Evaluation of Thermal and Energy Performance in Mosque Buildings for Current Situation (Simulation Study) in Mountainous Climate of Abha City

Achieving and maintaining indoor thermal comfort is a crucial factor for energy saving and human health, especially in heavily occupied public buildings, such as mosque buildings. The acceptable level of thermal comfort should not be achieved at the expense of damaging the environment by using preventable energy depletion. This study aims to investigate what level thermal comfort is achieved and related issues in mosque buildings in Abha city, which has a semi-arid moderate/cold mountainous climate. The research involved a computer modelling investigation by using Thermal Analysis Software (TAS). A number of comparisons of the simulation results with actual measurement data in mosque buildings, such as temperature, relative humidity, and energy demand were conducted. Main factors influencing thermal comfort and PMV were investigated for the selected mosques. In addition, thermal performance of mosques’ fabrics and envelopes in terms of solar gain and heat loss/gain by conduction and its impacts on thermal comfort and energy demands were also discussed. The outcome showed some discomfort due to heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. The results also revealed that the main factors behind heat gain or loss were the poor quality of the investigated mosque buildings’ envelopes, including walls, roofs, floors, windows, and doors.

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Experimental Data and Simulations of Performance and Thermal Comfort in a Typical Mediterranean House

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14113311 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3311

Author(s):

Víctor Pérez-Andreu ◽

Carolina Aparicio-Fernández ◽

José-Luis Vivancos ◽

Javier Cárcel-Carrasco

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Thermal Characterization ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Building Stock ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Dwelling House ◽

Account Standard

The number of buildings renovated following the introduction of European energy-efficiency policy represents a small number of buildings in Spain. So, the main Spanish building stock needs an urgent energy renovation. Using passive strategies is essential, and thermal characterization and predictive tests of the energy-efficiency improvements achieving acceptable levels of comfort for their users are urgently necessary. This study analyzes the energy performance and thermal comfort of the users in a typical Mediterranean dwelling house. A transient simulation has been used to acquire the scope of Spanish standards for its energy rehabilitation, taking into account standard comfort conditions. The work is based on thermal monitoring of the building and a numerical validated model developed in TRNSYS. Energy demands for different models have been calculated considering different passive constructive measures combined with real wind site conditions and the behavior of users related to natural ventilation. This methodology has given us the necessary information to decide the best solution in relation to energy demand and facility of implementation. The thermal comfort for different models is not directly related to energy demand and has allowed checking when and where the measures need to be done.

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Assessment of energy and environmental performances of a bioclimatic dwelling in Algeria's North

Building Services Engineering Research and Technology ◽

10.1177/0143624416669554 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 64-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

N Belkacem ◽

L Loukarfi ◽

M Missoum ◽

H Naji ◽

A Khelil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Balance ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Heating System ◽

Building Energy ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Solar Heating ◽

Environmental Study ◽

Building Energy Efficiency

Bioclimatic architecture strategies and solar active systems contribute strongly to the reduction of building energy demand and achieving thermal comfort for its occupants over the whole year. This paper deals with the study of the energy performance improvement of a pilot bioclimatic house located in Algiers (Algeria). First, a series of experimental measures are conducted during cold period to show the effect of passive and active solar gains on the improvement of the indoor air temperature of the house. Then, a dynamic model of a solar heating system coupled with a bioclimatic house has been developed using TRNSYS software and validated with experimental data. The validated model has been used to establish the energy balance of the pilot bioclimatic house without solar heating system and to compare them to those of a conventional house. Finally, the improvement of the energy balance of the pilot bioclimatic house has been done by passive and active ways. The passive one includes the increase of south facing windows size and the use of night cooling with the use of shading device in summer. The active one consists of the integration of a solar heating system. Furthermore, an environmental study has been performed. The experimental results show that the energy requirements of a pilot bioclimatic house are very low which is suitable for the use of solar heating system in building. The simulation results show that the application of bioclimatic strategies is a better way to provide thermal comfort in summer and decrease the space heating energy demand of the house with 48.70%. The active solar system will cover 67.74% of the energy demand for heating of the house. These energy savings generate a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Practical application: This work will enable engineers and designers of modern buildings of buildings in a Mediterranean climate to improve building energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by a conjunction of different passive heating and cooling techniques such as insulation, thermal mass, window shades, night ventilation, and the solar heating system. The paper provides designers an effective strategy in terms of energy savings and indoor thermal comfort while reducing CO2 emissions.

