Indoor environmental quality and energy use evaluation of a three-star green office building in China with field study

2020 ◽  
pp. 174425912094460
Author(s):  
Yan Zhou ◽  
Jianmin Cai ◽  
Yiwen Xu
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Visual Environment ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Comparison Results ◽  
Chinese Standard

In order to get more comprehensive operation performance on indoor environment quality (IEQ) and energy consumption, a long-time measurement and a field occupants’ satisfaction survey on IEQ performance of the first three-star-operation-certified green office building in Ningbo city of China have been conducted, and environmental energy efficiency (EEE) also has been analyzed. Moreover, IEQ and energy consumption of the green case office building are compared with other green office example buildings of the same climate zone in other literatures. The results show that the actual indoor thermal environment of the green case office building isn’t quite achieving the design goals with the Chinese standard of thermal comfort level II (GB 50736). Although indoor air quality of CO2 concentration and visual environment are consistent with the design goals, the indoor relative humidity doesn’t reach the design goal in most of the year. The questionnaire survey results illustrate that the green case building has a high occupants’ satisfaction on IEQ. The comparison results show that there is no obvious difference in indoor temperature and visual environment between the green case building and the green office example buildings in other studies. The results of occupant’s satisfaction and CO2 concentration of the green case building are better than in other studies. However, the indoor relative humidity of the green case building in every season is much higher than in other researches. Energy use intensity (EUI) of the green case building is about 56.5 kWh/m2·a, which is much lower than the constraint value of the Chinese standard. The actual performance of the green case building is also evaluated by the indicator of EEE. The results of this article can provide useful reference for green building operational performance promotion and feedback for design phase optimization.

Role of Indoor Air Distribution in Performance of Heat Pump Systems in Energy-Efficient Residential Buildings

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali A. Jal-Alzadeh-Azar ◽  
Ren Anderson ◽  
Keith Gawlik
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Air Distribution ◽  
Air Mixing ◽  
Heating Mode

This paper demonstrates the potential impact of indoor air distribution on the energy consumption of central HVAC systems with cognizance of human thermal comfort. The study focuses on a hypothetical high-performance house incorporating a split heat pump system. The air distribution of this building incorporates high sidewall supply-air registers and near-floor, wall-mounted return-air grilles. Heating-mode stratification resulting from this prevalent configuration is a prime example of situations in which challenges regarding energy efficiency, comfort, and ventilation effectiveness emerge. These challenges underline the importance of adopting a comprehensive design strategy for high-performance buildings. Two indoor air distribution scenarios were analyzed: (1) theoretically well mixed and (2) poorly mixed, representing a realistic case. The former scenario was evaluated using an analytical approach, whereas the latter was investigated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. For heating mode, the results indicated the presence of a pronounced thermal stratification resulting from poor air mixing. At 50% of the design heating load, for the well-mixed case, the HVAC system energy consumption was significantly higher. Considerably better air distribution performance was observed with cooling mode, in which the relative energy penalty for the well-mixed scenario was noticeably less. In real-world applications where measures must be taken to achieve near perfectly mixed indoor conditions for better comfort, the energy use is expected to be even higher. However, in the absence of such measures, the thermostat setpoint is likely to be readjusted, leading to a higher energy use without necessarily improving the overall comfort level, as demonstrated in this paper. The limitation of increasing the supply-air flow rate to enhance air mixing and diffusion is also discussed in terms of the system moisture removal capability.

scholarly journals Mind the gap when implementing technologies intended to reduce or shift energy consumption in blocks-of-buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Breukers ◽  
Tracey Crosbie ◽  
Luc van Summeren
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Demand Response ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Funded Project ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Four Blocks ◽  
Design Logic

If the designers of technologies intended to reduce or shift energy consumption are not sensitive to how people live and work in buildings, a gap occurs between the expected and actual performance of those technologies. This paper explores this problem using the concepts of ‘design logic’ (designers’ ideas, values, intentions and user representations) and the ‘user logic’ (related in this case to how building occupants currently live and work in a building). The research presented unpacks the ‘design logic’ embedded in DR approaches planned for implementation at four blocks of buildings in a Horizon 2020 funded project, called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BoB). It discusses how the ‘user logic’ may differ from the ‘design logic’ and the potential impact of this on the performance of the technologies being implemented to reduce or shift energy consumption. The data analysed includes technical working documents describing the implementation scenarios of DR at four pilot sites, interviews and workshops conducted with the project team and building occupants during the first phases of the project. The analysis presented identifies how expectations about building occupants and their behaviours are built into the DR scenarios (to be tested during the project demonstrations). Initial findings suggest that building occupants’ energy use practices and routines may be different from those expectations. The paper illustrates how the concepts of ‘design logic’ and ‘user logic’ can be used to identify mismatches before technologies are implemented. The paper concludes with recommendations for improving the design and implementation of DR.

