AbstractBuildings play an important role in formulating sustainable development, which can help todecrease environmental impacts, such as energy resource depletion, environmental deteriorationand climate change due to the use of fossil base fuels. The zero energy/emission concept isgaining interest as a renewable energy resource. These types of buildings consist of two designstrategies: minimizing the total energy demand (heat demand in cold climate) through energyefficientmeasures)EEM (and adapting renewable energy resources and technologies (RET) toreduce environmental impacts. This thesis tries to determine the potential of single-family housesin reducing total energy consumption and CO2 emission by converting them to zeroenergy/emission buildings in Sweden. To fulfill the goal of this thesis, six different single-familyhouses were selected randomly from the last six decades. Improving the buildings‟ conditionsand reducing the energy demand through EEM and RET can have several side effects on thebuildings‟ thermal indoor climate and air quality.The results of this thesis show the undeniable potential of the residential sector, practically oldbuildings, in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emission. The results of the energycalculations show that in the average case, it is possible to reduce the CO2 emissions to 440.5kg/year in a single-family house by converting the house to a zero energy building (ZEB). Since2000, by using more electrical equipment and devices and leaving them in standby mode, energyconsumption has increased, which directly connects to peoples‟ living habits. Further researchmay be required for climate change, life-cycle cost and environmental impacts and social policy.