Leverage of Behavioural Patterns of Window Opening and Heating Set Point Adjustments on Energy Consumption and Thermal Comfort in Residential Buildings

2013 ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Paolo Corgnati ◽  
Simona D’Oca ◽  
Valentina Fabi ◽  
Rune Korsholm Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Window Opening

Direct and indirect effects of high-albedo roofs on energy consumption and thermal comfort of residential buildings

2018 ◽  
Vol 178 ◽  
pp. 71-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Baniassadi ◽  
David J Sailor ◽  
Peter J Crank ◽  
George A Ban-Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects

The applicability of nearly/net zero energy residential buildings in Brazil – A study of a low standard dwelling in three different Brazilian climate zones

2020 ◽  
pp. 1420326X2096115
Author(s):  
Jaime Resende ◽  
Marta Monzón-Chavarrías ◽  
Helena Corvacho
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Performance Standard ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Zero Energy ◽  
Climate Zones ◽  
Net Zero Energy ◽  
Net Zero

Buildings account for 34% of world energy consumption and about half of electricity consumption. The nearly/Net Zero Energy Building (nZEB/NZEB) concepts are regarded as solutions for minimizing this problem. The countries of Southern Europe, which included the nZEB concept recently in their regulatory requirements, have both heating and cooling needs, which adds complexity to the problem. Brazil may benefit from their experience since most of the Brazilian climate zones present significant similarities to the Southern European climate. Brazil recently presented a household energy consumption increase, and a growing trend in the use of air conditioning is predicted for the coming decades. Simulations with various wall and roof solutions following the Brazilian Performance Standard were carried out in a low standard single-family house in three different climate zones in order to evaluate thermal comfort conditions and energy needs. Results show that in milder climate zones, achieving thermal comfort with a low energy consumption is possible, and there is a great potential to achieve a net zero-energy balance. In the extreme hot climate zone, a high cooling energy consumption is needed to provide thermal comfort, and the implementation of a nearly zero-energy balance may be more feasible.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Influence Subjective Human Parameters in the Calculation of Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption of Buildings

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Robledo-Fava ◽  
Mónica C. Hernández-Luna ◽  
Pedro Fernández-de-Córdoba ◽  
Humberto Michinel ◽  
Sonia Zaragoza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Monte Carlo Method ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Point Temperature ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Indoor Comfort

In the present work, we analyze the influence of the designer’s choice of values for the human metabolic index (met) and insulation by clothing (clo) that can be selected within the ISO 7730 for the calculation of the energy demand of buildings. To this aim, we first numerically modeled, using TRNSYS, two buildings in different countries and climatologies. Then, we consistently validated our simulations by predicting indoor temperatures and comparing them with measured data. After that, the energy demand of both buildings was obtained. Subsequently, the variability of the set-point temperature concerning the choice of clo and met, within limits prescribed in ISO 7730, was analyzed using a Monte Carlo method. This variability of the interior comfort conditions has been finally used in the numerical model previously validated, to calculate the changes in the energy demand of the two buildings. Therefore, this work demonstrated that the diversity of possibilities offered by ISO 7730 for the choice of clo and met results, depending on the values chosen by the designer, in significant differences in indoor comfort conditions, leading to non-negligible changes in the calculations of energy consumption, especially in the case of big buildings.

scholarly journals Development of Thermal Comfort-Based Controller and Potential Reduction of the Cooling Energy Consumption of a Residential Building in Kuwait

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaesung Park ◽  
Taeyeon Kim ◽  
Chul-sung Lee
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Electric Energy Consumption ◽  
Residential Electricity ◽  
The Government

In Kuwait, where the government subsidizes approximately 95% of residential electricity bills, most of the country’s energy consumption is for residential use. In particular, air-conditioning (AC) systems for cooling, which are used throughout the year, are responsible for residential electric energy consumption. This study aimed to reduce the amount of energy consumed for cooling purposes by developing a thermal comfort-based controller. Our study commenced by using a simulation model to investigate the possibility of energy reduction when using the predicted mean vote (PMV) for optimal control. The result showed that control optimization would enable the cooling energy consumption to be reduced by 33.5%. The influence of six variables on cooling energy consumption was then analyzed to develop a thermal comfort-based controller. The analysis results showed that the indoor air temperature was the most influential factor, followed by the mean radiant temperature, the metabolic rate, and indoor air velocity. The thermal comfort-based controller-version 1 (TCC-V1) was developed based on the analysis results and experimentally evaluated to determine the extent to which the use of the controller would affect the energy consumed for cooling. The experiments showed that the implementation of TCC-V1 control made it possible to reduce the electric energy consumption by 39.5% on a summer representative day. The results of this study indicate that it is possible to improve indoor thermal comfort while saving energy by using the thermal comfort-based controller in residential buildings in Kuwait.

scholarly journals Optimization Analysis of the Residential Window-to-Wall Ratio Based on Numerical Calculation of Energy Consumption in the Hot-Summer and Cold-winter Zone of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6138
Author(s):  
Haiqiang Liu ◽  
Zhihao Zhang ◽  
Xidong Ma ◽  
Weite Lu ◽  
Dongze Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
Cold Winter ◽  
Optimization Analysis ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Different Types

