TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

COURSE OUTLINES OF

M. SC. ENGINEERING IN
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS
(MS-EEB)

January 2017
1. INTRODUCTION

The Institute of Engineering (IOE), Tribhuvan University has initiated a two years (4-
semester) M.Sc. Engineering in Energy Efficient Buildings (MS-EEB) in collaboration
with the Institute of construction and material sciences, University of Innsbruck,
Austria/ Lund University, Lund, Sweden/ Tallnin Technical University, Estonia. This
master’s program is offered under the Department of architecture and urban
planning, Central Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University. The
Centre for Energy Studies (CES) of Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University is
implementing agency in Nepal. The European Union, Erasmus plus Program in
Higher Education and Research has been supportive to this M.S. program. The
European Union funding is available to procure and set up the necessary laboratory
and teaching trainings. This master’s program has been established as the regular
program offered by the Central Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan
University.

The 2-year (4-semester) Master of Science program consists of a package of courses

covering important areas for planning, designing and construction of energy efficient
buildings. This master program is designed to give students a focused, relevant and
utilizable body of knowledge in energy efficient buildings suitable for students with an
interest in projects related with energy efficient buildings and settlements. Graduates
from the program shall be prepared to work for government and non-governmental
institutions, international organizations, corporations/industries and entrepreneurial
firms in the knowledge economy with capabilities to plan, design, manage and
formulate energy efficiency related policies.

2. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
2.1 Program entry requirements
In- order-to be eligible for admission i n t h i s Master of Science Engineering in
Energy Efficient Buildings (MS-EEB), a candidate must have:
• A Bachelors' Degree from a Four Year Engineering Program in Civil, or Five
Year Program in Architecture from Tribhuvan University and other recognized
universities as well as degree equivalent to any of the aforementioned branches of
engineering.

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• Secure at least a minimum score as prescribed by the Faculty Board in the
admission test conducted by the Institute of Engineering.

2.2 Entrance Test

The nature of entrance test shall be decided by the Entrance Examination Board of
the Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University.

2.3 Selection
Candidate fulfilling the Program Entry requirements shall be selected for admission
on the basis of merit based on MS-EEB Entrance Test.

2.4 Categories of Students

Three categories of students are envisaged in this course and they are:
1. Regular fee paying students
2. Full Fee paying students
3. Sponsored students.

2.5 Duration of Study

A regular student should complete the course within four years. Each student must
take a minimum of 60 credits. Students may take more than 60 credits but the excess
credit shall be considered as non-credited course and not to be included in the
transcript.

3. COURSE STRUCTURE/SYSTEM
This Master Course focuses on the planning, designing, policy making and
management of energy efficiency in building systems and formulating strategies. The
program is structured with an objective to produce graduates who shall have in-depth
knowledge of energy efficiency in buildings so that they have capability to accept
both technical and management responsibilities. An important influence is real life
problem based learning including case studies and problem solving with quantitative
and qualitative models including commercial modeling software.
The course structure is based on the Semester system. The detailed course
structure, examination scheme, marks, etc. are listed in detailed course structure
sheet.

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Each Year is divided in first and second Semester. In first year first semester, four
core courses are offered. In first year second semester two core courses and two
elective courses are offered. The second year, first semester consists of two elective
subjects including one group project. There are three group of electives and
students can opt any one of them. The second year second semester is entirely
allocated for dissertation work. The dissertation shall be individual's work and be
extensive and normally field based. Students shall be encouraged to publish
research papers in national and international journals as an outcome of their
dissertation work.

4. COURSE OVERVIEW

Semester 1 Semester 2 Semester 3 Semester 4

Building physics Research Elective -B1 Dissertation /
(4 credits) Methodology (4 Credits ) Thesis Work
(4 Credit) (16 Credits)

Climatology energy diplomacy Elective -C1

(4 credits) and energy (4 Credits)
economics
(4 credits)

Building energy Elective -A1 Group Projects

efficiency (4 Credits) (4 Credits)
(4 credits)
Heating, ventilation Elective –A2
& air conditioning- (4 Credits )
(HVAC)
(4 credits)

Note:
1. Total Credit = 60 Credits.
2. Course work, directed study and projects = 44 Credits
3. Dissertation = 16 Credits
4. Depending on the interest of students only 2 electives are offered in each
term. Minimum number of students in each elective should be 6.

