The Relationship Between Thermal Performance, Thermal Comfort And Occupants. A Study Of Thermal Indoor Environment In Selected Students Accommodation In Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

Thermal comfort is considered to be a principal requirement that is usually demanded of by occupants of accommodation units

Buildings of Tomorrow: Goals and Challenges for Design and Operation of High-Performance Buildings

This reprint aims to address the challenges modern-day buildings face in the context of high energy and resource consumption and climate change. One of the ways to address the issues is holistic design and operation of high-performance buildings in the area of energy efficiency, occupant health, and comfort. All this should be achieved through synergic interconnectedness between parameters such as the indoor–outdoor environment, sustainability, and resilience. Through different chapters, this reprint highlights the key areas, namely, the optimization of building design parameters, the impact of the use of modern-day phase-change materials, the adaptation of occupants and buildings to climate change, the mitigation of urban overheating by cool roofs, and reducing energy demand and CO2 emissions

Investigating the applicability of PMVe-PPDe model in non air-conditioned hostel building

To make PMV-PPD model applicable in NV buildings, Fanger proposed PMVe-PPDe model by including an expectancy factor (e). However, there are conflicting reports as regard the applicability of the model in NV buildings. Using the data obtained from physical measurement of (air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity) using Kestrel model 4500, questionnaire survey and observation considering class II protocol, the applicability of PMVe-PPDe model in a NV hostel building was investigated. All the measured environmental variables fell below the comfort range recommended by ASHRAE standard 55 and ISO 7730 standard. Most (85%) of the calculated PMVe values fell within the comfort range recommended by ASHRAE standard 55 and ISO 7730 standard. The obtained PPDe results showed only a slight overestimation (8.9% about) of the percentage of dissatisfied under neutrality conditions. The study concluded that PMVe-PPDe is applicable in NV hostel in this climate. According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the Fanger’s basic approach for the assessment of the thermal comfort is effective also in naturally ventilated hostel environments if a right expectancy factor is applied. Keywords: NV environments, thermal comfort in hostel, PMVe-PPDe, expectancy factor

A Global Building Occupant Behavior Database

This paper introduces a database of 34 field-measured building occupant behavior datasets collected from 15 countries and 39 institutions across 10 climatic zones covering various building types in both commercial and residential sectors. This is a comprehensive global database about building occupant behavior. The database includes occupancy patterns (i.e., presence and people count) and occupant behaviors (i.e., interactions with devices, equipment, and technical systems in buildings). Brick schema models were developed to represent sensor and room metadata information. The database is publicly available, and a website was created for the public to access, query, and download specific datasets or the whole database interactively. The database can help to advance the knowledge and understanding of realistic occupancy patterns and human-building interactions with building systems (e.g., light switching, set-point changes on thermostats, fans on/off, etc.) and envelopes (e.g., window opening/closing). With these more realistic inputs of occupants’ schedules and their interactions with buildings and systems, building designers, energy modelers, and consultants can improve the accuracy of building energy simulation and building load forecasting

The relationship between thermal performance, thermal comfort and occupants. A study of thermal indoor environment in selected students accommodation in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Penang.

Thermal comfort is considered to be a principal requirement that is usually demanded of by occupants of accommodation units. A compatible indoor climate design is actually a modification of the external environmental system and is designed to provide comfort for occupants. There is a reciprocal relationship between climate and man in both indoor and outdoor areas. Thermal comfort plays a significant role in organizing that relationship and in activating it, thus making an area inhabitable and well adapted for daily existence. In this paper, the relationship between the indoor thermal comfort and the external equatorial climate of Malaysia is investigated in student accommodation quarters, in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).These accommodation quarters known as “hostel” would be studied for their thermal performance and energy consumption patterns. To accurately determine these aspects, data regarding the building envelope, plan, system, orientation, and operation design would be gathered. This information would be compiled from the various hostels located within the university precincts. Finally, the comfort condition of the hostels would be estimated via comfort surveys and on site measurements

The Implementation of Sustainable Energy Initiatives in Campus Buildings

The Adopt-A-Park Programme has Sustainable energy initiatives are one of the substantial measures toward achieving environmental sustainability goals and should be adopted by facilities management practices in university. This paper examined the sustainable energy initiatives implemented at three (3) participated universities with the objectives to identify the most current effective initiatives undertaken and to propose future improvement strategies. The perception of six (6) key persons was observed via a semi-structured interview. The most implemented strategies were establishing energy awareness programs, adopting energy-efficient appliances and equipment, managing time schedules, and implementing the prepaid metering system. The study suggested that the firm commitments and participation from all parties in universities are needed towards achieving a sustainable campus. Keywords: Sustainable Energy; Energy Conservation; Energy Efficiency; Sustainable Facilities Management 2398-4279 © 2019 The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA CE-Bs by E-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v4i17.20

Operation of Energy Efficient Residential Buildings Under Indoor Environmental Quality Requirements

This paper is devoted to the influence of Indoor Environmental Quality, [IEQ] requirements associated with occupation regimes on the criterion of energy demand s for HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning) central systems that were constructed for student hostels as a residential building in Cairo, Egypt. The paper focuses on the effects of occupation rate profiles with IEQ thermal parameters; (those are air dry-bulb temperatures, relative humidity, fresh air requirements, and local air velocities), on yearly energy demands. It is applied on, in-service, real project as a case study "10-Stories Hostel of 6000 m2 built-up area" that is utilized by Non-Local students as a transferred Egyptian citizens [ EC ] from different governorates. It was concluded that. during energy simulation, occupation rate schedules and operation profiles for each source of heat inside space shall simulate the reality. These profiles and schedules should be added to the local energy code as a guideline for designers. Although in this case study results from simulation task reach the real bills, but sometimes, with multi-use apartments there is another required schedule for the Pre-Action days. Those days before holidays and feasts on which the air conditioning system shall operate in a certain procedure for cleaning or scavenging. Another important issue is the effect of Effective Temperatures [ET] (Temperature for constant thermal sensations) that could implement to reduce the cooling capacity by increasing the room temperature against indoor relative humidity for the same comfort sensation. These two concepts will save 17% to 22% of the project total energy demand, In addition to introducing new design criteria for acceptable indoor conditions in the new rural developed zones in Egypt and similar regions

Influence of coatings on energy conservation in construction industry: A case study in the new Egyptian administrative capital

World energy consumption has increased rapidly in the past few years. Due to population growth, total energy consumption is increasing; a large amount of energy is wasted on the cooling and heating processes in buildings. Ho¬wever, using thermal heating management can minimize costs, heat consumption and create a management system for the heat insulation for buildings. This concept is being implemented through different approaches. Based on analysis and research, there is an evidence in the energy consumption before and after testing and applying construction approaches for thermal heating management in building units. This investigation addresses an evaluation of the influence of external coatings on energy consumption. Coatings are considered one of the smart effective available approaches for energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this approach is not widely applied in the construction industry. It needs more data to prove effectiveness and credibility between people to use it as a smart thermal insulation approach. Two precedents have been analyzed in order to monitor buildings’ heat exposure, and how the buildings will be affected by thermal insulation materials. Data sheets from chemical companies which produce similar coatings are compared with the usual products and the protective thermal products. The New Egyptian Administrative Capital is considered the new heart of Egypt, where energy saving concept is taken into consideration from the beginning. This shows that Egypt is also moving towards achieving the concept of energy conservation. The site visits reveal a potential for energy conservation up to 70% using protective coatings; which can be implemented in Egypt. Furthermore, based on interviews with site engineers and the head of operational projects inside the capital, they are open for studying more effective approaches for energy savings, as it is highly needed; especially, in the ministries’ zone