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The Application of Computer Simulations on one Commercial Building to Improve Energy Performance

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.171-172.364 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 171-172 ◽

pp. 364-367

Author(s):

Jia Fang Song

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Natural Ventilation ◽

Ventilation System ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Commercial Building ◽

Simulation Tools ◽

Output Performance ◽

Support Software

This paper introduces the application of the TAS simulation support software to determine the energy performance in between a full mechanical ventilated building than that of a hybrid ventilated-- combined mechanical and naturally ventilated (atrium area to be naturally ventilated) building. A modeled three-storey commercial office building will be used as the main subject of this analysis. To determine the thermal comfort level of the central atrium, Parameters will be set in such a way that the full height windows will be 100% open. Results will be then tabularized to determine and analysis the output of the simulation. Recommendations will be then given based on the output performance of the building. In Tropics, it’s very difficult to achieve better thermal comfort in a naturally ventilated building. With the help of these simulation tools we can find whether natural ventilation is possible in this tropical climate in terms of thermal comfort, ventilation system and energy demand.

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Cooling Degree Models and Future Energy Demand in the Residential Sector. A Seven-Country Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052987 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2987

Author(s):

Raúl Castaño-Rosa ◽

Roberto Barrella ◽

Carmen Sánchez-Guevara ◽

Ricardo Barbosa ◽

Ioanna Kyprianou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Low Energy ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Building Stock ◽

Residential Sector ◽

Adaptive Thermal Comfort

The intensity and duration of hot weather and the number of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, are increasing, leading to a growing need for space cooling energy demand. Together with the building stock’s low energy performance, this phenomenon may also increase households’ energy consumption. On the other hand, the low level of ownership of cooling equipment can cause low energy consumption, leading to a lack of indoor thermal comfort and several health-related problems, yet increasing the risk of energy poverty in summer. Understanding future temperature variations and the associated impacts on building cooling demand will allow mitigating future issues related to a warmer climate. In this respect, this paper analyses the effects of change in temperatures in the residential sector cooling demand in 2050 for a case study of nineteen cities across seven countries: Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Israel, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain, by estimating cooling degree days and hours (CDD and CDH). CDD and CDH are calculated using both fixed and adaptive thermal comfort temperature thresholds for 2020 and 2050, understanding their strengths and weaknesses to assess the effects of warmer temperatures. Results suggest a noticeable average increase in CDD and CDH values, up to double, by using both thresholds for 2050, with a particular interest in northern countries where structural modifications in the building stock and occupants’ behavior should be anticipated. Furthermore, the use of the adaptive thermal comfort threshold shows that the projected temperature increases for 2050 might affect people’s capability to adapt their comfort band (i.e., indoor habitability) as temperatures would be higher than the maximum admissible values for people’s comfort and health.

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Durum-Wheat Straw Bales for Thermal Insulation of Buildings: Findings from a Comparative Energy Analysis of a Set of Wall-Composition Samples on the Building Scale

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14175508 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (17) ◽

pp. 5508

Author(s):

Domenico Palladino ◽

Flavio Scrucca ◽

Nicolandrea Calabrese ◽

Grazia Barberio ◽

Carlo Ingrao

Keyword(s):

Durum Wheat ◽

Wheat Straw ◽

Heat Loss ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Average Energy ◽

Energy System ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Calculation Procedure ◽

