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Thermal comfort is a relatively emerging topic in the Nepalese context. The role of thermal comfort in building performance is foreshadowed by peoples’ emphasis on only the structural aspect and active heating/cooling systems. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of passive thermal retrofitting techniques in an earthquake-resistant building in a small community called Thakle Namuna Basti of Melamchi, Nepal. Only three retrofitting techniques are used in this simulation; the addition of gypsum plaster on the wall, the use of foam on the floor, and the application of double-glazed windows. The study was conducted through a two-phased survey, and simulation in TRNSYS. The heating and cooling loads before and after retrofitting are compared. It showed that applying passive thermal retrofitting techniques reduced the overall annual heating load by 35% in the winter but increased the overall cooling load by 4% in the summer.

Concerns about building thermal performance and energy consumption are fast growing as they account for roughly 40% of worldwide annual energy use. Building construction in Nepal is controlled by the National Building Codes (NBC), which focus solely on structural considerations and ignore thermal behaviour. As a result, housing tends to be too much warm and too cold during summer and winter respectively due to the lack of passive heating and cooling mechanisms considered during the construction phase. The Thakle Integrated Settle (TIS), built by the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) under the National Reconstruction Authority and supported by Oxfam Nepal, was the subject of this research. The building’s performance in the chosen location was analysed using a field and TRNSY simulation-based technique. Using meteorological data from Meteonorm software, the TRNSYS model was created to examine the performance in terms of internal air temperature and heating/cooling load of two buildings with different orientations, e.g., North-East (NE) and South-West (SW). According to simulation results, there is a heating demand that covers roughly 37% of the year, while cooling and comfort conditions were 32% and 31%, respectively. For NE and SW-facing buildings, heating demand was 4.10 MWh and 4.07 MWh, while cooling demand was 1.302 MWh and 1.309 MWh respectively.

The electrical supply system in most underdeveloped nations is incredibly undependable. The country’s existing distribution system has experienced regular power outages due to population growth, industrial expansion, rough terrain, and a long-distance transmission network. The conventional approach to centralized generation and transmission is failing to address this challenge and as a response, the utilization of renewable energy sources is expanding day by day to alleviate the energy crisis. The purpose of this study is to perform a techno-economic analysis of a 100% renewable off-grid and on-grid hybrid energy system for the electrification of Thakle Namuna Basti, a small communal village in Melamchi, Sindhupalchwok. The HOMER Pro 3.14 program is used to analyze the feasibility of the suggested hybrid power system. The available resources are provided as an input parameter along with load data and HOMER Pro optimizes the list of system architecture for that specific site. In addition, sensitivity analysis is performed for the proposed HES (Hybrid Energy System). The main outcome of the project is to find out the best system architecture based on various economic parameters such as NPC (Net Present Cost), LCOE (Levelized cost of electricity) and Operating and Maintenance Cost. The system having lowest NPC and LCOE makes the best system architecture.