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 4.1 Core and Elective Courses

The course consists of two types of courses: the Core Courses which deal with the
fundamental theory and the Elective Courses which deal with the specific details of
the course.

Similarly, conferences and seminars are organized time to time to make students
up-to-date with the current happenings in energy world. Also, students are
encouraged to participate in various national and international conferences.

The core courses of the Energy E f f i c i e n c y B u i l d i n g D e s i g n program focus

on the fundamentals of energy efficiency, planning, analysis, design, modeling and
assessment. Elective courses chosen shall enable students to focus their courses to
their technical interests and to specific topics in passive design, solar thermal and
photovoltaic energy, conservation of energy, energy efficiency in industries, etc. In
addition, required project works shall provide hands-on real world experience.
The provision of directed studies is also the part of the course. However, this need to
be recommended by the faculty and approved by the department. Such courses are
considered to be non-credited courses.

4.2 Group Project Work

The purpose of the group project in second year, first semester is to provide an
opportunity for the group of students to investigate, analyze and to provide possible
solution to an existing energy efficiency related problems. The group project must be
completed in the allocated term. The group project may be done in small group
normally two to three students per group.

4.3 Dissertation /Master's Thesis

The main objective of Master's Degree Dissertation is to carry out original

research work concerning energy efficiency related problems and solve those
problems. Students are encouraged to publish articles in national and international
journals.

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5. CREDIT SYSTEM

The course curriculum is organized in the overall framework of Credit System. Each
course has a certain number of credits which indicates the weightage. The number of
credits depends on the contact hours for the course and its work load. Course with
one credit weightage shall have 15 lecture hours in a semester. The tutorial
consulting and assessment hours shall vary depending on the nature of the course.
The total Credit for the master's program is 60 credits.

6. EVALUATION SYSTEM

The evaluation system is based on the continuous assessment by the course

teacher and the final examination. The students have to pass individually in the
assessment as well as in the final examination. The minimum pass marks for the
assessment and final examination is 50%.

The percentage is calculated from the following criterion:

Total Percentage 
 Credit  Mark Obtained
 Credits
Depending upon the total percentage of the marks obtained, the following division
shall be awarded:

Percentage Division
>= 50 % Pass
50 - < 65% II
65-< 75% I
75 and above Distinction

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7. COURSE CODE

Each course is identified by a code. Each course shall have a three digit number with
a prefix set of two capital letters. The prefix letters stands for the department offering
the course (for example, AE signifies Department of Architecture and urban planning).
In the three number central digits, the first digit denotes the level in which the course
is offered. For example, the digit 8 and 9 indicate the first and second year
respectively of the Master's level course. The second digit is used to designate the
semester. The second digits from 1 to 50 are used for the course offered in the first
and third semesters and 51 to 100 for the courses offered in the second and fourth
semesters respectively.

8. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

Conventional lectures and seminars in the taught course components (core and
elective courses) of the program are reinforced by other approaches to teaching and
learning process:
• the use of case studies (video and text -based ) to highlight key issues and
management practices
• training by using electronic sources
• training in team work, group work, presentations and project management.

Each course is coordinated by a member of the faculty or the visiting faculty from
outside who is expert in a given subject. The course faculty has the full responsibility
for the conduction of the particular course. The courses comprise of lectures tutorials,
laboratory works, group discussions and project works if applicable. The field
observation and case studies are also the part of the methods. The course contents
are designed in such a way that considerable self-learning efforts should be used by
the students.

Each student shall be assigned a counselor. The main function of the counselor shall
be to guide the students throughout the 2- Year program.