Energy Calculation ◽

Calculation Methods

The urgent need to make buildings more performant in energy and environmental terms has led to the increasing study of recycled and natural materials as viable solutions. In this context, the present study aims at comparing the energy performance of innovative wall-sample solutions (with recycled polyethylene-terephthalate panels or durum-wheat straw bales) with a basic one. Energy evaluations were performed in Piazza Armerina (a city of Sicily–Italy), where the chosen material is widespread, by applying two calculation methods: a monthly average-energy-calculation approach, mandatory by Italian regulations (UNI TS 11300), and an hourly energy-calculation procedure (EN 52016). The results documented that: (i) the new innovative wall-sample allows for significantly reducing heat loss (heating of 4–10% and cooling of 40–50%) (ii) a lower primary-energy demand was obtained by adopting the new calculation procedure of EN 52016 (energy decreasing of 20–24%); (iii) significant differences in terms of heat-loss (of 10–36%) and heat-gain (up to 75%) calculations were found for the two calculation methods. This puts emphasis upon the importance of properly selecting a calculation method by accounting for all of those key variables and features that are representative of the energy system being investigated.

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Thermal Comfort and Energy Performance of Atrium in Mediterranean Climate

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11041213 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1213 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Reihaneh Aram ◽

Halil Alibaba

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Heat Loss ◽

Mediterranean Climate ◽

Warm Season ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Cold Season ◽

The Other ◽

Office Building ◽

Building Model ◽

Window Opening

This paper aims to determine the optimal single-story office building model with a corner atrium regarding different atrium orientations and office-building window-opening ratios in the Mediterranean climate via EDSL Tas software. When window-opening ratios were 25% and 50% at the northeast and southeast orientations of atriums and office spaces, thermal comfort was achieved according to categories B and C, respectively, within the cold season. Additionally, for the northeast atrium orientation with 25%, 137.2 W and 189.5 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 37.7 W and 204.7 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. Moreover, for the northeast atrium orientation with 50%, 134.5 W and 134.2 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 40 W and 192 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. On the other hand, for the southeast atrium orientation with 25%, 108.7 W and 143 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 68.8 W and 130 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded, while, with 50%, 111.7 W and 142.7 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 67.5 W and 121.2 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. In the warm season, the atrium and office spaces were not thermally comfortable.

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Heat Loss Due to Domestic Hot Water Pipes

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14206446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (20) ◽

pp. 6446

Author(s):

Anti Hamburg ◽

Alo Mikola ◽

Tuule-Mall Parts ◽

Targo Kalamees

Keyword(s):

Heat Loss ◽

Internal Heat ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Primary Energy ◽

Hot Water ◽

Pipe Length ◽

Heat Gain ◽

Domestic Hot Water ◽

Apartment Buildings ◽

Pipe Insulation

Domestic hot water (DHW) system energy losses are an important part of energy consumption in newly built or in reconstructed apartment buildings. To reach nZEB or low energy building targets (renovation cases) we should take these losses into account during the design phase. These losses depend on room and water temperature, insulation and length of pipes and water circulation strategy. The target of our study is to develop a method which can be used in the early stages of design in primary energy calculations. We are also interested in how much of these losses cannot be utilised as internal heat gain and how much heat loss depends on the level of energy performance of the building. We used detailed DHW system heat loss measurements and simulations from an nZEB apartment building and annual heat loss data from a total of 22 apartment buildings. Our study showed that EN 15316-3 standard equations for pipe length give more than a twice the pipe length in basements. We recommend that for pipe length calculation in basements, a calculation based on the building’s gross area should be used and for pipe length in vertical shafts, a building’s heating area-based calculation should be used. Our study also showed that up to 33% of pipe heat losses can be utilised as internal heat gain in energy renovated apartment buildings but in unheated basements this figure drops to 30% and in shafts rises to 40% for an average loss (thermal pipe insulation thickness 40 mm) of 10.8 W/m and 5.1 W/m. Unutilised delivered energy loss from DHW systems in smaller apartment buildings can be up to 12.1 kWh/(m2·a) and in bigger apartment buildings not less than 5.5 kWh/(m2·a) (40 mm thermal pipe insulation).

