scholarly journals Overcooling of offices reveals gender inequity in thermal comfort

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Parkinson ◽  
Stefano Schiavon ◽  
Richard de Dear ◽  
Gail Brager
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Gender Inequity ◽  
End Use ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Survey Responses

AbstractGrowth in energy use for indoor cooling tripled between 1990 and 2016 to outpace any other end use in buildings. Part of this energy demand is wasted on excessive cooling of offices, a practice known as overcooling. Overcooling has been attributed to poorly designed or managed air-conditioning systems with thermostats that are often set below recommended comfort temperatures. Prior research has reported lower thermal comfort for women in office buildings, but there is insufficient evidence to explain the reasons for this disparity. We use two large and independent datasets from US buildings to show that office temperatures are less comfortable for women largely due to overcooling. Survey responses show that uncomfortable temperatures are more likely to be cold than hot regardless of season. Crowdsourced data suggests that overcooling is a common problem in warm weather in offices across the US. The associated impacts of this pervasive overcooling on well-being and performance are borne predominantly by women. The problem is likely to increase in the future due to growing demand for cooling in increasingly extreme climates. There is a need to rethink the approach to air-conditioning office buildings in light of this gender inequity caused by overcooling.

scholarly journals Keeping Cool in the Desert: Using Wind Catchers for Improved Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality at Half the Energy

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Jamal Saif ◽  
Andrew Wright ◽  
Sanober Khattak ◽  
Kasem Elfadli
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Evaporative Cooling

In hot arid climates, air conditioning in the summer dominates energy use in buildings. In Kuwait, energy demand in buildings is dominated by cooling, which also determines the national peak electricity demand. Schools contribute significantly to cooling demand, but also suffer from poor ventilation. This paper presents analysis of a ventilation and cooling system for school classrooms using a wind catcher for natural ventilation and evaporative cooling. A school classroom in Kuwait with single-sided ventilation was modelled using the DesignBuilder V5.4/EnergyPlus V9.1 software and calibrated using field data. The model was used to analyse the performance of a wind catcher, with and without evaporative cooling, in terms of energy use, thermal comfort and indoor air quality. Compared to the baseline of using air-conditioning only, a wind catcher with evaporative cooling was found to reduce energy use by 52% during the summer months while increasing the comfortable hours from 76% to 100% without any supplementary air conditioning. While the time below the ASHRAE CO2 limit also improved from 11% to 24% with the wind catcher, the indoor air quality was still poor. These improvements came at the cost of a 14% increase in relative humidity. As the wind catcher solution appears to have potential with further development; several avenues for further research are proposed.

ANALYSES ON OCCUPANT PATTERNS AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS INCLUDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Manav ◽  
E. Kaymaz
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lighting Design ◽  
Occupancy Patterns ◽  
Lighting Energy ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Mental Well Being

In the last years, as a result of environmental concerns, changes in lifestyle during the COVID-19 crisis, the role of healthy buildings in addition to the main lighting design principles are highlighted. Therefore, today’s lighting design issues include social well-being, mental well-being, and physical well-being more than we discussed in the last century. Hence, we are familiar with occupant-centric and performance-based metrics for residential and non-domestic buildings. The study analyses the extended occupancy patterns, daylight availability, and annual lighting energy demand through a case study in Bursa, Turkey including the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.

scholarly journals Machine Learning for Benchmarking Models of Heating Energy Demand of Houses in Northern Canada

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1158
Author(s):  
Behrad Bezyan ◽  
Radu Zmeureanu
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Northern Canada ◽  
Automation And Control ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Energy Signature ◽  
Heating Energy Demand ◽  
And Control

In most cases, the benchmarking models of energy use in houses are developed based on current and past data, and they continue to be used without any update. This paper proposes the method of retraining of benchmarking models by applying machine learning techniques when new measurements are made available. The method uses as a case study the measurements of heating energy demand from two semi-detached houses of Northern Canada. The results of the prediction of heating energy demand using static or augmented window techniques are compared with measurements. The daily energy signature is used as a benchmarking model due to its simplicity and performance. However, the proposed retraining method can be applied to any form of benchmarking model. The method should be applied in all possible situations, and be an integral part of intelligent building automation and control systems (BACS) for the ongoing commissioning for building energy-related applications.

scholarly journals The Importance of Standardised Data-Collection Methods in the Improvement of Thermal Comfort Assessment Models for Developing Countries in the Tropics

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Rodriguez ◽  
María Coronado ◽  
Marta D’Alessandro ◽  
Juan Medina
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Adaptive Behaviours ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

Thermal comfort in the built environment is one of the most defining parameters influencing energy use, environmental quality, and occupant satisfaction. Unfortunately, there is a lack of research in this area within developing countries, which are becoming increasingly urbanised and where mechanical air conditioning demands are rising. Many of these countries are adopting thermal comfort standards such as the ASHRAE Standard 55, the EN 15251, and the ISO 7730 to regulate the use of air-conditioning; even when these standards have been widely criticised for their inadequacy within geographical regions different to the ones that they were designed for. Research suggests the need to confirm these models through further post-occupancy studies and fieldwork. Deficiencies in data collection and methodologies are thought to require particular attention to develop algorithms that can predict thermal comfort levels accurately. Comprehensive strategies considering interrelated psychological, physiological and social factors are needed. This manuscript highlights gaps of research, specifically within tropical developing countries, through the analysis of Colombia as a case study. It emphasises the importance of standardised fieldwork data and gives examples of alternative collection systems. This aims to contribute to the understanding of occupant´s adaptive behaviours and their impact on the mitigation of climate change.

