A methodology towards achieving Net zero energy performance for high-rise residential buildings in Australia

Achieving Net zero energy (NZE) standards for high-rise residential buildings is a significant challenge. One of the challenges is the absence of detailed design guidelines for selecting systems, technologies and strategies necessary to achieve the goal. For this reason, design practitioners are not empowered to participate in the creation and the proliferation of Net zero energy high-rise residential buildings. This paper aims to address this challenge by proposing a framework for the creation of a reference guide that will enable the design of Net zero energy high-rise residential buildings in Australia. Referencing the National Carbon offset standards for buildings framework for definition and the cost-optimal framework of the European Union EPBD Directive 2010/31, the methodology addresses key issues of: reference building selection, energy performance assessment and enhancement approaches, building performance simulation strategies and costoptimal analysis based on the net present value approach. The methodology is applied to a case study high-rise residential building in Melbourne for testing and fine-tuning, with the aim of applying to similar high-rise residential buildings in four additional NatHERS–based climate zones in Australia. The findings will contribute to the development of a design reference guide for achieving Net zero energy performance in high-rise residential buildings in Australia.