Development of and research on energy-saving buildings in Korea

Korea is sparse energy reserves, and over 97% of the total energy it consumes is imported. Furthermore, fossil fuels comprise more than 80% of the total energy consumed in Korea, resulting in the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. The building sector is one of the major energy-consuming sectors in Korea. The energy consumption of the buildings in the country represents about 24% of the total energy consumption of the whole nation, and it is on the rise due to the continued growth of the Korean economy. The energy use of buildings is dependent on a wide variety of interacting features that define the performance of the building system. Many different research buildings that utilize several kinds of energy conservation technologies were constructed in KIER, in Taeduk Science Town, to provide feedback regarding the most effective energy conservation technologies. This paper intends to introduce the energy conservation technologies of new residential houses, passive and active solar houses, super-low-energy office buildings, "green buildings," and "zero-energy houses," whose utilization will help protect the quality of the environment and conserve energy.