Thermal comfort in UK Homes: how suitable is the PMV approach as a prediction tool?

This thesis presents a body of work conducted in the field of domestic thermal comfort. The aim of this research was to determine the suitability of the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index in homes within the UK. Two field studies were conducted with a sample of participants living in owner occupied properties in a UK city (London) and a UK provincial town (Loughborough). Research findings indicate that the PMV is indeed a good predictor of thermal sensation in homes when conditions are steady state and people are engaged in near-sedentary activities. When conditions are not steady state and people are engaged in a variety of household activities, the accuracy of the PMV index can be improved by using a metabolic rate coefficient of 1.7. Further research work is required to ascertain this and likewise the range of applicability of the Adaptive Model

Oral application of L-menthol in the heat: From pleasure to performance

When menthol is applied to the oral cavity it presents with a familiar refreshing sensation and cooling mint flavour. This may be deemed hedonic in some individuals, but may cause irritation in others. This variation in response is likely dependent upon trigeminal sensitivity toward cold stimuli, suggesting a need for a menthol solution that can be easily personalised. Menthol’s characteristics can also be enhanced by matching colour to qualitative outcomes; a factor which can easily be manipulated by practitioners working in athletic or occupational settings to potentially enhance intervention efficacy. This presentation will outline the efficacy of oral menthol application for improving time trial performance to date, either via swilling or via co-ingestion with other cooling strategies, with an emphasis upon how menthol can be applied in ecologically valid scenarios. Situations in which performance is not expected to be enhanced will also be discussed. An updated model by which menthol may prove hedonic, satiate thirst and affect ventilation will also be presented, with the potential performance implications of these findings discussed and modelled. Qualitative reflections from athletes that have implemented menthol mouth swilling in competition, training and maximal exercise will also be included

Thermal Performance of Case-study Apartment Buildings in Temperate Climate Zones in Australia: Measurements, Modelling, and Codes

Population growth and lifestyle incentives have led to an increase in the amount and proportion of people living in apartment dwellings in Australia’s capital and major regional cities. Concurrently, there have been ongoing increases in energy efficiency regulations for residential buildings in Australia in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated through energy used for space conditioning to maintain thermal comfort. However, there is uncertainty as to whether the intended benefits of these energy efficiency regulations are being realised due to uncertainties in the simulation-based compliance process. This issue is particularly significant for apartments as there is very little quantitative evidence of the thermal performance of Australian apartments, despite the introduction of energy efficiency regulations in 2005 and the significant apartment development boom that has occurred since then. The underlying operating mechanism of these regulations is to enforce improvements to thermal performance of the building envelope. While regulations have increased the amount of insulation installed in dwellings, the estimated performance benefits may be overstated as, at the time of writing, thermal bridging effects are not considered in residential buildings. The aims of this study were therefore to understand and quantify the thermal performance of a set of case-study apartments in Australia, and to compare this measured thermal performance to that simulated using the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) mandated building performance simulation (BPS) software and protocol of assumptions. The study also aimed to assess the impact of uncertainties associated with assumptions in the NatHERS protocol regarding thermal conditions, occupant behaviour, weather conditions, and building envelope performance. Finally, the study sought to quantify the impact of thermal bridging in apartments

Thermal Comfort in Sun Spaces: To what extend can energy collectors and seasonal energy storages provide thermal comfort in sun space?

Preparation for fossil fuel substitution in the building sector persists as an essential subject in architectural engineering. Since the building sector still remains as one of the three major global end energy consumer – climate change is closely related to construction and design. We have developed the archetype sun space to what it is today : a simple but effective predominant naturally ventilated sun trap and as well as living space enlargement. With the invention of industrial glass orangery’s more and more changed from frost protecting envelopes to living spaces from which we meantime expect thermal comfort in high quality. But what level of thermal comfort provide sun spaces? And to what extend may sun spaces manage autarkic operation profiting from passive solar gains and, beyond that, surplus energy generation for energy neutral conditioning of aligned spaces? We deliver detailed information for this detected gap of knowledge. We know about limited thermal comfort in sun spaces winter times. This reasons the inspection of manifold collector technologies, which enable to be embedded in facades and specifically in sun space envelopes. Nonetheless, effective façade integrated collectors are ineffective in seasons with poor irradiation. Hence, the mismatch of offer and demand we have experienced with renewable energies ignites thinking about appropriate seasonal energy storages, which enlarges the research scope of this work. This PhD thesis project investigates on both, a yearly empirical test set up analysis and a virtual simulation of different oriented and located sun spaces abroad Germany. Both empirical and theoretical evaluation result in a holistic research focusing on a preferred occupation time in terms of cumulative frequencies of operational temperature and decided local discomfort, of potential autarkic sun space operation and prospective surplus exergy for alternative heating of aligned buildings. The results are mapped geographically for Germany. Fossil fuel substitution, as far as this thesis elaborated, is closely related to quality of thermal comfort, sun space orientation and energetic standard of the aligned building. Unexpectedly, spaces, which define envelopes incorporating collectors in combination with storage technologies both profit and suffer to some extend in respect to thermal comfort. Essentially, we can conclude, that the more area-wise efficient and the more integral the collector technology is incorporated into façade design, the more distinct significance of thermal comfort quality and fossil fuel substitution is. Eventually, this dissertation determines the potential of a new generation of sun spaces in the context of energy transition

Thermal comfort in sun spaces:

