Energy performance of a nZEB urban commercial building under the influence of a tropical climate and climate change

Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) consist of buildings whose design integrates measures for optimizing energy consumption and renewable energy production systems, sufficient to nearly nullify their energy demand. However, it is known that climate changes can significantly impact the existing energy infrastructure. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyze the applicability of this concept for urban buildings in tropical cities. Scenarios were simulated using computational models to assess the energy performance of an nZEB commercial building in the city of Vitória (Brazil), under the influence of parameters from urban configuration and climate change projections for 2020, 2050, and 2080. As a result, an increase of 1.17 ºC was observed in the annual average temperature of the external air, and a reduction of 3.85% in photovoltaic energy generation capacity was noted due to the urban heat island effect. In future projections, an increase of up to 23.35% in total consumption and 4.61% in energy production was observed. Furthermore, the cooling system stands out as the main contributor to the building's energy consumption.