A Paradigm Shift to Ensure Proper Ventilation and Better IAQ - The Energy Savings and Cost Benefits of a Dedicated Outdoor Air Approach

An energy and cost analysis has been performed which compared a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) with chilled radiant cooling panel (CRCP), designed for an official building located in the hot and humid climate of Chennai, India, and an existing VAV system with total energy recovery (TER). In addition to the benefits of providing the right quantity of ventilation all the time to maintain IAQ at the better level, as prescribed by ASHRAE Standard 62, an annual energy savings of 20 percent was predicted when compared with the VAV system with total energy recovery. A detailed cost analysis shows that there is much to gain from adopting this new design paradigm.