Assessing thermal comfort and energy efficiency in tropical African offices using the adaptive approach

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 396-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meshack O. Efeoma ◽  
Ola Uduku
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
West African ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Design Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
African Climate

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to adduce the most appropriate thermal comfort assessment method for determining human thermal comfort and energy efficient temperature control in office buildings in tropical West Africa. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines the Adaptive Thermal Comfort Standard, from its research evolution to its contemporary use as an environmental design assessment Standard. It compares the adaptive component of ASHRAE Standard 55 and the European CEN/EN 15251. It begins by reviewing relevant literature and then produces a comparative analysis of the two standards, before suggesting the most appropriate Adaptive Thermal Comfort Standard for use in assessing conditions in tropical climate conditions. The suggested Standard was then used to analyse data collected from the author's pilot research into thermal conditions, in five office buildings situated in the city of Enugu, South Eastern Nigeria. Findings – The paper provides insight as to why the ASHRAE adaptive model is more suitable for thermal comfort assessment of office buildings in the tropical West African climate. This was demonstrated by using the ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Standard to assess comfort conditions from pilot research study data collected on Nigerian office buildings by the author. Originality/value – The paper compares the adaptive component of ASHRAE Standard 55 with CEN/EN 15251, and their different benefits for use in tropical climates. It suggested the need for further research studies and application of the ASHRAE Adaptive Thermal Comfort Standard in the tropical West African climate.

Evaluation of occupant's adaptive thermal comfort behaviour in naturally ventilated courtyard houses

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peiman Pilechiha ◽  
Alireza Norouziasas ◽  
Hoorieh Ghorbani Naeini ◽  
Kasmir Jolma
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Parametric Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Seasonal Movement ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Vernacular Buildings ◽  
Hourly Basis

PurposeIn vernacular buildings, many climatic and passive solutions have been used to create indoor thermal comfort. Seasonal occupant movement is an example of a traditional response to increasing thermal comfort. This article investigates the influence of these user behaviours on thermal comfort in courtyard houses.Design/methodology/approachParametric models of three different scenarios of courtyard houses are simulated. The courtyard houses are located in Shiraz, Iran, and share the same orientation and construction materials. To enhance the accuracy of the study, the indoor adaptive thermal comfort (ATC) analysis is performed with three different window-to-wall ratios (WWR) of 25, 50 and 75%. The ACT analysis is performed on an hourly basis for summer and winter scenarios.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the indoor ATC is 8.3% higher in winter than in the summer in the seasonal zones. During the summer, the amount of ATC is relatively sustained in all zones. Unlike common beliefs, seasonal movement can enhance the ATC, especially during winter, specifically in the northern part of the courtyard. In northern zones, the seasonal movement of occupants improves the indoor ATC from 10.1 to 23.7%, and in southern zones, the improvement is from 2.2 to 4.8%.Originality/valueThis research presents a new numerical investigation into occupants' seasonal movements in courtyard houses during summer and winter. It provides a precise pattern to show how much this seasonal movement can affect the habitant's ATC.

scholarly journals Assessing energy saving potentials of office buildings based on adaptive thermal comfort using a tracking-based method

2020 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 109611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru Ming ◽  
Wei Yu ◽  
Xuyuan Zhao ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Baizhan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

Comparing user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia

Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyu Xu ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo ◽  
Eveline Mussi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Acoustic Comfort ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to assess the level of occupants’ satisfaction, comparing older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Sydney, Australia, aiming to identify their comfort factors deficiencies in terms of design and construction solutions/strategies (e.g. spatial arrangements, materials, thermal comfort). Design/methodology/approach A post occupancy evaluation survey was used to assess the occupant satisfaction with three on-campus accommodation buildings in The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. One of the selected buildings is an older building opened for occupation in 1996, and the other two are more recent on campus accommodations buildings. The survey included 11 post occupancy evaluation elements identified through literature review which were categorised into three dimensions: technical, functional and behavioural. Findings The results show that the satisfaction levels with thermal and acoustic comfort were below standards for both older and newer buildings. In addition, the older building used in this study was rated low in terms of: indoor air quality, lighting, maintenance and management, vertical transportation facility, room layout and furniture quality, building layout and aesthetics and level of privacy. Such factors related to both functional and behavioural dimensions were of greater satisfaction in newer buildings. Practical implications Findings suggest the high priority of strategies that address and improve the thermal and acoustic comfort of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings if the intention is to enhance students’ satisfaction, especially considering the impact that these facilities have on students’ performance. Thermal performance in different seasons and adaptive thermal comfort activities should be considered in the design of new on-campus accommodation buildings and the retrofit of existing old buildings. Originality/value On-campus accommodation is an important facility that supports student learning outcomes and helps students adapt in a new learning environment. A post occupancy evaluation study to assess the adequacy of this facility is still lacking because previous studies have generally focussed on class rooms and work spaces in the education sector. This research compares the user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia, to highlight deficiencies and areas for improvement in the design of existing and future buildings.

scholarly journals Summertime Impact of Climate Change on Multi-Occupancy British Dwellings

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 50-60
Author(s):  
Shariful Shikder ◽  
Monjur Mourshed ◽  
Andrew Price
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Threshold Temperature ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
User Adaptation ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Adaptive Comfort