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Internal Microclimate: Cumulative Exergy Consumption in a Sandcrete and a Burnt Brick- Walled Structure

Nigerian Journal of Technological Development ◽

10.4314/njtd.v17i1.9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 62-69

Author(s):

A.A. Ibrahim ◽

A.A. Adedeji

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Efficient ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Exergy Analysis ◽

Building Energy ◽

Heat Gain ◽

Demand And Supply ◽

Energy And Exergy ◽

Exergy Consumption ◽

Better Than

Current practices of planning and designing of buildings in Nigeria do not consider the thermal comfort, the building energy and exergy demand. There is a need for better understanding of exergy analysis to improve the quality match between building energy demand and supply. The aim of this study is to estimate the exergy consumption value for a hollow sandcrete and a burnt brick-walled structure in a tropical sub-region. The properties of the building were assessed, eQuest software was used to estimate the energy demand of the respective buildings and the exergy analysis was conducted using the exergetic factor of electricity. The cumulative exergy consumptions of the existing sandcrete-walled building, the modelled sandcrete and the burnt brick-walled building were found to be 246,074.4 MJ/year, 128,646 MJ/year, and 128,595.6 MJ/year respectively. The modelled sandcrete-walled building, as well as the burnt brick-walled building, were found to be 48% more energy efficient than the existingbuilding as a result of improving the airtightness of the building, reducing the solar heat gain, and utilizing extremely efficient systems. However, the exergy analysis suggested that the hollow burnt brick-walled building perform better than the hollow sandcrete-walled building. Keywords: Building, electricity, energy, eQuest, exergy, sandcrete.

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Effects of Climate Change for Thermal Comfort and Energy Performance of Residential Buildings in a Sub-Saharan African Climate

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings9100215 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 215 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dodoo ◽

Ayarkwa

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Simulation Software ◽

Indoor Climate ◽

Recent Climate ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Cooling Energy Demand

This study presents an analysis of the impacts of climate change on thermal comfort and energy performance of residential buildings in Ghana, in sub-Saharan Africa, and explores mitigation as well as adaptation strategies to improve buildings’ performance under climate change conditions. The performances of the buildings are analyzed for both recent and projected future climates for the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions of Ghana, using the IDA-ICE dynamic simulation software, with climate data from the Meteonorm global climate database. The results suggest that climate change will significantly influence energy performance and indoor comfort conditions of buildings in Ghana. However, effective building design strategies could significantly improve buildings’ energy and indoor climate performances under both current and future climate conditions. The simulations show that the cooling energy demand of the analyzed building in the Greater Accra region is 113.9 kWh/m2 for the recent climate, and this increases by 31% and 50% for the projected climates for 2030 and 2050, respectively. For the analyzed building in the Ashanti region, the cooling energy demand is 104.4 kWh/m2 for the recent climate, and this increases by 6% and 15% for the 2030 and 2050 climates, respectively. Furthermore, indoor climate and comfort deteriorate under the climate change conditions, in contrast to the recent conditions.

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Thermal Dynamic Behavior in Bi-Zone Habitable Cell with and without Phase Change Materials

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2020063041 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Hanae El Fakiri ◽

Lahoucine Ouhsaine ◽

Abdelmajid El Bouardi

Keyword(s):

Thermal Behavior ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Phase Change ◽

Dynamic Behavior ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Energy Performance ◽

High Energy ◽

Water Heater ◽

Simplified Modeling

The thermal dynamic behavior of buildings represents an important aspect of the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of the indoor environment. For this, phase change material (PCM) wallboards integrated into building envelopes play an important role in stabilizing the temperature of the human comfort condition. This article provides an assessment of the thermal behavior of a “bi-zone” building cell, which was built based on high-energy performance (HEP) standards and heated by a solar water heater system through a hydronic circuit. The current study is based on studying the dynamic thermal behavior, with and without implantation of PCMs on envelope structure, using a simplified modeling approach. The evolution of the average air temperature was first evaluated as a major indicator of thermal comfort. Then, an evaluation of the thermal behavior’s dynamic profile was carried out in this study, which allowed for the determination of the PCM rate anticipation in the thermal comfort of the building cell.

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