Integration of earth-air heat exchangers in sustainable construction: a hybrid NSGA-III/Dual simplex approach for multi-objective optimization

Abstract

This study explores the integration of Earth-Air Heat Exchangers (EAHE) in sustainable construction to enhance energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. EAHE systems leverage stable underground temperatures to precondition air for HVAC systems, reducing energy consumption, carbon emissions, and operational costs. A novel hybrid optimization approach combining Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm III (NSGA-III) and the Dual Simplex method is proposed to address multi-objective challenges, including minimizing lifecycle costs, maximizing energy performance, reducing carbon emissions, and minimizing installation time. The hybrid methodology utilizes NSGA-III for global Pareto optimization and the Dual Simplex method for precise local refinement of constrained objectives. A case study on a 150 m² residential building in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, demonstrates the model's efficacy, achieving a 22% reduction in lifecycle costs and a 32% improvement in energy performance compared to conventional designs. Trade-off, sensitivity, and comparative analyses highlight the hybrid model's superiority over traditional methods in balancing cost, efficiency, and sustainability. These findings provide actionable insights for implementing EAHE systems in residential and commercial buildings, offering a replicable framework for optimizing sustainable construction practices.