The Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) objective has raised the bar for sustainable development among architects and developers in hot climates. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of setting a zero energy objective for existing buildings in hot climates. The paper compares the impact of passive and actives design strategies on energy consumption and comfort. Using EnergyPlus for energy simulation, an existing prototype of a residential apartment module will be used to evaluate energy performance and thermal comfort in two parametric series. The first one is the result of passive design strategies and the second one is guided by active solar strategies. Results show active design strategies can be reliable for constant energy generation for buildings in the existing urban context. However, the zero energy building objective needs to be the considered from early design phases during urban and architectural design process.