ANALYSIS OF WATER AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN A VERTICAL GREEN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN THE AMAZON

Abstract

In the face of the global need to reduce resource consumption, green building labels are presented as a possibility for gaining efficiency in the construction industry. This study aimed to measure the energy and water consumption of a vertical residential green multifamily building located in Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon. The energy and water consumption data of two similar buildings were compared, where only one of them implemented mandatory green practices and technologies for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Environmental and Core and Shell certification. As a result, it was found that water consumption exceeded the estimated values by 30.64%, while electricity consumption was 24.6% below the estimated values in the design phase and 1.73% lower than the non-green building. These findings differ from some literature and demonstrate that user behavior can significantly impact the energy and water efficiency of green building technologies. Particularly regarding water consumption in the Amazon region, where high water consumption may be related to its abundance and the user's disregard for this resource.

Keywords

• Green building
• LEED
• Water
• Energy
• Construction industry