scholarly journals Balancing User Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings through Social Interaction by ICT Systems

Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Franco
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Great Part ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
User Comfort

Energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and comfort in public buildings has received increasing attention in recent years as it can contribute to maintaining safety conditions and to the reduction of conventional fuels consumption, energy costs for building owners, and greenhouse gas emissions. People are an integral part of any building energetic ecosystem as, according to some estimates, they spend a great part of their life in indoor spaces. On one side, occupants are responsible for the energy consumption of the building and for this reason the “psychology of energy saving” has received attention since the 70s up to recent results. On the other hand, strategies for energy efficiency should not jeopardize occupants’ health and quality of life. While general awareness of the value of environmental variables has increased in the last few years, this interest has recently been further exacerbated by the spreading of the well-known COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, as most countries have started planning post-lock-down activities, there is a growing concern regarding how social distancing measures can be enforced in shared buildings and strict indoor air quality control can prevent airborne virus transmission in crowded spaces. The paper discusses the perspectives of increasing the level of social interaction of building users through the systematic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and in particular, some specific platforms. The ICT system, taking information from the occupants in a concerted way, can be an important instrument to collect data, coming both from physical sensors and from people to develop a multi-objective control strategy for the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Cooling (HVAC) systems in order to obtain energy savings whilst balancing user comfort and healthy conditions.

Assessing occupant satisfaction and energy behaviours in Toronto’s LEED gold high-rise residential buildings

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Brown ◽  
Mark Gorgolewski
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Occupant Satisfaction

Purpose – This paper aims to present four purposes: to assess occupant satisfaction with indoor environmental quality (IEQ); to determine if occupants appear to be operating their dwellings in an energy efficient manner; to suggest ways that occupant satisfaction and behaviour can help or hinder energy efficiency; and to show that the post-occupancy evaluation approach is an effective tool in diagnosing and improving satisfaction and energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings. Design/methodology/approach – Beyond measuring occupant satisfaction with IEQ, this paper uses scores and user comments from occupant questionnaires to identify success and indicate frustration and/or confusion with particular building technologies. It also extrapolates the energy efficiency implications of these responses in four Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold residential towers. Findings – The research highlights where problems occur, particularly with the adoption of new technologies which may not be well understood by the occupants. It also identifies behaviour patterns that may negate energy efficiency strategies. Research limitations/implications – The lack of dwelling metre data prevents this research from making causal links between behaviours and their energy implications. Also, the lack of Canadian benchmarks for satisfaction of occupants means that comparisons can only be made to cases from the UK, which is less robust. Originality/value – This type of work has never been done in Canadian residential high rise towers before. It helps to better understand the process of ensuring that occupants successfully adopt innovation that can lead to energy savings.

ANALYSIS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS AFTER IMPLEMENTATION OF ENERGY SAVING MEASURES

2019 ◽  
pp. 314-320
Author(s):  
Ivan Binev
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
The Relationship

The report analyzes energy efficiency in public buildings. A mathematical model was developed describing the relationship between energy savings and heated space in buildings with energy saving measures implemented. The resulting model can be used to predict energy savings of buildings with an accuracy of 82%. The results facilitate the process of determining the energy savings of buildings in which energy-saving measures are to be implemented.

scholarly journals How to Prioritize Energy Efficiency Intervention in Municipal Public Buildings to Decrease CO2 Emissions? A Case Study from Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4434
Author(s):  
Filomena Pietrapertosa ◽  
Marco Tancredi ◽  
Michele Giordano ◽  
Carmelina Cosmi ◽  
Monica Salvia
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
End Use ◽  
Climate Crisis

The European Union 2050 climate neutrality goal and the climate crisis require coordinated efforts to reduce energy consumption in all sectors, and mainly in buildings greatly affected by the increasing temperature, with relevant CO2 emissions due to inefficient end-use technologies. Moreover, the old building stock of most countries requires suited policies to support renovation programs aimed at improving energy performances and optimize energy uses. A toolbox was developed in the framework of the PrioritEE project to provide policy makers and technicians with a wide set of tools to support energy efficiency in Municipal Public Buildings. The toolbox, available for free, was tested in the partners’ communities, proving its effectiveness. The paper illustrates its application to the Potenza Municipality case study in which the online calculator DSTool (the core instrument of the toolbox) was utilized to select and prioritize the energy efficiency interventions in public buildings implementable in a three-year action plan in terms of costs, energy savings, CO2 emissions’ reduction and return on investments. The results highlight that improvements in the building envelopes (walls and roofs), heating and lighting and photovoltaic systems allow reducing CO2 emission approximately 644 t/year and saving about 2050 MWh/year with a total three-year investment of 1,728,823 EUR.

