Abstract
Kazakhstan has intensive building construction program which offers an opportunity to construct energy efficient buildings in the country and contribute towards global CO2 emissions targets. There are several energy efficient technologies and sustainable green design features available which construction industry can adopt. However, there are no proper guidelines on green or passive design features in the country. This paper outlines building design measures based on passive design principles specifically for cold climate and can be cost effectively used in Kazakhstan. It is shown that two basic and simple passive design strategies which include site selection, building orientation and proper insulation, can significantly reduce heating loads of a building and its overall energy consumption.