Recent climate change projections estimate that the average summertime temperature in the southern part of Great Britain may increase by up to 5.4°C by the end of the century. The general consensus is that projected increases in temperature will render British dwellings vulnerable to summer overheating and by the middle of this century it may become difficult to maintain a comfortable indoor environment, if adaptation measures are not well integrated in the design and operation of new dwellings, which are likely to remain in use beyond the 2050s. The challenge is to reduce overheating risks by integrating building and user adaptation measures, to avoid energy intensive mechanical cooling. Developing guidelines and updating building regulations for adaptation, therefore, requires an understanding of the baseline scenario; i.e. the performance of existing buildings in future climates. This paper aims to investigate the performance of new-build multi-occupancy British dwellings for human thermal comfort in the present-day and projected future climates in four regional cities: Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. Evaluations are carried out by a series of dynamic thermal simulations using widely adopted threshold temperature for overheating, as well as adaptive thermal comfort standards. This study thus offers a unique perspective on regional variations of performance and provides a clearer snapshot because of the use of more appropriate adaptive comfort standards in the evaluations. Finally, the paper sheds light on possible personal and building adaptation measures to alleviate overheating risks.

scholarly journals Adaptive thermal comfort for resilient office buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 1343 ◽  
pp. 012148
Author(s):  
Maureen Trebilcock-Kelly ◽  
Jaime Soto-Muñoz ◽  
Laura Marín-Restrepo
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

Determination of human thermal comfort due to moisture permeability of clothes

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 462-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krittiya Ongwuttiwat ◽  
Sudaporn Sudprasert ◽  
Thananchai Leephakpreeda
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Human Comfort ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Thermal Comfort ◽  
Moisture Permeability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the determination of human thermal comfort with wearing clothes, with different water vapor permeability. Currently, the predicted mean vote (PMV) equation is widely used to determine thermal sensation scales of human comfort. However, moisture permeability of clothes has been not taken in account where the heat is lost from a human body due to water vapor diffusion through clothes. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the heat loss is derived based on the real structure of textiles, causing water vapor pressure difference between air on skin and ambient air. The PMV equation is modified to differentiate a thermal sensation scale of comfort although patterns of clothes are the same. Interview tests are investigated with wearing clothes from three types of textiles: knitted polyester, coated nylon–spandex, and polyurethane, under various air conditions. Findings The moisture permeabilities of knitted polyester, coated nylon–spandex and polyurethane are 16.57×10−9 kg/m2 s•kPa, 9.15×10−9 kg/m2•s•kPa and 2.99×10−9 kg/m2•s•kPa, respectively. The interviews reveal that most people wearing knitted-polyester clothes have the greatest cold sensations under various air conditions since moisture permeability is the highest, compared to coated nylon–spandex, and polyurethane leather. Correspondingly, the predicted results of the modified PMV equation are close to the actual mean votes of interviewees with a coefficient of determination R2=0.83. On the other hand, the coefficient of determination from the predicted results of the conventional PMV equation is significantly lower than unity, with R2=0.42. Practical implications In practice, this quantitative determination on human thermal comfort gives some concrete recommendations on textile selection of clothes for acceptable satisfaction of thermal comfort under various surrounding conditions of usage. Originality/value The modified PMV equation effectively determines human comfort on a thermal sensation scale due to the moisture permeability of clothes. To make generic conclusion, experimental results of additional three textiles, such as plain weave/lining polyester, knitted spandex, and open structure polyester, are reported. They confirm that the modified PMV equation effectively determines human comfort on a thermal sensation scale due to the moisture permeability of clothes.

Field study on adaptive thermal comfort in office buildings in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan during hot and humid season

2016 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Aisyah Damiati ◽  
Sheikh Ahmad Zaki ◽  
Hom Bahadur Rijal ◽  
Surjamanto Wonorahardjo
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort

scholarly journals Behavioural Adaptation for the Thermal Comfort and Energy Saving in Japanese Offices

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-25
Author(s):  
Hom B. Rijal ◽  
Michael A. Humphreys ◽  
J. Fergus Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Office Buildings ◽  
Behavioural Adaptation ◽  
Indoor Thermal Environment ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽  
Window Opening ◽  
Behavioural Adaptations

Office workers use a variety of adaptive opportunities to regulate their indoor thermal environment. The behavioural adaptations such as window opening, clothing adjustments, and use of heating/cooling are important factors for adaptive thermal comfort. It is well-known that they are the most important contributors in the adaptive thermal comfort model. Thus, if we understand the behavioural adaptation properly, we can explain the mechanism of the adaptive model. The indoor thermal environment is often adjusted using the air conditioning in Japanese office buildings to improve thermal comfort and productivity. Thus, it is necessary to conduct research on the behavioural adaptation in the offices because the occupant behavior is different from behaviour in dwellings. In order to record the seasonal differences in behavioural adaptation and to develop an adaptive algorithm for Japanese offices, we measured temperatures in 11 office buildings and conducted the thermal comfort and occupant behaviour survey for over a year. We collected 4,660 samples from about 1,350 people. The proportion of ‘open window’ in the free running mode (neither heating nor cooling being used) is significantly higher than that of the air conditioned mode. The behavioural adaptation is related to the outdoor air temperature. The behavioural adaptations such as window-opening, heating and cooling use predicted by regression analysis are in good agreement with the measured data. These findings can be applied to building thermal simulation to predict the behavioural adaptation and energy use in office buildings.

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