scholarly journals Comment on Pietrapertosa et al. How to Prioritize Energy Efficiency Intervention in Municipal Public Buildings to Decrease CO2 Emissions? A Case Study from Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 4434

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3961
Author(s):  
Miroslav Variny
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Public Building ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Heated Area

This paper responds to the article by Pietrapertosa et al., doi:10.3390/ijerph17124434, published previously in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Its aim is to discuss the appropriateness of the studied method, to analyze its weak sides and to propose its robustness improvement. Thus, data presented in the above study were examined and recalculated, yielding, among others, indicators of annual energy savings (in kWh per m2 of total heated area) and specific proposals investment costs (in € per m2 of total heated area). By analyzing the obtained data for all public buildings, a significantly simplified approach to this problematic has been suggested while several other features of the research method and some presented results lack proper reasoning and discussion. Individual approach to each public building has been proposed and discussed point-by-point to enhance the method’s applicability. As a result, more realistic outcomes are obtained, and suitable investment actions can be proposed.

scholarly journals Improving energy efficiency of kindergartens in Serbia: Challenges and potentials

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6 Part A) ◽  
pp. 3521-3532
Author(s):  
Natasa Cukovic-Ignjatovic ◽  
Dusan Ignjatovic ◽  
Bojana Zekovic
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
National Level ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Energy Efficient Buildings ◽  
Heated Area ◽  
Primary Focus

Kindergartens are probably the very first public buildings we actively use in our lives. Therefore, they can be considered as the physical structures that are providing for the very important educational and social function. Additionally, they can also be considered as the specific learning tool for future generations where they can encounter the ideas of green and energy-efficient buildings. One of the results of the research project ?Energy efficiency in public buildings? has been formulated through the development of Serbian National Typology of Kindergartens which was conceived as a specific tool that can be used for improving this portion of building stock. The paper presents the methodology for identification of typical kindergarten buildings, covering various construction periods, building sizes and illustrates the type of analysis performed for model representatives. The potential for energy upgrades covering physical structure, installed technological systems, as well as expected impact on energy performance, has been estimated. The study presents results based on the analysis of the data derived from the National Typology, stressing out that energy retrofits of large and medium-sized kindergartens built during the 1970s and 1980s should be the primary focus of refurbishment activities. Accounting for almost 60% of total buildings and 69.59% of heated area, they are responsible for 75.97% of energy demands. Estimated energy savings of more than 60% indicate the effectiveness of their retrofit. The paper also presents the potential uses of National Typology as a retrofit tool on various scales, from single-building considerations to a strategic approach at the national level.

scholarly journals Adaptive Reuse Decisions for Historic Buildings in Relation to Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort—Cairo Citadel, a Case Study from Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10531
Author(s):  
Yasmine Sabry Hegazi ◽  
Heidi Ahmed Shalaby ◽  
Mady A. A. Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Adaptive Reuse ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Historic Buildings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
The One

Historic buildings still perform their role today by being utilized either for their original purpose or a new purpose for which they are adapted. These buildings have specific requirements that inhabitants must follow. These requirements and relating uses and maintenance procedures result from adaptive reuse decisions, which may not be the most optimal scenario. The imperative is that historic buildings are used in a manner that, on the one hand, does not endanger their value related to heritage and tradition, and on the other hand, guarantees a degree of utility for their inhabitants, such as acceptable performance with regards to either air cooling or heating. The challenge is how to optimize the use of energy for either air cooling or heating, provided that adaptive reuse decisions are grounded in certain very specific and very rigid principles. The latter render is extremely difficult to meet the twin challenges of ensuring energy efficiency and thermal comfort for inhabitants while at the same time complying with the adaptive reuse principles. To address this challenge and gain an insight into ways of navigating it, a Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is conducted in Former Soldier’s Residence in the Cairo Citadel, Cairo, Egypt, which is now used as the National Organization for Urban Harmony’s (NOUH) administrative head office, this research can be considered as a single domain from which many other possible multi-domains can be investigated while studying the case of adaptive reuse. Other aspects such as indoor environmental quality, air quality, acoustics and lighting might act as multiple approaches appear to be widely used according to this review study, and in the future, the authors intend to test this research with the current single approach used in this research, which is the thermal comfort. POE includes both objective and subjective assessment, the POE limitation at this research to those assessment while a multi-perceptional and behavioral factors might be used as physical, contextual, personal, and others. The simulation and the survey methods were employed consecutively to assess the case study. By considering the research results, it was determined that the building consumes unnecessary energy by its current use of air conditioning system.

