Field Study on Energy-Saving Behaviour and Patterns of Air-Conditioning Use in a Condominium

In the international movement to combat the threat of climate change, the timely implementation of residential energy-saving practises is becoming an urgent issue. Because the number of apartments is increasing, we analysed data from home energy management systems (HEMSs) and data from questionnaire surveys of 309 households in a condominium. We focused on the seasonal variation in air-conditioning (AC) use in living-dining rooms to determine the tendency of energy use for heating/cooling related to the characteristics of flats, the profiles of residents, and energy-saving behaviours. In winter, 80% of residents mainly used gas floor heating rather than AC and 24% did not use AC in winter. In households where someone stays home for long hours, they prefer gas floor heating rather than AC in winter. These households also tend to engage in energy-saving behaviours to adjust the indoor thermal environment. There are several types of energy-saving lifestyles; therefore, effective energy-saving measures should be considered for both energy efficiency and the thermal comfort of residents.

Experimental Study on Thermal Performance of Pre-formed Thin Heating Floor Filled with Shaped PCM

A shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) with high-density polyethylene was prepared as the supporting material to be added to a pre-fabricated light and dry-type heating floor. A system for underfloor heating experiments was set up in the laboratory to test the effects of average supply and return water temperatures and different temperature differences on the thermal performance of two floor heating systems under 10 different operating conditions, respectively. The results show that the surface heat-flux density of a phase change floor (PCF) is higher than that of an ordinary one at the stable stage. The proportion of heat transfer to the heating room is about 13% higher in the phase change system compared to the normal system, and the heat loss is reduced by more than 10%. At the cooling stage, the surface temperature of PCF decreases slowly, compared to the rapid decrease of the ordinary one.

A novel concept for energy-efficient floor heating systems with minimal hot water return temperatures

The study proposed and investigated a new concept for hydronic floor heating in dwellings with the aim of reducing hot water temperatures toward a more robust and energy efficient operation. Modern heating systems often rely on low return temperatures to improve operation efficiencies through reduced heat losses from return pipes, greater utilisation of condensation heat from boiler flue gases or from the increased COP of heat pumps. Our study investigated the potential of using an apartment heating substation (or ‘flat station’) to supply space heating through two mixing loops using hot water supply temperatures of 30°C to bathrooms and 24°C to all non-bathrooms. The concept sought to minimise hot water supply temperatures to utilise a self-regulating effect while ensuring low return temperatures. In the first iteration of the concept, the high-temperature return water from the bathrooms was cascaded to the non-bathrooms to heat these rooms and provide further cooling of the hot water. The calculated energy-weighted return temperature under this original concept was 25.6 °C for the example case of a new energy-efficient apartment building. However, there was limited potential to utilise the cascaded coupling, so considering the complexity of its configuration and controls, the authors simplified the proposed concept to two mixing loops without a cascaded coupling. The calculated return temperature with the updated concept was 25.7 °C. The control of the floor heating included some aspect of self-regulation because the heat transfer strongly depended on the indoor temperature. Based on the results of this preliminary investigation, the concept may provide a robust and energy-efficient option for configuring floor-heating systems in situations that rely on low hot-water return temperatures.

Laboratory observation of interior surface heat transfer at balcony door

This paper informs about laboratory experiments studying heat transfer phenomena at the interior side of balcony doors. A well-insulated testing space representing a typical room with a balcony door equipped with floor heating and warm air heating was used. In the first step, an opaque panel with similar thermal transmittance as a triple glazed balcony door was installed in the opening for reference. A combination of temperature measurements and particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) was used here to study the surface heat transfer in detail for both types of space heat distribution and obstacles by curtains. From the measured data, the surface heat transfer coefficient along the height of the door was evaluated and discussed.

Floor Heating of Piglets Using a Thermoelectric Heat Pump

A functional and process flow diagram of an energy-saving floor heating panel using a thermoelectric assembly operating in a heat pump mode has been developed. The technique and calculation of the main heat-and-power parameters of this installation are presented. Studies of a working prototype of a floor heating panel, which have shown the high energy efficiency of the installation being developed, have been performed. It is shown that energy saving is about 15% in comparison with the serially used equipment for local heating of young animals.