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Energy analysis for constructionof a zero-energy residentialbuilding using thermalsimulation in IranNima Amani and Abdul Amir Reza SoroushDepartment of Civil Engineering, Chalous Branch,Islamic Azad University, Chalous, IranMostafa Moghadas MashhadIran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran, andKeyvan SafarzadehDepartment of Civil Engineering, Chalous Branch,Islamic Azad University, Chalous, IranAbstractPurpose %u2013 The purpose of this paper is to examine the feasibility and design of zero-energy buildings(ZEBs) in cold and semi-arid climates. In this study, to maximize the use of renewable energy, energyconsumption is diminished using passive solar architecture systems and techniques.Design/methodology/approach %u2013 The case study is a residential building with a floor area of 100 m2and four inhabitants in the cold and semi-arid climate, northeast of Iran. For thermal simulation, the climatedata such as air temperature, sunshine hours, wind, precipitation and hourly sunlight, are provided from themeteorological station and weather databases of the region. DesignBuilder software is applied for simulationand dynamic analysis of the building, as well as PVsyst software to design and evaluate renewable energyperformance.Findings %u2013 The simulation results show a 30% decrease in annual energy consumption of the building bycomplying with the principles of passive design (optimal selection of direction, Trombe wall, shade, properinsulation selection) from 25,443 kWh to 17,767 kWh. Then, the solar energy photovoltaic (PV) system isdesigned using PVsyst software, taking into account the annual energy requirement and the system%u2019s annualenergy yield is estimated to be 26,291 kWh.Originality/value %u2013 The adaptive comparison of the values obtained from the energy analysis indicatedthat constructing a ZEB is feasible in cold and semi-arid conditions and is considered an effective step toachieve sustainable and environmentally friendly construction.Keywords Energy sector, Renewable energies, Solar, Energy conversion, Construction, Simulation,Optimization, Zero-energy building, Energy management, Sustainable development,Renewable energy, Photovoltaic, Residential buildingPaper type Research paperIntroductionStudies accomplished by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD) show that energy consumption in the construction sector has continuouslyincreased since 1960 and will continue to increase in the coming years, mainly because of thehigh construction intensity in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. In total, 50% of theZero-energyresidentialbuildingReceived 1 June 2020Revised 12 October 20203 January 2021Accepted 8 January 2021International Journal of EnergySector Management%u00a9 Emerald Publishing Limited1750-6220DOI 10.1108/IJESM-05-2020-0018The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:https://www.emerald.com/insight/1750-6220.htm