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9. QUALIFYING CRITERIA

To qualify for the Master of Science in Energy Efficient Building Design, the student
must satisfactorily complete the program consisting of course work, directed study,
group projects, etc. of 44 credits and an individual thesis of 16 credits. It is mandatory
to publish at least one paper co-authored with his/her supervisor/s based on the
student’s thesis work in the national/international journal or conference proceeding for
being eligible for the final thesis defense. In case of the international journal requiring
more than 3 months for the peer review process the student can submit the proof of
manuscript being submitted and under review status. IOE organizes every year IOE
Graduate Conference since 2013 to facilitate this requirement.

10. REGISTRATION

Students must register for their course every semester. They must seriously attempt
to complete the masters' program in 2 years. In all the four semesters, a total of 44
credits shall be offered which shall consist of core and elective courses. The credits
for the thesis shall be 16. The total credit for the complete program is 60.

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11. MARK DISTRIBUTION IN EACH COURSE PER SEMESTER

Year I Part A(first semester)

Teaching Schedule Examination Scheme

Theory
Course Final Total Remark
S. N. Course Title Credit Assessment
Code Duration
Marks Marks
hours
1 EB 821 AE Building physics 4 40 3 60 100
2 EB 822 AE Climatology 4 40 3 60 100
3 EB 823 AE Energy efficiency in Building 4 40 3 60 100
structure
EB 824 AE Heating, ventilation & air 4 40 3 60 100
4 conditioning- HVAC
Total 16 160 12 240 400
EG= energy efficient building; AE= department of architecture and urban planning

Year I Part B (second semester)

Teaching Schedule Examination Scheme
Theory
Course Final Total Remark
S. N. Course Title Credit Assessment
Code Duration
Marks Marks
hours
1 EB 871 AE Research Methodology 4 40 3 60 100
energy diplomacy and energy 4 40 3 60 100
2 EB 872 AE
economics
3 EB 873 AE Elective -A1 4 40 3 60 100
4 EB 874 AE Elective-A2 4 40 3 60 100
Total 16 160 12 240 400
Eletive-A1 Passive building operation & Maintenance
Climate Change and its Impact on Energy efficiency in building
Energy efficient design for public buildings
Energy efficiency and retrofitting

Elective -A2 Solar energy Design (Thermal and Photo voltaic)

Solar energy transmission & grid connection
Solar energy for industries and public sectors
Solar power system control & operations
Renewable energy Design

Year II Part A (third semester)

Teaching Schedule Examination Scheme

Theory
Course Final Total Remark
S. N. Course Title Credit Assessment
Code Duration
Marks Marks
hours
1 EB 922 AE Elective-B1 4 40 3 60 100
2 EB 923 AE Elective-C1 4 40 3 60 100
3 EB 924 AE Group Project work 4 100 - -
Total 12 120 9 180 300

Elective-B1 Energy efficiency Systems Modelling and Analysis

Energy efficiency Strategy, Energy Policy & Regulations
Green building design analysis operation and maintenance
Energy efficiency in urban settlements
sustainable settlement planning, designing, project
development and management
 Elective-C1 energy policies and barriers to energy distribution
energy trade-off
Energy Efficiency and Audit
Reliability & Risk Analysis
multi criteria decision analysis(MCDA)

Year II Part B (fourth semester)

Teaching Schedule Examination Scheme

Theory
Course Final Total Remark
S. N. Course Title Credit Assessment
Code Duration
Marks Marks
hours
1 EB 971 AE Thesis 16 100 - - 100
Total 16 100 0 0 100
12. COURSE OUTLINE
12.1 EB 821 AE: Building physics
This covers analysis of state and operation of building envelop. The scopes of this subject
are; energy and power in buildings, building materials and their thermal properties,
heat transfer, light transfer, moisture transfer, air transfer, sound transfer, etc. The
subject, therefore, deals with; thermal characteristics of building components; thermal
measurements; mode of heat transfer; thermal bridges; light and radiation; daylight &
artificial light; illumination & glare; air flow through ventilation & infiltration; wind pressure
& stack pressure; air pressure through mechanical devices; moisture & its safety in
building; vapor presence in air; acoustics of building; etc. The computer simulation for
building physics analysis/ parasol analysis and test for effect of wind into the building (air
tunnel simulation) are the part of this subject.

