Conference proceeding
Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing: A Comparative Study of Construction Methods
Building Technology Educators’ Society, v 2025(1)
31 Aug 2025
Abstract
As urban areas confront the dual challenges of housing affordability and climate change, sustainable building solutions are becoming increasingly essential. This paper presents an applied research project in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States, focused on constructing energy-efficient homes for low-income families. The project involves designing and building two prototype homes: one using conventional wood-frame construction with enhanced energy-efficient features, and another utilizing rammed earth construction. Both prototypes, sharing similar design configurations, were modeled using DesignBuilder to assess and optimize energy performance. Multiple iterations were conducted to improve components such as roof, floor, and wall insulation, windows, and air infiltration. The research compared the thermal performance of the two prototypes using energy efficiency indices like cooling and heating loads, indoor temperatures, and solar heat gains. The findings showed that optimizing the wood-frame design led to significant reductions in energy use, particularly in heating and cooling loads. The rammed earth building demonstrated similar energy performance to the optimized wood-frame prototype, with even lower cooling loads. The study also underscored the importance of infiltration rates and well-sealed building envelopes, especially in hot and humid climates. The findings provide valuable insights for affordable housing design and offer guidance for future policies and energy-efficient construction methods to promote sustainable housing solutions in regions facing similar challenges.
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Details
- Title
- Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing: A Comparative Study of Construction Methods
- Creators
- Layla Iskandar - The University of Texas at San AntonioCarlos Faubel Alama - Drexel University, Civil, Architectural, and Environmental EngineeringAntonio Martinez-Molina - Drexel University, Architecture, Design, and UrbanismSaadet Toker Beeson - The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Publication Details
- Building Technology Educators’ Society, v 2025(1)
- Conference
- Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) Conference 2025
- Publisher
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Other Identifier
- 991022199650304721