Thermal comfort and energy consumption of the ecological house – simulation analysis of DOMTRZON

The paper describes the concept of DomTrzon which means ‘ecological house’. Measurements carried out in the existing building are presented. Based on this data the building envelope model assumptions are verified. A simplified model of a wood-lag accumulation stove (NunnaUuni) is proposed. The indoor thermal comfort and the building’s final energy consumption are investigated using TRNSYS simulation software. During periods when the building is occupied, most zones fulfill thermal comfort requirements. The final energy consumption of DomTrzon, for heating purposes, is equal to 66 kWh/m2/year

The role of user controls with respect to indoor environmental quality: From evidence to standards

There are important reasons to offer building users the possibility to adjust indoor-environmental conditions. For one thing, people sharing the same indoor environment, may have different needs, requirements, and preferences. The same set of conditions would thus not satisfy everyone. Moreover, even an individual user's preferences can change considerably, given fluctuations in the state of their disposition and health, as well as their physical and cognitive activities. After a brief discussion of available information and evidence concerning the importance of user controls in buildings, the present contribution focuses on the reflection of the user control topic in indoor-environmental quality standards. To this end, a selection of common indoor-environmental quality standards and guidelines is reviewed. The results suggest that, whereas some standards and guidelines refer to user control related issues in a general manner, there is a paucity of more specific guidance in methods and means for incorporation of user control considerations in the building design and operation process

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 Green Structure for Outdoor Places in Dry, Hot Regions and Seasons—Providing Human Thermal Comfort in Sustainable Cities

Hot and dry climate and air pollution is a growing problem in urban areas, and this can have an adverse impact on life and health of urban residents. One of the ways to protect people from this hazard is the use of urban green or street greenery. However, its implementation can be problematic in highly urbanized areas. This paper presents a concept of the green structure (GS), designed, and is still being developed, by Adam Kalinowski where cooling efficiency is based on the synergy of shade and evapotranspiration. The GS that could be used as street furniture, small architecture form or a public utility structure intended to protect people and objects from an adverse urban environment, at the same time providing pleasant and healthy microclimate inside. The pilot project-the first application of the GS in the urban environment-is presented and the results of short-term measurements of temperature and humidity are provided and analyzed. Moreover, a simple dynamic simulation of the GS performance in courtyards has been conducted. The obtained results show the decrease of the perceived temperature within this structure. Depending on climate type, an average potential reduction of Universal Thermal Comfort Index (UTCI) and mean radiant temperature (Tmrt), caused by the GS in a courtyard case study, is 5–8 °C and 17–29 °C, respectively. Performed simulation also confirms that TRNSYS software is an appropriate tool for simple outdoor microclimate analysis. Further research to develop this concept, increase its performance and customize it for different applications are proposed

Energy demand and thermal comfort of HVAC systems with thermally activated building systems as a function of user profile

Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) are a way to use building structure as a thermal energy storage. As a result, renewable energy sources may be used more efficiently. The paper presents numerical analysis of a HVAC system with TABS energy demand and indoor thermal comfort of a representative room in a non-residential building (governmental, commercial, educational). The purpose of analysis is to investigate the influence of a user profile on system performance. The time span of the analysis is one year – a typical meteorological year. The model was prepared using a generally accepted simulation tool – TRNSYS 17. The results help to better understand the interaction of a user profile with TABS. Therefore they are important for the development of optimal control algorithms for energy efficient buildings equipped with such systems

Radiators Adjustment in Multi-Family Residential Buildings—An Analysis Based on Data from Heat Meters

Energy is consumed in buildings through the use of various types of energy systems, which are controlled by the occupants via provided interfaces. The quality of this control should be verified to improve the efficiency of the systems and for the comfort of the occupants. In the case of residential buildings, due to privacy reasons, it is problematic to directly monitor human–building interactions using sensors installed in dwellings. However, data from increasingly common smart meters are easily available. In this paper, the potential use of data from heat meters is explored for the analysis of occupant interactions with space-heating (SH) systems. A pilot study is conducted based on a one-year set of daily data from 101 dwellings. First, the identification of an indoor temperature and a strategy for thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) adjustments for all the investigated dwellings is presented. Second, the performed analysis suggests that 96% of the households did not use the automatic adjustment function of the TRVs since adjustments using the on–off mode were the most common, which could be empirical evidence for Kempton’s theory on mental models of home heating controls. The reasons for this could be the weakness of the TRV as an SH interface and the technical specificity of the analyzed SH (its supply temperature). The preliminary investigation confirms the potential of the proposed methodology, but further research is needed

The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption – the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

Occupants’ attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants’ behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants’ behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey’s respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants’ behavior (e.g. the use of heating control) are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments

The influence of multifamily apartment building occupants on energy and water consumption – the preliminary results of monitoring and survey campaign

Occupants’ attitudes and behavior have a significant influence on energy and water consumption in buildings. To provide more robust solutions, energy efficient applications should consider occupant-building interaction. However, there is a question to be answered: which aspects of lodging and occupant behavior cause the most substantial increase in consumption of these mediums. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of household characteristics and occupants’ behavior on level and variability in utilities consumption. The study uses the results of a measuring campaign and the questionnaire. The measuring campaign was carried out to monitor the consumption of energy used for space heating and domestic hot water, as well as electricity, gas and water. The questionnaire specifically focused on household characteristics and occupants’ behavior. The research was carried out in four apartment buildings, all consisting of more than 100 apartments. Data from approximately 100 households was gathered and analyzed; the survey’s respond rate was almost 50%. A quantitative analysis of the results confirms the assumption that both household characteristics and occupants’ behavior (e.g. the use of heating control) are important factors for utilities consumption. Further work with the obtained data is planned in terms of including of greater number of apartments, assessment of ventilation effectiveness, as well as analysis of heat transfer between the apartments