Purpose: The building sector accounts for 40 % of the total energy consumption in

Sweden today, and the largest proportion is consumed during the operating phase. From

the year 2020 and onwards, all new buildings should be erected as zero-emissionbuildings.

The building’s design can reduce energy demands, but the current legal

requirements do not favour energy-efficient designs. This study focuses on the design’s

importance for the energy efficiency of buildings, i.e., energy-saving design. The

impact of specific measures is difficult to calculate due to the complexity of reality.

This study aims to highlight the measures that could reduce energy consumption in

commercial buildings.

Method: In order to provide answers to the issues stated in the report and to achieve

the objective of the study, case studies are being conducted investigating three

commercial buildings where deliberate decisions were made to use energy-reducing

measures. Results and conclusions are based on qualitative interviews and literature

studies.

Findings: The energy-reducing design measures found to be of most importance used

in the studied buildings are the form factor, the window portion and the thermal storage

capacity. Moreover, significant savings are possible by carefully consider how solar

energy can be limited or used in the building. Generally, buildings tends to become

more technical, therefore technical knowledge early in the process is important to reach

a good result. Economic incentives and clear objectives with right focus are also

important for optimizing a building’s energy performance. The wording and the

requirement levels in the Swedish building regulations highly controls the construction

of energy efficient buildings.

Implications: This study shows how energy efficient design is made today and

provides an indication of what can be done and what should be prioritized. By imposing

requirements on consumed energy instead of bought, energy efficient design could be

favoured. Furthermore, this study suggests that a balance between windows, façade and

solar shading are important energy-reducing measures. Regardless of selected energyreducing

measures, a good performance is essential. Finally, this study shows that a

methodical use of existing knowledge and technology makes a difference.

Limitations: A lifecycle approach provides an overall picture of a building’s energy

consumption. However, this study is based on the energy consumption during the

operating phase. The result of this study does not take economic or aesthetic factors

into account. This study is a comparative case study and is based on few but carefully

matched cases. The selected cases are commercial buildings where deliberate decisions

were made to use energy-reducing measures.