Energy Efficiency Analyses and Comparison of Air and Water Cooled High Performance Servers

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Ellsworth ◽  
Madhusudan K. Iyengar
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Heat Load ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Water Cooling ◽  
Water Side ◽  
Comparable Performance ◽  
Facility Level

This paper presents a study that illustrates the energy efficiency benefits of using water cooling for server thermal management versus utilizing air-cooling for high performance server applications. In 2008 IBM introduced the water cooled Power 575 Supercomputing Node, which is packaged in a super-dense 2U (88.9 mm) form factor. A fully configured system can dissipate as much as 72 kW with 80% of the heat load going to water. A fully air cooled version of this system, developed by Hitachi, operates 3.5 GHz and dissipates 61 kW at the frame level. In this paper, numerical analyses is first carried to help provide a context for the data center air-conditioning energy consumption, necessary to cool comparable performance clusters for both the air and water cooled racks, respectively. The room level CFD calculations are then extended to the facility level, by including the energy consumption of the refrigeration chiller, the building and condenser water pumps, and the cooling towers. Recent innovations that enable the use of water side economizers as well as 100% water cooling of racks are also discussed. The results show that there can be as much as a 45% reduction in the facilities power to cool the water cooled system compared to the energy required for the air cooled equivalent. When 100% of the server heat load is transferred directly to the chilled water supplied to the racks, there can be a 50% energy savings compared to traditional air-cooling. Lastly, use of 100% water cooling in conjunction with water side economizers can yield more than 90% cooling energy savings compared to the air-cooled configurations.

scholarly journals Energy Efficiency Package for Tenant Fit-Out: Laboratory Testing and Validation of Energy Savings and Indoor Environmental Quality

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 5311
Author(s):  
Paul Mathew ◽  
Cindy Regnier ◽  
Jordan Shackelford ◽  
Travis Walter
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
Plug Loads ◽  
Operational Issues ◽  
Core Measures

Approximately 40% of the total U.S. office floor space of 1.5 billion sq.m (16 billion sq.ft.) is leased space occupied by tenants. Tenant fit-out presents a key opportunity to incorporate energy efficiency within the real estate business cycle. We designed a package of energy efficiency measures tailored to the scope of a tenant fit-out. This tenant fit-out package (TFP) includes advanced lighting and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) controls as core measures, with ceiling fans, automated shading, and plug load controls as additional optional measures. We conducted laboratory testing of six configurations of the package to evaluate energy savings, indoor environmental quality, and identify installation, commissioning, and operational issues. Combined savings for HVAC, lighting, and plug loads ranged from 33–40%. Lighting savings ranged from 69–83%, and HVAC savings from 20–40%. The laboratory testing also revealed some minor but tractable challenges with installation and commissioning of HVAC controls. Overall, the results demonstrate that significant savings can be realized in existing office buildings by incorporating relatively low-risk, proven measures at the time of a tenant fit-out.

An Analysis of Actual Energy Savings in an Indian Cement Industry Through an Energy Efficiency Index

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 829-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Saidur ◽  
M. T. Sambandam ◽  
M. Hasanuzzaman ◽  
D. Devaraj ◽  
S. Rajakarunakaran
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Efficiency Index ◽  
Cement Industry

scholarly journals Minimal Monitoring of Improvements in Energy Performance after Envelope Renovation in Subsidized Single Family Housing in Madrid

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Fernando Martín-Consuegra ◽  
Fernando de Frutos ◽  
Ignacio Oteiza ◽  
Carmen Alonso ◽  
Borja Frutos
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Nineteen Fifties ◽  
Environment Quality ◽  
Urban Complex

This study quantified the improvement in energy efficiency following passive renovation of the thermal envelope in highly inefficient residential complexes on the outskirts of the city of Madrid. A case study was conducted of a single-family terrace housing, representative of the smallest size subsidized dwellings built in Spain for workers in the nineteen fifties and sixties. Two units of similar characteristics, one in its original state and the other renovated, were analyzed in detail against their urban setting with an experimental method proposed hereunder for simplified, minimal monitoring. The dwellings were compared on the grounds of indoor environment quality parameters recorded over a period covering both winter and summer months. That information was supplemented with an analysis of the energy consumption metered. The result was a low-cost, reasonably accurate measure of the improvements gained in the renovated unit. The monitoring output data were entered in a theoretical energy efficiency model for the entire neighborhood to obtain an estimate of the potential for energy savings if the entire urban complex were renovated.

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