12.2 EB 822 AE: Climatology

Indoor climate that includes thermal comfort, air quality & pollution. The outdoor
climate includes solar system, global and national climate and weather, climate change
and building, solar position and radiation calculation, etc. The micro climate is the local
condition in the vicinity of the building and it includes elements influencing local condition,
designing in the micro-climatic condition, integration of solar architecture in the building,
solar thermal system, solar photo-voltaic Design, etc. The solar system is also the part of
this course. The computer simulation for the positioning of sun into the sky and testing of
solar movement shall be the part of this subject.

12.3 EB 823 AE: Energy Efficiency in Building structure

This subject includes; building envelop and thermal comfort. Building envelop includes; wall
roof, fenestration and foundation and comfort, energy efficient building materials and their physical
properties, renovation and retrofitting for energy efficiency, , passive design concepts and
techniques, covering design of elements designing new and old building, balancing energy in the
building, green and eco buildings and energy efficiency rating systems, etc. energy efficient
techniques in mountain, hill and terai, traditional and indigenous settlements, This subject also
includes computer simulation of energy efficiency in the building using different software.

12.4 EB 871 AE: Heating, ventilation & air conditioning- HVAC

This subject includes; HVAC basic and efficiency, combustion fundamentals and theory,
thermodynamic bases of heat pumps and refrigerating equipment, natural heating and
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cooling, heat emissions and their control system covering wall ceiling and floor, radiation
and air heating, energy efficiency in operation and maintenance, building energy
management system, evaluation of energy efficiency potentials, etc. This subject also
includes computer simulation for HVAC energy efficiency in building.

12.5 EB 872 AE: Research Methodology

This subject includes fundamental concept of research covering definition typology significance types
designs etc. it deals with the procedure of research defining data is their collection process, population
and sample, lab observations, errors and their types, etc. this subject also covers statistical analysis and
application covering probability theories, standard deviations, hypothesis tests correlation and regression
analysis, analysis of variance, factor analysis and research reports.

12.6 EB 873 AE: Energy Diplomacy and Energy Economics

This subject includes; sustainable source of energy covering clean alternate energy
sources, such as solar/wind/bio-energy and geo-thermal energy, life cycle cost and
embodied energy of construction materials, supply convert transport and use of
energy sources, supply-side and demand-side energy management, energy market and
regulatory structures, distributional and environmental consequences of energy, clean
development mechanism(CDM) and carbon trading, etc.

12.7 EB 874 AE (Elective-A1):

874.1: Passive building operation & Maintenance
874.2: Climate Change and its Impact on Energy efficiency in building
874.3: Energy efficient design for public buildings
874.4 Energy efficiency and retrofitting
874.5 Energy conservation in existing buildings

12.8 EB 875 AE (Elective-A2):

875.1 Solar energy Design (Thermal and Photo voltaic)
875.2 Solar energy transmission & grid connection
875.3 Solar energy for industries and public sectors
875.4 Solar power system control & operations
875.5 Renewable energy Design

12.9 EB 922 AE (Elective-B1):

922.1 Energy efficiency Systems Modelling and Analysis
922.2 Energy efficiency Strategy, Energy Policy & Regulations
922.3 Green building design analysis operation and maintenance
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 922.4 Energy efficiency in urban settlements
922.5 Planning, designing and management of Sustainable settlement

12.10 EB 923 AE (Elective-C1):

923.1 Energy policies and barriers to energy distribution
923.2 Energy trade-off
923.3 Energy Efficiency and Auditing
923.4 Reliability & Risk Analysis
923.5 Multi criteria decision analysis(MCDA)

12.11 EB 971 AE Dissertation /Thesis work

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