energy

Most current environmental control systems installed in buildings aim to create a uniform IEQ, disregarding the large interpersonal and intrapersonal variability in occupants’ thermal, visual, acoustics & air quality requirements. By creating occupant micro-environments that respond to individual preferences, and relaxing the surrounding space, personalized environmental control systems (PECS) can satisfy all occupants with relatively low-energy input.

Smart ventilation which provides air renewal thanks to its variable airflows adjusted on the needs can improve both indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy performance of buildings. However, such performance gains should be quantified with performance-based approaches. In this paper, we propose to extend the performance-based approach with a robust methodology to rank the ventilation systems performance. Such a methodology could be used in a decision-making tool at the design stage of buildings.

One proposed mitigation to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and other airborne pathogens is to increase ventilation in buildings. This measure can be difficult to implement in existing buildings and has the potential environmental costs of increased energy consumption to condition the additional airflow, as well as other potential costs such as the disposal of existing serviceable mechanical equipment and the manufacture and delivery of new equipment.

International Energy Agency (IEA) Annex 78 was launched in 2018.

Room pressure differential is an important aspect in order to guarantee sufficient contamination control, but is difficult to control in airtight cleanrooms. This research uses simulation models to get an understanding and to quantify the room pressure controllability of airtight cleanrooms. The most influential parameters on the room pressure controllability are identified using a sensitivity analysis. The effects of the shell airtightness and overflow flowrates are quantified, and the effect of a flow/pressure cascade with three coupled rooms is investigated.

This paper presents the initial reflections in the frame of Subtask 1 – Setting the Metrics of the IEA EBC Annex 68 – Indoor Air Quality Design and Control in Low Energy Residential Buildings. The first step of IEA Annex 68 aims at summarizing the current knowledge on target pollutants for residential buildings and at evaluating indoor air quality (IAQ), i.e. how to define indices that provide useful information allowing to achieve low risks for health in indoor spaces, and how to enable the comparison of solutions for achieving high IAQ taking into account energy efficiency.

In many post-occupancy studies of renovated houses elevated temperatures have been documented. This article presents in which situations overheating need to be addressed and which renovation measures are causing this need. The analysis contains representative houses from central and north Europe. Both dynamic and static overheating assessment criteria are used.

The modelling of air flows to investigate indoor air quality and energy issues has been a topic at the AIVC for all of its 40 years. Models have been developed that range in complexity from single-zone algebraic expressions that can be calculated by hand to complex multi-zone approaches that integrate contaminant transport and other functions.

Situated 1º North of the equator, Singapore has a year-round hot and humid climate with temperatures in the range of 25 and 32º C and relative humidity around 70%.  In view of these environmental conditions, there is really no need for “Heating (or simply “H”) in the traditional Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) terminology.  Consequently, the term Air-Conditioning and Mechanical Ventilation (ACMV) is used in the local industry.