The present study aims to assess the possibility of achieving net zero energy building in the Moroccan housing stock by combining architectural energy efficiency practices and renewable energies for hot water and electricity productions. The impacts of retrofitting an existing residential building to meet zero energy balance in the six Moroccan climatic zones have been investigated. The design features considered include building orientation, windows type and Window-to-Wall Ratio, wall and roof insulation and infiltration rate. A multi-objective optimization has been carried out in order to find the best solution which will allow a compromise between the building life cycle cost, energy saving and thermal comfort through the optimization of the aforementioned design parameters as passive energy efficiency measures. The obtained results show that the application of the multi-objective study conclusions combined with an efficient use of renewable energies makes it possible to achieve zero energy building throughout all Moroccan housing stock. More than 21% of energy saving can be achieved, 28% in heating load and 40% in cooling. Moreover, 45% of building energy load can be covered instantly by renewable energy systems in all Moroccan climatic zones. On the other hand, the comparison of levelized cost of energy shows that Tangier is the city with the greatest potential for wind energy system and other cities are expected to present a challenge since the areas for efficient on-site generation of photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors are limited. •Various scenarios for achieving net zero energy building have been discussed.•A multi-objective optimization approach has been carried out to find the best solution.•The building life cycle cost, energy saving and thermal comfort have been considered.•More than 21% of energy saving can be achieved, 28% in heating load and 40% in cooling.