Rehabilitation of the building envelope of hospitals: Achievable energy savings and microclimatic control on varying the HVAC systems in Mediterranean climates

2013 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 125-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Ascione ◽  
Nicola Bianco ◽  
Rosa Francesca De Masi ◽  
Giuseppe Peter Vanoli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Savings ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Building Envelope

scholarly journals A Computer Vision-Based Occupancy and Equipment Usage Detection Approach for Reducing Building Energy Demand

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Paige Wenbin Tien ◽  
Shuangyu Wei ◽  
John Calautit
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Electrical Equipment ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Equipment Usage

Because of extensive variations in occupancy patterns around office space environments and their use of electrical equipment, accurate occupants’ behaviour detection is valuable for reducing the building energy demand and carbon emissions. Using the collected occupancy information, building energy management system can automatically adjust the operation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to meet the actual demands in different conditioned spaces in real-time. Existing and commonly used ‘fixed’ schedules for HVAC systems are not sufficient and cannot adjust based on the dynamic changes in building environments. This study proposes a vision-based occupancy and equipment usage detection method based on deep learning for demand-driven control systems. A model based on region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) was developed, trained and deployed to a camera for real-time detection of occupancy activities and equipment usage. Experiments tests within a case study office room suggested an overall accuracy of 97.32% and 80.80%. In order to predict the energy savings that can be attained using the proposed approach, the case study building was simulated. The simulation results revealed that the heat gains could be over or under predicted when using static or fixed profiles. Based on the set conditions, the equipment and occupancy gains were 65.75% and 32.74% lower when using the deep learning approach. Overall, the study showed the capabilities of the proposed approach in detecting and recognising multiple occupants’ activities and equipment usage and providing an alternative to estimate the internal heat emissions.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a High-Performance Solar Home in Loveland, Colorado

2006 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-234
Author(s):  
Robert Hendron ◽  
Mark Eastment ◽  
Ed Hancock ◽  
Greg Barker ◽  
Paul Reeves
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Space Heating ◽  
Solar Water Heater ◽  
Water Heater ◽  
Solar Water

Building America (BA) partner McStain Neighborhoods built the Discovery House in Loveland, CO, with an extensive package of energy-efficient features, including a high-performance envelope, efficient mechanical systems, a solar water heater integrated with the space-heating system, a heat-recovery ventilator (HRV), and ENERGY STAR appliances. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Building Science Consortium conducted short-term field-testing and building energy simulations to evaluate the performance of the house. These evaluations are utilized by BA to improve future prototype designs and to identify critical research needs. The Discovery House building envelope and ducts were very tight under normal operating conditions. The HRV provided fresh air at a rate of about 35L∕s(75cfm), consistent with the recommendations of ASHRAE Standard 62.2. The solar hot water system is expected to meet the bulk of the domestic hot water (DHW) load (>83%), but only about 12% of the space-heating load. DOE-2.2 simulations predict whole-house source energy savings of 54% compared to the BA Benchmark (Hendron, R., 2005 NREL Report No. 37529, NREL, Golden, CO). The largest contributors to energy savings beyond McStain’s standard practice are the solar water heater, HRV, improved air distribution, high-efficiency boiler, and compact fluorescent lighting package.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a High-Performance Solar Home in Loveland, Colorado

Solar Energy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Hendron ◽  
Mark Eastment ◽  
Ed Hancock ◽  
Greg Barker ◽  
Paul Reeves
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Space Heating ◽  
Solar Water Heater ◽  
Water Heater ◽  
Solar Water

Building America (BA) partner McStain Neighborhoods built the Discovery House in Loveland, Colorado, with an extensive package of energy-efficient features, including a high-performance envelope, efficient mechanical systems, a solar water heater integrated with the space-heating system, a heat-recovery ventilator (HRV), and ENERGY STAR™ appliances. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Building Science Consortium (BSC) conducted short-term field-testing and building energy simulations to evaluate the performance of the house. These evaluations are utilized by BA to improve future prototype designs and to identify critical research needs. The Discovery House building envelope and ducts were very tight under normal operating conditions. The HRV provided fresh air at a rate of about 75 cfm (35 l/s), consistent with the recommendations of ASHRAE Standard 62.2. The solar hot water system is expected to meet the bulk of the domestic hot water (DHW) load (>83%), but only about 12% of the space-heating load. DOE-2.2 simulations predict whole-house source energy savings of 54% compared to the BA Benchmark [1]. The largest contributors to energy savings beyond McStain’s standard practice are the solar water heater, HRV, improved air distribution, high-efficiency boiler, and compact fluorescent lighting package.

scholarly journals Determination of Optimum Envelope of Religious Buildings in Terms of Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption: Mosque Cases

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6597
Author(s):  
Ahmet Bircan Atmaca ◽  
Gülay Zorer Gedik ◽  
Andreas Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Gain Factor ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Savings Rate

Mosques are quite different from other building types in terms of occupant type and usage schedule. For this reason, they should be evaluated differently from other building types in terms of thermal comfort and energy consumption. It is difficult and probably not even necessary to create homogeneous thermal comfort in mosques’ entire usage area, which has large volumes and various areas for different activities. Nevertheless, energy consumption should be at a minimum level. In order to ensure that mosques are minimally affected by outdoor climatic changes, the improvement of the properties of the building envelope should have the highest priority. These optimal properties of the building envelope have to be in line with thermal comfort in mosques. The proposed method will be a guide for designers and occupants in the design process of new mosques or the use of existing mosques. The effect of the thermal properties of the building envelope on energy consumption was investigated to ensure optimum energy consumption together with an acceptable thermal comfort level. For this purpose, a parametric simulation study of the mosques was conducted by varying optical and thermal properties of the building envelope for a temperature humid climate zone. The simulation results were analyzed and evaluated according to current standards, and an appropriate envelope was determined. The results show that thermal insulation improvements in the roof dome of buildings with a large volume contributed more to energy savings than in walls and foundations. The use of double or triple glazing in transparent areas is an issue that should be considered together with the solar energy gain factor. Additionally, an increasing thickness of thermal insulation in the building envelope contributed positively to energy savings. However, the energy savings rate decreased after a certain thickness. The proposed building envelope achieved a 33% energy savings compared to the base scenario.

