A novel real-time method for HVAC system operation to improve indoor environmental quality in meeting rooms

The energy refurbishment of the existing building heritage is one of the pillars of Italian energy policy. Aiming for energy efficiency and energy saving in end uses, there are wide and diversified improvement strategies, which include interventions on the building envelope and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, with the introduction of renewable energy sources. The research aims at evaluating the building energy consumptions and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), varying the airflow rates handled by the HVAC system. A Case Study (the Aula Magna of a university building) is analysed; an in-situ monitoring campaign was carried out to evaluate the trend of some environmental parameters that are considered to be significant when varying the external airflow rates handled by the HVAC system. Additionally, dynamic simulations were carried out, with the aim of evaluating the energy savings coming from the airflow rates reduction. The results of this case study highlight the opportunity to achieve significant energy savings, with only slight variations in IEQ; a 50% reduction in airflow rate would decrease energy consumption by up to 45.2%, while increasing the carbon dioxide concentration from 545 ppm to 655 ppm, while the Particulate Matter and Total Volatile Organic Compounds increase is insignificant.

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mHealth: Indoor Environmental Quality Measuring System for Enhanced Health and Well-Being Based on Internet of Things

Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks ◽

10.3390/jsan8030043 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Gonçalo Marques ◽

Rui Pitarma

Keyword(s):

Mobile Computing ◽

Real Time ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Living Environment ◽

Clinical Diagnostics ◽

Quality Monitoring ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Health And Well Being

Mobile health research field aims to provide access to healthcare anytime and anywhere through mobile computing technologies while using a cost-effective approach. Mobile health is closely related to ambient assisted living as both research fields address independence in elderly adults. Aging has become a relevant challenge, as it is anticipated that 20% of world population will be aged 60 years and older in 2050. Most people spend more than 90% of their time indoors, therefore the indoor environmental quality has a relevant impact on occupant’s health and well-being. We intended to provide real-time indoor quality monitoring for enhanced living environments and occupational health. This paper presents the AirPlus real-time indoor environmental quality monitoring system, which incorporates several advantages when compared to other systems, such as scalability, flexibility, modularity, easy installation, and configuration, as well as mobile computing software for data consulting and notifications. The results that were obtained are promising and present a significant contribution to the monitoring solutions available in the literature. AirPlus provides a rich dataset to plan interventions for enhanced indoor quality, but also to support clinical diagnostics and correlate occupant’s health problems with their living environment conditions.

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Analyzing the real-time indoor environmental quality factors considering the influence of the building occupants’ behaviors and the ventilation

Building and Environment ◽

10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.04.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 156 ◽

pp. 99-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jimin Kim ◽

Taehoon Hong ◽

Minhyun Lee ◽

Kwangbok Jeong

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Quality Factors ◽

The Real

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In Situ Assessment of HVAC System Impact in Façades of a UNESCO World Heritage Religious Building

ANUARI d’Arquitectura i Societat ◽

10.4995/anuari.2021.16331 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 146-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kelsey Williamson ◽

Antonio Martinez-Molina ◽

William Dupont

Keyword(s):

Environmental Quality ◽

World Heritage ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

Hvac System ◽

Unesco World Heritage ◽

In Situ Assessment ◽

System Impact

El manteniment dels ambients interiors òptims dels edificis històrics per a la integritat estructural i la preservació de les col·leccions, són objectius inherentment complexos i multifacètics. A més, els ambients interiors no sols afecten les col·leccions i a l’edifici, sinó que també cal tindre en compte la satisfacció dels ocupants. Aquesta investigació avalua l’impacte dels problemes tèrmics i d’humitat causats per una unitat de condensació de HVAC en una paret de 265 anys d’antiguitat en un lloc del Patrimoni Mundial de la UNESCO en el clima càlid i humit de Sant Antoni, Texas (els EUA). Es va dur a terme una investigació de camp sobre la Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) centrada especialment en l’impacte de la HVAC en un mur pròxim. El cas d’estudi és un assentament històric únic que inclou una església de pedra calcària que reflecteix una tipologia similar a la de múltiples edificis religiosos distribuïts pel sud-oest dels Estats Units. Els resultats d’aquest article subratllen, entre altres qüestions, l’impacte negatiu d’una mala integració dels sistemes actius en les estructures històriques, i destaquen la necessitat de continuar investigant en aquest tema.

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The Effect of Real-Time Feedback on Indoor Environmental Quality

WI2020 Zentrale Tracks ◽

10.30844/wi_2020_k1-bitomsky ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1140-1155

Author(s):

Laura Bitomsky ◽

◽

Oliver Meindl ◽

Marco Schmidt ◽

Christian Regal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality

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A real-time management system for the indoor environmental quality and energy efficiency in a hotel guestroom

International Journal of RF Technologies ◽

10.3233/rft-200263 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Qingyun Li ◽

Choongwan Koo ◽

Lin Lu ◽

Jie Han

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Real Time ◽

Environmental Quality ◽

Time Management ◽

Hotel Industry ◽

Indoor Environmental Quality ◽

The Novel ◽

Healthy Environment ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Green Hotel

With the concept of green hotel, the hotel industry has started to consider a sustainable design and operation to obtain more competitiveness. It is needed to implement a convenient way to recognize a real-time situation about the indoor environmental quality (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, CO2, TVOCs, PM2.5, etc.) and the relevant energy efficiency in a hotel guestroom. This study aimed to develop a scalable integrated platform for providing real-time monitoring, alert notification, and analytics so as to satisfy the level of the occupants’ comfort and satisfaction. Facility managers could gain insight from the real-time hierarchical and historical information and take actions at a point of time. The novel approach could create a comfortable and healthy environment for the occupants in a hotel guestroom while realizing the energy efficiency in real time. The proposed platform was validated with three guestrooms in a hotel, and the scalability of the system was fully confirmed. In the future studies, it is expected to deploy the proposed platform to a larger physical entity of the hotel, providing flexibility and expandability in accordance with the strategic facility planning of the hotel. Furthermore, it is planned to develop various kinds of occupant-centered services in a hotel guestroom level.

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