Preparation for fossil fuel substitution in the building sector persists as an essential subject in architectural engineering. Since the building sector still remains as one of the three major global end energy consumer – climate change is closely related to construction and design. We have developed the archetype sun space to what it is today : a simple but effective predominant naturally ventilated sun trap and as well as living space enlargement. With the invention of industrial glass orangery’s more and more changed from frost protecting envelopes to living spaces from which we meantime expect thermal comfort in high quality. But what level of thermal comfort provide sun spaces? And to what extend may sun spaces manage autarkic operation profiting from passive solar gains and, beyond that, surplus energy generation for energy neutral conditioning of aligned spaces? We deliver detailed information for this detected gap of knowledge. We know about limited thermal comfort in sun spaces winter times. This reasons the inspection of manifold collector technologies, which enable to be embedded in facades and specifically in sun space envelopes. Nonetheless, effective façade integrated collectors are ineffective in seasons with poor irradiation. Hence, the mismatch of offer and demand we have experienced with renewable energies ignites thinking about appropriate seasonal energy storages, which enlarges the research scope of this work. This PhD thesis project investigates on both, a yearly empirical test set up analysis and a virtual simulation of different oriented and located sun spaces abroad Germany. Both empirical and theoretical evaluation result in a holistic research focusing on a preferred occupation time in terms of cumulative frequencies of operational temperature and decided local discomfort, of potential autarkic sun space operation and prospective surplus exergy for alternative heating of aligned buildings. The results are mapped geographically for Germany. Fossil fuel substitution, as far as this thesis elaborated, is closely related to quality of thermal comfort, sun space orientation and energetic standard of the aligned building. Unexpectedly, spaces, which define envelopes incorporating collectors in combination with storage technologies both profit and suffer to some extend in respect to thermal comfort. Essentially, we can conclude, that the more area-wise efficient and the more integral the collector technology is incorporated into façade design, the more distinct significance of thermal comfort quality and fossil fuel substitution is. Eventually, this dissertation determines the potential of a new generation of sun spaces in the context of energy transition

Domestic Practices and User Experiences Pre- and Post- Occupancy in a Low-Carbon Development

Examination of how household practices, resource flows and social contexts change after moving into an innovative development in Western Australia, with a focus on the home system of practice. This research demonstrates that while some aspects of domestic practices may change when the context changes, entrenched habits and personal practice history prescribe how practices are performed and the subsequent resources consumed

Design principles for thermally comfortable and low energy homes in the extreme hot-humid climatic Gulf region, with reference to Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Indoor thermal comfort and its consequent energy consumption, are an increasingly important area of consideration in both developed and developing countries. The Gulf States, characterised by their composite extreme hot-humid climate and Airconditioning dependent society are renowned for their high energy consumption. The main aim of this research is to review and report on ways to enhance occupant thermal comfort in homes through improved building and system design and use that minimises energy consumption possible, in the extreme climate of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The thesis does this by measuring and analysing the thermal performance of the buildings, the thermal satisfaction and comfort responses of their occupants and the energy consumption in them during August 2013 for the summer period and January 2014 for the winter period of the study. The comfort of occupants was assessed using the adaptive thermal comfort method. Neutral indoor air temperatures were, in several homes, surprisingly high. Moreover, most of the studied dwellings do not represent thermally comfortable homes as defined within either PMV or adaptive comfort limits. The study went on to review a broad range of factors that might strongly influence neutral temperatures indoors including the properties of the dwellings, occupant behaviours and attitudes towards high energy demand, loads and costs. The findings are discussed and conclusions drawn on individual design features that contribute to the comfort or discomfort experienced by occupants. It was found that lifestyle, attitudes and other socio-cultural factors have a clear influence on the comfort and in turn energy use in individual dwellings. Although several respondents did not sincerely care about the electricity as it is cheap, in late 2015 the Saudi government hiked the price of domestic energy bills by 60% as a result of low oil prices, putting pressure on many ordinary families to take more notice of their day to day living expenses. The recent electricity price hike provides an economic impetus for the design guidance proffered in the conclusions of this thesis to be taken seriously by householders and implemented by both them and regulating authorities in order to enhance domestic buildings and in turn reduce the CO2 emissions to the global atmosphere. The conclusion of this study is broadly applicable to other regions with similar climatic conditions and cultural contexts such as the Gulf countries

The role of user centred design in domestic energy demand reduction

The domestic sector currently accounts for approximately a third of the UK s energy use and so energy demand reduction in the domestic sector is a key part of the UK s strategy for carbon reduction. However, energy demand reduction has typically been addressed from an engineering perspective, with little consideration of the requirements of users. This PhD submission aims to identify how qualitative information about users experiences, values and practices relating to UK domestic energy demand reduction can be collected and presented effectively to an engineering audience and incorporated into engineering-focused energy research. User centred design is presented as a viable approach to understanding the context of energy use in UK homes and specifying requirements of the householders; as a way of ensuring user needs are included in this socio-technical problem space. This requires presentation of information about human behaviour in a form that is timely and appropriate to the engineering audience, who take a positivist view, preferring facts and figures to descriptions and anecdotes. A collection of nine publications, mostly peer-reviewed journal papers, by the thesis author and her co-authors is presented. Publications spanning from 2006 to 2014 illustrate a range of approaches to providing user centred information, from literature review to complex householder studies, which can provide information to enhance the engineering data and so provide additional insight and understanding. The research findings within the individual papers add to the body of knowledge on domestic energy use. In addition, the research identifies a number of roles where user centred design contributes to understanding of home energy use. From providing background and raising awareness of the presence of users within a system, to contextual understanding and the specification of user requirements, through to more sophisticated user characterisation, it is argued that user centred design can offer a significant contribution to the field. Future application of user information into engineering models, together with large scale, longitudinal studies of home energy use are proposed, building on the contributions of this thesis