Abstract
This study examines the risk of overheating of a school building, under extreme hot weather conditions, in 14 locations in the United Kingdom using the overheating criteria defined in Building Bulletin 101 (BB101). The building was modelled as naturally ventilated, mechanically ventilated and in mixed mode and was simulated both for the current and the projected weather conditions of the 2050s. Under the current weather conditions, results of the simulations show that when naturally ventilated, the school building fulfils the BB101 criteria only in the areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the simulations of the building as mechanically ventilated and in mixed mode, mechanical cooling was provided in order for the building to comply with the overheating criteria. A comparison of the required cooling loads between the two scenarios shows that application of mixed mode ventilation results in less cooling loads.
Key Words
overheating; ventilation; school; design summer year
Address
Athanasios Lykartsis and Ali B-Jahromi: Department of Civil and Built Environment, School of Computing and Technology,
University of West London, W5 5RF, London, U.K.
Anastasia Mylona: Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, SW12 9BS, London, U.K.
Abstract
Large glazed surfaces and windows become common features in modern buildings. The spread of these features was influenced by the dependence of designers on mechanical and artificial systems to provide occupants with thermal and visual comfort. Countries with hot summer and cold winter conditions, like Jordan, require maximum shading from solar radiation in summer, and maximum exposure in winter to reduce cooling and heating loads respectively.
The current research aims at designing optimized double-positioned external shading device systems that help to reduce energy consumption in buildings and provide thermal and visual comfort during both hot and cold seasons. Using energy plus, a whole building energy simulation program, and radiance, Lighting Simulation Tool, with DesignBuilder interface, a series of computer simulations for energy consumption and daylighting performance were conducted for offices with south, east, or west windows.
The research was based on comparison to determine the best fit characteristics for two positions of adjustable horizontal louvers on south facade or vertical fins on east and west facades for summer and winter conditions. The adjustable shading systems can be applied for new or retrofitted office or housing buildings. The optimized shading devices for summer and winter positions helped to reduce the net annual energy consumption compared to a base case space with no shading device or with curtains and compared to fix shading devices.
Key Words
exterior shading system; glazed surfaces; cooling loads; heating loads; lighting loads; indoor comfort; adjustable shading devices; greenhouse gas (GHG); window wall ratio (WWR)
Address
Ahmed A. Freewan and Lina W. Shqra: Department of Architecture Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, P.O. Box 3030, Jordan
Abstract
Limited quantity and non-uniform distribution of fossil fuel over the world, along with the environmental concerns of increasing CO2 emissions, indicate that gradual and planned switchover to the sustainable energy sources is the need of the day. Ocean energy is well-distributed over the coasts, abundant, renewable and available in the form of wave energy, tidal energy and thermal energy. India has gathered precious experience from the pilot plants utilizing these methods over the last few years. One of the main constraints is deemed to be the grid connectivity. Time has come to transform this limitation into opportunity. Ocean power can be a very suitable option for the coastal belts and the islands. Implementation of this concept would require large-scale industry participation along with favourable government policies in the coming years. This article attempts a review of the ocean energy initiatives in India and proposes a roadmap for the future.
Key Words
ocean energy; sustainable; renewable; wave energy; tidal energy; ocean thermal energy converter
Address
Saha Dauji: 1.) NRB Office, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400094, India
2.) Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai 400094, India
Abstract
Energy simulation tools can provide information on the amount of heat transfer through building envelope components, which are considered the main sources of heat loss in buildings. Therefore, it is important to improve the quality of outputs from energy simulation tools and also the process of obtaining them. In this paper, a new Building Energy Performance Assessment Tool (BEPAT) is introduced, which provides users with granular data related to heat transfer through every single wall, window, door, roof, and floor in a building and automatically saves all the related data in text files. This information can be used to identify the envelope components for thermal improvement through energy retrofit or during the design phase. The generated data can also be adopted in the design of energy smart homes, building design tools, and energy retrofit tools as a supplementary dataset. BEPAT is developed by modifying EnergyPlus source code as the energy simulation engine using C++, which only requires Input Data File (IDF) and weather file to perform the energy simulation and automatically provide detailed output. To validate the BEPAT results, a computer model is developed in Revit for use in BEPAT. Validating BEPAT\'s output with EnergyPlus \"advanced output\" shows a difference of less than 2% and thus establishing the capability of this tool to facilitate the provision of detailed output on the quantity of heat transfer through walls, fenestrations, roofs, and floors.
Key Words
building energy simulation; energy retrofit; energy smart home; energy monitoring; EnergyPlus
Address
Ehsan Kamel: Department of Energy Management, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York, U.S.A.
Ali M. Memari: Department of Architectural Engineering and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.