Demand controlled ventilation systems can be used to minimise energy consumption whilst maintaining satisfactory levels of indoor air quality (IAQ). As an alternative to C02 sensors IAQ sensors (based on Taguchi mixed gas sensors) can be used to infer levels of IAQ. This Technical Note provides details of a series of laboratory and site tests to determine the performance of a range of IAQ sensors.
The paper examines the extent to which user's intervention may compromise the therrmal performance of small sunspaces in the context of a Solar Energy Demonstration Project at Easthall in Glasgow (55°52'N), which was monitored from September 1992 to May 1994. Results indicate a tendency to close down windows etc. late in autumn and open them up early in spring relative to heat demand. In other words a user – driven energy load due to ventilation is higher in autumn and spring than in the central winter period.
In a way most heat pumps recover or reclaim heat energy for space heating and cooling, water heating or process heating. In the building sector, the natural heat sources which heat pumps transfer to useful heat, such as outside air, the ground, ground water and sea/lake/river water are in fact all heat sources that consist of solar heat and cannot be directly used for heating due to their temperature. Hence, one can argue that heat pumps which use these sources are (solar) heat-recovery devices.
This article describes the retrofitting of a five-family apartment building, implemented as a pilot and demonstration project for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. The fact that this building on Mutschellenstrasse in Zurich is a listed building, imposes restrictions to the retrofitting process. However, the cellar ceiling, the roof and part of the building facade have been insulated, new windows have been installed and three apartments have been fitted with a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Heating is provided by heat pumps.
Thermal comfort in a naturally ventilated test room is investigated. The test room is a lightweight portable cabin located in a sheltered area at Loughborough University, UK. Thermal comfort simulations were carried out for various sizes of openings and glazing. Medium and high thermal mass were added to the test room and their effects on thermal comfort were investigated. The results suggested that thermal mass has significant effect on thermal comfort parameters. Adding a 200 mm thick layer of medium-density concrete to the walls improved the thermal comfort over the summer by 40%.
Advanced Fabric Energy Storage allows buildings to maintain a comfortable internal environment whilst incurring a significantly reduced energy consumption and financial cost This paper provides a concise reference of the key design features of advanced Fabric Energy Storage, sharing experience gained from several years of involvement with the first UK projects.
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