Along with the rapid urbanization and economic growth of China over the past decades, the thermal comfort needs of the people in this region have risen dramatically, and at the same time, promoting building energy efficiency is cited as part of the major projects in the 14th five-year plan for energy efficiency improvement. In addition, the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic has plunged people into long-term panic, and promoted the entire construction industry to think about a healthier and more sustainable living environment. To respond to the imbalance between energy supply and demand, an optimization analysis based on energy use is developed, assessing the energy efficiency of the window-to-wall ratio (WWR) design and calculating the energy consumption of three different types of residential buildings for both cooling and heating loads as well as for year-round loads. Owing to its harsh climate and huge energy consumption, in this study, the Hot-summer and Cold-winter (HSCW) zone of China was chosen as the experimental setting for the optimization analysis of WWR. Then, in the three main types of residential buildings, including detached houses, multi-story dwellings and high-rise dwellings, a correlation between WWRS and energy consumption in the cooling season, heating season and year-round was built. The comparisons between the WWRS and energy consumption for different types of residential buildings are presented. The design optimization recommendation for WWRS are proposed. It has significant positive meanings for the development of green and sustainably designed residential buildings that offer high levels of thermal comfort and energy efficiency.

scholarly journals Trade-off between Energy Consumption and Comfort Experience in Smart Buildings

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 420-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Domen Zupančič ◽  
Mitja Luštrek ◽  
Matjaž Gams
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Prediction Algorithm ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Point Temperature ◽  
Set Point ◽  
Multi Agent ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Occupancy Prediction

The thermal comfort experience in conditioned environments is closely related to the indoor temperature andvaries mainly due to the dynamics of occupant state and the environmental state. The heating or cooling required to achievethe desired temperature and comfort influences the energy consumption. This article presents a multi-agent control systemthat primarily regulates thermal comfort rather than the indoor temperature. We developed this comfort regulator that basedon (i) the difference between the desired level of comfort and the current level of comfort and (ii) the difference between thecurrent temperature and the set point temperature adapts the set point temperature in order to achieve the desired comfort.An occupancy prediction algorithm and expert rules were designed to efficiently reduce unnecessary energy consumptionduring periods when the home is not occupied and the comfort experience is therefore not important. The results of experimentsare presented in a comfort/energy-consumption space. The comfort/energy-consumption space shows how the finalresult is influenced by (i) different versions of learning algorithms and (ii) different comfort threshold values. Comparingthe comfort/energy-consumption spaces for different occupancy patterns shows that the rule settings have similar impact oncontrol performance, which indicates that the rules are general. In nearly all experiments, the proposed multi-agent controlsystem assured better comfort experience with small increase of energy consumption compared to reactive control system.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.itc.44.4.10139

Toward Efficient Residential Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayesha Al Qubaisi ◽  
Ali Al Alili
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Building Codes ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Hot And Humid Climates ◽  
Systems Simulation ◽  
Building Standards

The design, construction, and operation of highly efficient residential buildings in hot and humid climates represent a unique challenge for architects, contractors, and building owners. In this paper, a case study on the performance of a residential building located in hot and humid location is presented. The building is a single-family house, which is modeled as a multi-zone building. The transient systems simulation program (TRNSYS) is used to simulate the building under Abu Dhabi’s typical meteorological year conditions. The results are presented in terms of the annual energy consumption and the indoor thermal comfort. The Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) is used to model the thermal comfort. In addition, the results of applying local building codes, Estidama, and international building codes, ASHRAE 90.2 and LEED, on the building’s performance are compared. The results will help in finding the effectiveness of these building standards in reducing the energy consumption of residential building in hot and humid regions.

Materials consumption, indoor thermal comfort and associated energy flows of urban residential buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Peng ◽  
Wu Deng ◽  
Yuanda Hong
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Embodied Energy ◽  
Insulating Materials ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Energy Flows

Purpose From the 2000s onward, construction practices of urban residential buildings in China have shown a material transformation from clay brick to aerated concrete block. Moreover, the consumption of insulating materials for buildings has been increasing due to the new requirements in building energy-saving standards. This transformation and the increased consumption of insulating materials might have a vital impact on a building’s thermal comfort and its associated energy flows. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the indoor thermal performance of urban residential buildings built with different materials and further discuss the correlations between indoor thermal comfort and the associated energy input. Design/methodology/approach This study investigated four residential buildings selected from four residential communities located in the cold climate zone of China. The Integrated Environment Solutions program was used to evaluate the thermal comfort levels and to quantify the operational energy consumption of the case study buildings. Additionally, the University of Bath’s Inventory of Carbon and Energy database was used to estimate the embodied energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Findings The study found that materials transition and increasing consumption did not necessarily improve indoor thermal comfort. However, the materials transition has significantly decreased the embodied energy consumption of urban residential buildings. Furthermore, the increased utilization of insulating materials has also decreased the heating and cooling energy consumption. Therefore, overall, the environmental impacts of urban residential buildings have been reduced significantly. Practical implications In the future, residential buildings completed in the 1990s will need regular maintenance, such as adding insulation. Residential buildings completed based on the latest energy-saving requirements should optimize their ventilation design, for example, by increasing the ventilation rate and by reducing solar heat gains in the summer. Originality/value This paper investigates the effects of the materials change on thermal comfort levels and the environmental impacts of urban residential buildings in the cold climate zone of China, as these have not been the focus of many previous studies.

scholarly journals Influence of Urban Microclimate on Air-Conditioning Energy Needs and Indoor Thermal Comfort in Houses

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng-Chi Liao ◽  
Ming-Jen Cheng ◽  
Ruey-Lung Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
City Planning ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Urban Microclimate ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Hourly Data

A long-term climate measurement was implemented in the third largest city of Taiwan, for the check of accuracy of morphing approach on generating the hourly data of urban local climate. Based on observed and morphed meteorological data, building energy simulation software EnergyPlus was used to simulate the cooling energy consumption of an air-conditioned typical flat and the thermal comfort level of a naturally ventilated typical flat. The simulated results were used to quantitatively discuss the effect of urban microclimate on the energy consumption as well as thermal comfort of residential buildings. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for city planning and energy management divisions to study urban sustainability strategies in the future.

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