Overheating risk barriers to energy renovations of single family houses: Multicriteria analysis and assessment

Many post-occupancy comfort studies of energy renovated residential buildings have documented elevated temperatures above comfort levels, not only during the summer period but also during the shoulder months. The main focus in renovation projects is on heat savings while the risk of overheating is not considered.

Energy effectiveness of duct sealing and insulation in two multifamily buildings.

Energy losses from forced air distribution systems have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. Little work has been done to quantify these losses in apartment buildings. In this paper we will discuss field measurements made on four forced air heating systems to evaluate the duct system energy losses to unconditioned basements. The apartments were heated by natural gas furnaces located in the basements. The systems had bare sheet metal ductwork exposed to the basement conditions.

Analysis of life cycle energy consumption and environmental load of insulation design for residential buildings in China

Increasing insulation thickness may reduce the energy consumption and environmental load in building operation phase, but may also increase those in insulation production phase. Therefore, the life cycle energy consumption and environmental load of insulation design for a typical residential building were analyzed in this paper. Cases in four typical cities -Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou- in four different climate zones in China were compared.

The heat transfer simulation for thermal bridge effect of the corner walls of building according to thermal condition

In this article, we would like to estimate the surface temperature and heat flow pattern of the four corner walls of building envelope with thermal bridge. In doing so, this study made use of infra-red camera and the heat transfer simulation. The field measurement using infra-red thermography shows thermal bridge and thermal insulation performance of each part of actual existing building envelope.

Parametric analysis of environmentally responsive strategies for building envelopes specific for hot hyper arid regions

The deep hot hyperarid valley between Israel and Jordan presents unique design and construction challenges in terms of energy conservation and thermal comfort. Winters are relatively mild, summers are extremely hot during the day and at night the air temperature remains above 25°C.  Such conditions present real challenges in this sparsely populated yet rapidly developing region. Such development depends on the ability to provide acceptable indoor environments at a low energy investment.

Combining thermal inertia, insulation and ventilation strategies for improving indoor thermal summer comfort

A good level of thermal insulation and an adequate thermal capacity of the building envelope are essential to achieve good energy performance. Many studies have been conducted about this topic, mostly focused on the reduction of energy losses, peak load control and energy savings. Nevertheless, very few studies were realized addressing both insulation and inertia of the building envelope in a thermal comfort perspective, and taking into account the combined effect of different ventilation strategies.

Energy effectiveness of duct sealing and insulation in two multifamily buildings.

Energy losses from forced air distribution systems have a significant impact on the energy efficiency of buildings. Little work has been done to quantify these losses in apartment buildings. In this paper we will discuss field measurements made on four forced air heating systems to evaluate the duct system energy losses to unconditioned basements. The apartments were heated by natural gas furnaces located in the basements. The systems had bare sheet metal ductwork exposed to the basement conditions.

RENOVATION OF JAPANESE TRADITIONAL HOMES AND IMPROVEMENT OF INDOOR CLIMATE

The traditional house of Japan, Kominka, is constructed of wooden pillars and beams, and clay walls.The indoor space in the Kominka remains cool in summer because overhanging eaves block solarradiation and the open frame airs out. Technology to make small cracks airtight is undeveloped.Consequently, drafts enter the indoor space and chill occupants during winter. Improvements of indoorclimate have not been realized. This report describes "Yukis house," which is a Kominka built in thelatter 1700s, defined as a residence of the privileged class.

Consequences of Increasing Insulation on the Annual Energy Consumption of Air-Conditioned Office Buildings

The aim of this work is to study the influence of global heat transfer coefficient (Utot en W/m2.K) of the opaque walls (walls and roofs) and of the glazed walls (bays) on the annual consumption of heating, cooling and overall consumption energy. We analyze the number of hours of heating and cooling under operation with partial load and full load. Profiles of indoor temperatures are also given. The work is established on several office buildings defined according to a typology built within the framework of a study on energy savings in air-conditioned office buildings in France.

Transient thermal sensation and comfort resulting from adjustment of clothing insulation

This study investigated the transient effects on human thermal responses of clothingadjustments. Two different levels of activity were tested, and the temperature was set to resultin a warm or cool thermal sensation at each activity level.

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