scholarly journals A study on energy consumption of hotel buildings in Vietnam

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 109-116
Author(s):  
Mac Van Dat ◽  
Tran Ngoc Quang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Ho Chi Minh City ◽  
Consumption Energy ◽  
Energy Use Intensity ◽  
End Use

This paper aims to determine energy use intensity (EUI) and the percentage of end-use energy consumption in hotel buildings in major cities of Vietnam, including Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Data from 32 hotels were gathered from the website on energy efficiency promotion of Ministry of Construction. The average EUI in the whole country was 151 kWh/m2.year, and the figures for Hanoi, Da Nang, and HCMC were 184; 71 and 212 kWh/m2.year, respectively. At the same time, the structure of end-use energy consumption was estimated, of which 54% for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), 10% for lighting, 19% for plug equipment and 17% for lifts. Keywords: energy consumption; energy use intensity (EUI); end-use energy consumption.

Application of an End-Use Disaggregation Algorithm for Obtaining Building Energy-Use Data

1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Akbari ◽  
S. J. Konopacki
Keyword(s):  
Department Of Defense ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Regression Coefficients ◽  
Electrical Load ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Building Energy Use ◽  
End Use

Metered end-use data for most Department of Defense (DoD) facilities are scarce. We discuss the application of a method (end-use disaggregation algorithm, EDA) to disaggregate short-interval (hourly) whole-facility electrical load into major end uses. Hourly load data, hourly load-temperature regression coefficients, and simulated end-use data comprise the algorithm input. The algorithm produces hourly load profiles for air conditioning, lighting, fans and pumps, and miscellaneous loads. In previous studies, the EDA has been applied to both individual and prototypical buildings to estimate energy use by end use for two major California utilities. In this study, we have refined the EDA for application to DoD facilities where typically only the hourly electricity use data are available for the entire facility.

scholarly journals Comparative study of air-conditioning energy use of four office buildings in China and USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 169 ◽  
pp. 344-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhou ◽  
Da Yan ◽  
Jingjing An ◽  
Tianzhen Hong ◽  
Xing Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Office Buildings

scholarly journals Thermal comfort analysis in office buildings with different air-conditioning systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Szabo ◽  
L. Kajtar
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Ducted Fan ◽  
Air Conditioning Systems

It is a prime aim to ensure a suitable comfort level in case of office buildings. The productivity of office employees is directly influenced by the comfort. Thermal discomfort and poor indoor air quality deteriorate the intensity and quality of human work. We investigated the comfort in office buildings with on-site measurements during the summer season. The office buildings were operating with different HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) systems: ducted fan-coil with suspended ceiling, installation, non-ducted fan-coil with floor-mounted installation, active chilled beam with fresh air supply. We evaluated the thermal comfort under PMV (Predicted Mean Vote), PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied), the local discomfort based on DR (Draught Rate) and the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) based on carbon dioxide concentration. The comfort measurements were evaluated. The measurements were evaluated with scientific research methods, comfort categories based on the requirements of CR 1752. The results of this comparison were presented in this article.

scholarly journals A comprehensive set of global scenarios of housing, mobility, and material efficiency for material cycles and energy systems modelling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomer Fishman ◽  
Niko Heeren ◽  
Stefan Pauliuk ◽  
Peter Berrill ◽  
Qingshi Tu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Industrial Ecology ◽  
Scenario Modeling ◽  
Material Efficiency ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Material Cycles ◽  
Systems Modelling ◽  
End Use ◽  
Scenario Formulation

Scenario-based assessments are a useful tool to explore unknown futures and inform decision makers and the general public of the consequences of different courses of action. Scenario developments in Industrial Ecology (IE) have focused on disparate components of the socioeconomic metabolism and case studies, and few efforts of comprehensive and cumulative scenario formulation are documented. Many important, empirically derived relationships between material cycles, end-use services, and energy use are relevant to global scenario modeling efforts, e.g. of integrated assessment models (IAMs), which do not routinely describe material cycles or the life-cycle impacts of various technology shifts. These gaps hinder the assessment of sustainable development strategies such as demand-side sufficiency, material efficiency, and energy efficiency. We developed scenarios for comprehensive assessment of material cycles and associated environmental impacts linked to demand for service provisioning of dwelling area and personal transport. We formulated three scenarios for 20 global regions based on the Low Energy Demand (LED) and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP1 and SSP2) narratives with corresponding material efficiency strategy implementation potentials. While climate change mitigation scenarios are usually formulated as counterfactual scenarios, none of them center on service provision and material cycles at this level of detail. The explicit storyline extension approach presented here is a novel alternative to the aggregate GDP or time-driven extrapolations of service or energy demands. We describe the scenario formulation processes, resulting parameters, their applications, and offer an outlook for prospective sustainability models.

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