Predictions of energy savings in HVAC systems by lumped models

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1807-1814 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.P. Wemhoff ◽  
M.V. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Energy Savings ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Lumped Models

scholarly journals Transformation of an Office Building into a Nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB): Implications for Thermal and Visual Comfort and Energy Performance

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 895 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Ballarini ◽  
Giovanna De Luca ◽  
Argun Paragamyan ◽  
Anna Pellegrino ◽  
Vincenzo Corrado
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Visual Comfort ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Efficiency Measures

Directive 2010/31/EU promotes the refurbishment of existing buildings to change them into nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs). Within this framework, it is of crucial importance to guarantee the best trade-off between energy performance and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The implications of a global refurbishment scenario on thermal and visual comfort are assessed in this paper pertaining to an existing office building. The retrofit actions applied to achieve the nZEB target consist of a combination of envelope and technical building systems refurbishment measures, involving both HVAC and lighting. Energy and comfort calculations were carried out through dynamic simulation using Energy Plus and DIVA, for the thermal and visual performance assessments, respectively. The results point out that energy retrofit actions on the building envelope would lead to significant improvements in the thermal performance, regarding both energy savings (−37% of the annual primary energy for heating) and thermal comfort. However, a daylighting reduction would occur with a consequent higher electricity demand for lighting (36%). The research presents a detailed approach applicable to further analyses aimed at optimizing the energy efficiency measures in order to reduce the imbalance between visual and thermal comfort and to ensure the best performance in both domains.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of selected glass systems by dynamic simulation using measured real environmental conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 19009
Author(s):  
Silvia Bizoňová ◽  
Dušan Katunský ◽  
Miloslav Bagoňa
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Simulation ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Heat Losses ◽  
Experimental Glass ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Spectrally Selective ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Made In

The subject of the study presents the measurement of temperatures on surfaces of glass systems of existing structures and the surfaces of experimental glass systems obtained by dynamic simulation. Measurements were made in the test cells of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Technical University of Košice. The partial results of which are the basis for the comparison of the currently installed and experimentally designed glass systems using spectrally selective films. The proposed mathematical-physical model was simplified by replacing the sash, frame and its components with a homogenous element with minimal shape modifications, while this does not have a significant effect on the simulation results. The choice of the proposed glass system respects the need for reduction of solar gains in summer and heat losses in buildings in winter through the weakest part of the building envelope and indicates future energy savings in relation to cooling and heating costs with a view to optimizing light and thermal comfort.

scholarly journals Development and Implementation of Fault-Correction Algorithms in Fault Detection and Diagnostics Tools

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2598
Author(s):  
Guanjing Lin ◽  
Marco Pritoni ◽  
Yimin Chen ◽  
Jessica Granderson
Keyword(s):  
Fault Detection ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Automation System ◽  
Building Automation ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
Building Automation System ◽  
Staff Intervention

A fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) tool is a type of energy management and information system that continuously identifies the presence of faults and efficiency improvement opportunities through a one-way interface to the building automation system and the application of automated analytics. Building operators on the leading edge of technology adoption use FDD tools to enable median whole-building portfolio savings of 8%. Although FDD tools can inform operators of operational faults, currently an action is always required to correct the faults to generate energy savings. A subset of faults, however, such as biased sensors, can be addressed automatically, eliminating the need for staff intervention. Automating this fault “correction” can significantly increase the savings generated by FDD tools and reduce the reliance on human intervention. Doing so is expected to advance the usability and technical and economic performance of FDD technologies. This paper presents the development of nine innovative fault auto-correction algorithms for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning pi(HVAC) systems. When the auto-correction routine is triggered, it overwrites control setpoints or other variables to implement the intended changes. It also discusses the implementation of the auto-correction algorithms in commercial FDD software products, the integration of these strategies with building automation systems and their preliminary testing.

scholarly journals Dynamic simulation of indirect air conditioning systems with optimized computational time

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 04042
Author(s):  
Nicolás Ablanque ◽  
Santiago Torras ◽  
Carles Oliet ◽  
Joaquim Rigola ◽  
Carlos-David Pérez-Segarra
Keyword(s):  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Model Potential ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Object Oriented Programming ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Air Conditioning System ◽  
Numerical Resolution ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems

The simulation of HVAC systems is a powerful tool to improve the energy efficiency in buildings. The modelling of such systems faces several obstacles due to both the physical phenomenology present and the numerical resolution difficulties. The present work is an attempt to develop a robust, fast, and accurate model for HVAC systems that can interact with the other relevant systems involved in buildings thermal management. The whole system model has been developed in the form of libraries under the Modelica language to exploit its advantageous characteristics: object-oriented programming, equationbased modelling, and handling of multi-physics. The global resolution is carried out dynamically so that not only steady-state predictions can be conducted but also control strategies can be studied over meaningful periods of time. This latter aspect is crucial for optimizing energy savings. The libraries include models for all the system individual components such as pumps, compressors or heat exchangers (operating with twophase flows and/or moist air) and also models assemblies to account for vapour compression units and liquid circuits. An illustrative example of an indirect air conditioning system is detailed in the present work in order to highlight the model potential.

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