scholarly journals Performance Analyses of Temperature Controls by a Network-Based Learning Controller for an Indoor Space in a Cold Area

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonghoon Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Fuzzy Logic Controller ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Adaptive Controller ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Control Precision ◽  
Neural Network Controller

For the sustainable use of building spaces, various methods have been studied to satisfy specific conditions required by the characteristics of space types and the energy use in operation. However, several effective control approaches adopting the latest statistical tools may have problems such as higher control precision increases energy consumption, or lower energy consumption decreases their control precision. This study proposes an optimized model to reach the indoor set-point temperature by controlling the amount of heating supply air and its temperature and investigates the efficiency of an adaptive controller to maintain indoor thermal comfort within setting ranges. In the consistency of the comfort level, the fuzzy logic controller was found to be 1.76% and the artificial neural network controller to be 17.83%, respectively, more efficient than the conventional thermostat. In addition, for energy use efficiency, both of the controllers were confirmed to be over 3.0% more efficient. Consequently, the network-based controller with the adaptive controller checking comfort levels effectively works to improve both energy efficiency and thermal comfort. This improvement can be significant in places such as commercial high-rises, large hospitals, and data centers where many spaces are intensively woven with appropriate thermal environments to maintain users’ workability.

scholarly journals Analysis of Human-Building Interactions in Office Environments: to What Extent Energy Saving Boundaries can be Displaced?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmat Zaidan ◽  
Ali Ghofrani ◽  
Ernest Dokaj
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Window Blinds ◽  
Internal And External Factors ◽  
End Uses

Building energy consumption can be enhanced to a certain level, but human-oriented dimensions can open the doors to new opportunities. This article presents an assessment on the interactions between human-driven factors and energy consumption patterns in office buildings based on empirical evidence and a co-simulation. The objective of this work is to evaluate a range for saving capacities as a result of readjusting occupants’ prior habits and engaging them in building operation by determining internal and external factors associated with human-building drivers, needs, actions, and systems. The study is based on a real office building, and according to real behavioral data and subjective measurement to analyze human attitudes and interactions with the building end-uses such as cooling, lighting, and equipment along with factors that directly impact energy use such as fenestrations and window blinds. The survey results are extensively investigated and the correlations between demographic/socioeconomic traits and behavioral factors are examined. The survey results are incorporated into a co-simulation testbed to represent occupant attitudes and behaviors and model human-building interactions accordingly. Different scenarios are designed to perform an assessment on the role of human factors such as attitude, awareness of consequences, habits, ascription of responsibility and personal/social norms on building energy end-uses. The outcomes of this study demonstrate that by adjusting behavioral factors in an office building, an energy saving between 9 and 18% can be achieved without sophisticated technology interface or building retrofit/upgrade. The results are elaborated, and recommendations are explained in detail.

scholarly journals Simulation of a thermal environment in two buildings for the wet processing of coffee

DYNA ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (194) ◽  
pp. 214-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robinson Osorio Hernandez ◽  
Lina Marcela Guerra-Garcia ◽  
Ilda de Fátima Ferreira-Tinôco ◽  
Jairo Alexander Osorio-Saraz ◽  
Iván Darío Aristizábal-Torres
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Coffee Bean ◽  
Air Humidity ◽  
Relative Air Humidity ◽  
Wet Processing

This study aimed to compare the bioclimate and energy consumption of two coffee wet processing facilities in Colombia, with two typical types of Colombian coffee, using computer simulation. Specifically, we evaluated the effect of the heat generated by machines and the effect of the natural ventilation area on temperature and relative air humidity inside these buildings and their energy consumption. The postharvest plant with typology b gave the best results in terms of temperature and relative humidity suitable to preserve the quality of the coffee bean. Its approximate energy consumption was 30% of the total consumed by typology a.

scholarly journals Improvement of the Performance Balance between Thermal Comfort and Energy Use for a Building Space in the Mid-Spring Season

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9667
Author(s):  
Jonghoon Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Adaptive Controller ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Adaptive Model ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
High Consistency

In thermal controls in buildings, recent statistical and data-driven approaches to optimize supply air conditions have been examined in association with several types of building spaces and patterns of energy consumption. However, many strategies may have some problems where high-control precision may increase energy use, or low energy use in systems may decrease indoor thermal quality. This study investigates a neural network algorithm with an adaptive model on how to control the supply air conditions reflecting learned data. During the process, the adaptive model complements the signals from the network to independently maintain the comfort level within setting ranges. Although the proposed model effectively optimizes energy consumption and supply air conditions, it achieves quite improved comfort levels about 14% more efficient than comparison models. Consequently, it is confirmed that a network and learning algorithm equipped with an adaptive controller properly responds to users’ comfort levels and system’s energy consumption in a single space. The improved performance in space levels can be significant in places where many spaces are systematically connected, and in places which require a high consistency of indoor thermal comfort. Another advantage of the proposed model is that it properly reduces an increase in energy consumption despite an intensive strategy is utilized to improve thermal comfort.

