EUI reduction from 124.8 to 62.5 kWh/m²·year. PV generation is 385.4 MWh/year, producing an annual surplus of 10.4 MWh; however, only 68.2% of PV electricity is used directly, so the building still imports 112.3 MWh and exports 122.7 MWh. Upfront embodied carbon falls from 4,030 to 3,050 tCO₂e despite the PV addition, primarily through lower-carbon concrete and recycled-content steel. Under a 2.5% annual grid-decarbonization trajectory, whole-life carbon falls by 73–86%, depending on whether exported electricity is credited. The ₹31.9 million incremental investment has a 5.8-year simple payback, an 8-year discounted payback, a 20.1% internal rate of return and a ₹46.4 million NPV. The study shows that annual net zero is technically and economically plausible for the selected archetype, but robust delivery requires explicit PV margin, commissioning, plug-load governance and post-occupancy verification. Keywords: net-zero energy building; sustainable construction; hot-dry climate; ECSBC 2024; rooftop photovoltaics; embodied carbon; life-cycle cost; uncertainty analysis; Jaipur

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