Principles for Existing Rural House Sustainability in Delta Region (With Special Reference to Energy Efficiency)

Social and economic transformations of the Egyptian peasant led to the mutation of the rural housing which produced new architecture patterns did not respect the environment, It has led to increased demand for energy to achieve thermal comfort and the consequent greenhouse gas emissions and their contribution to climate change affecting the Delta region. This requires access to design principles for the sustainability of rural housing. This research aimed to assess the impact of envelope design variables for external envelope of the existing rural dwelling unit in Delta region on energy consumption using energy efficiency simulation programs to determine guide lines towards energy saving rural housing. This research has tested impact of changing construction layers and thickness for walls and ceiling and changing window-to-wall ratios (WWR), glass types and using shading screen the four basic orientations. The study showed that significant reduction in energy consumption.