scholarly journals Thermal Perception in Mild Climate: Adaptive Thermal Models for Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Campano ◽  
Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo ◽  
Jesica Fernández-Agüera ◽  
Juan José Sendra
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Natural Ventilation ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Thermal Perception ◽  
Accurate Design ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Autumn And Winter

A comprehensive assessment of indoor environmental conditions is performed on a representative sample of classrooms in schools across southern Spain (Mediterranean climate) to evaluate the thermal comfort level, thermal perception and preference, and the relationship with HVAC systems, with a comparison of seasons and personal clothing. Almost fifty classrooms were studied and around one thousand pool-surveys distributed among their occupants, aged 12 to 17. These measurements were performed during spring, autumn, and winter, considered the most representative periods of use for schools. A new proposed protocol has been developed for the collection and subsequent analysis of data, applying thermal comfort indicators and using the most frequent predictive models, rational (RTC) and adaptive (ATC), for comparison. Cooling is not provided in any of the rooms and natural ventilation is found in most of the spaces during midseasons. Despite the existence of a general heating service in almost all classrooms in the cold period, the use of mechanical ventilation is limited. Heating did not usually provide standard set-point temperatures. However, this did not lead to widespread complaints, as occupants perceive the thermal environment as neutral—varying greatly between users—and show a preference for slightly colder environments. Comparison of these thermal comfort votes and the thermal comfort indicators used showed a better fit of thermal preference over thermal sensation and more reliable results when using regional ATC indicators than the ASHRAE adaptive model. This highlights the significance of inhabitants’ actual thermal perception. These findings provide useful insight for a more accurate design of this type of building, as well as a suitable tool for the improvement of existing spaces, improving the conditions for both comfort and wellbeing in these spaces, as well as providing a better fit of energy use for actual comfort conditions.

scholarly journals Thermal Comfort Assessment of an Office Building in Tropical Climate Condition

2018 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 01003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Koh ◽  
Hussain H. Al-Kayiem ◽  
Jundika C. Kurnia
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Tropical Climate ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Office Building ◽  
Climate Condition ◽  
Solar Research ◽  
Better Than

As a lot of people spend their time indoor, indoor thermal comfort will affect the performance of the occupants in terms of health, comfort and productivity. This paper aims to investigate the thermal comfort of an office building constructed using low cost materials in tropical climate condition. That has been achieved by investigating the PMV using the CBE thermal comfort tool in the post-graduate office building in the solar research site in UTP. The experimental measurements have been conducted at two different cases; without ventilation and with air-conditioned in the office building. The thermal comfort of the office building is assessed by using the ASHRAE thermal sensation scale. Results have demonstrated that the office room without ventilation is hot and not suitable for occupants to work at such thermal environment. Thermal comfort of the room with air-conditioning is warm and is slightly better than the room without ventilation as the PMV has been improved by around 60%. However, the acceptable thermal comfort level in the low-cost material office building is yet to be achieved.

scholarly journals Research on the Energy-Saving Design Path of Rural Farmhouses under the Background of Ecological Livability

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jingyuan Shi ◽  
Qiuna Li
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The State ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

Different from the state of large-scale energy use and concentrated energy conservation in urban areas, the state of energy use and energy conservation in rural areas has its own characteristics and typical problems. Rural areas have been concentrated on the multiple differences in economic, social, and construction characteristics such as mountain and peace dam topography, natural and artificial construction, developed and underdeveloped, rapid urban development, and relatively backward rural development. It has practical problems that need to be solved urgently, such as the “insufficient savings” in the construction of farmhouses and the “insufficient open source” of clean energy applications. The discussion will be conducted from three aspects: the planning and layout design of rural houses in Chongqing, the performance of the enclosure structure of rural houses in key seasons, and the application of renewable clean energy in rural houses. Then put forward is the energy-saving design path of Chongqing farmhouse. It aims to improve the indoor and outdoor thermal environment of farmhouses, saving heating energy consumption in winter and air-conditioning energy consumption in summer and effectively benefit users to use renewable energy such as biogas, straw, and solar energy. Finally, explore the adaptability between the design methods of farmhouses and the local characteristics of Chongqing’s rural areas. In the work of Chongqing Design Going to the Countryside, we create a contemporary farmhouse case that is not only energy-saving but also has good indoor and outdoor space quality. It also provides a reference for the energy-saving design of farmhouses in Chongqing and other regions in China.

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