Reducing energy demand in non-domestic buildings: integrating smart facades, ventilation, and surface heating and cooling

This paper discusses an overall strategy for reducing energy demand in non-domestic buildings, mainly focussing on office developments. It considers four areas: reducing internal heat loads; addressing passive design through the building construction; using efficient and responsive HVAC systems and focussing on chilled (heated) surface systems; integrating renewable energy supply systems into the building design. The impact on comfort, energy use and carbon dioxide emissions will be discussed. The paper will draw from a range of design projects carried out in Europe, where this integrated approach has been applied, and then explore the benefits in relation to applications in the Middle East and China. Energy modelling results, to inform the design process will be presented, using energy simulation for three case study locations, in Zurich, the Shanghai and Abu Dhabi

Energy retrofitting of existing housing at community scale: UK experience

In order for our communities to fully function in future they must be maintained in good quality with an efficient and effective energy and environmental performance. Background issues of energy, legislation, potential and actual CO2 savings, socio-economics (payback, fuel poverty, health impacts, employment stimulus, etc) are discussed. Different potential retrofit strategies for the housing stock are presented. Three large-scale housing retrofit programmes in Wales, UK are analysed for energy savings (using the Energy and Environmental Prediction Model), CO2 reduction and costs. Two 'whole house' retrofit projects in Wales are also briefly assessed, one of which has been the subject of long term monitoring. Data is compared on a range of retrofit options: different strategies (elemental, multiple and whole-house measures), costs, actual CO2 reductions and associated benefits. The findings indicate that as the cost of measures rise in relation of the predicted savings, reasonable paybacks will be difficult to achieve. There are funding opportunities for installing 'shallow' elemental measures to reduce CO2 emissions by 10 - 30%. However, the large scale financing of 'deep' (60 - 80% reductions) funding for whole house packages of measures is not currently available and does not offer an acceptable pay back

Computer simulation to achieve low carbon buildings

本文介绍了整体式低碳建筑设计的方法，同时概述了计算机模拟技术和建筑物理工程师在实现建筑低碳节能设计中的重要作用。文章结合当前瑞士节能建筑实例，进一步阐述计算机模拟技术如何帮助建筑师优化设计方案以实现低碳节能，同时创造出舒适健康的人居环境。计算机模拟技术可以准确预测建筑设计方案的性能或量化不同设计方案的性能以提供最合理方案，其主要功能包括预测室内空气温度，表面积辐射温度，计算室内得热量，制冷采暖负荷，机械通风和自然通风情况，以及室内外气流分布状况

Ain't that a shame : false tax declarations and fraudulent benefit claims

This paper begins by listing three ‘uncomfortable’ implications of the standard expected utility model of individual decision-making concerning participation in fiscal crimes: that tax evasion and benefit fraud can be treated identically; fiscal crimes should be endemic; and that all individuals, depending on parameter values, should be either honest or dishonest. Levitt and List’s (2007) utility function relating to decisions with a moral dimension is adapted to offer insight into these implications involving an individual’s ‘optimal honesty’ and ‘moral hinterland’. Predictions are developed that include moral costs as a determinant of dishonest intentions and are tested with reference to some 2,942 questionnaire responses to a 2016 national (UK) survey. This paper offers insight into the way moral costs inform perceptions of the intrinsic value of ‘doing the right thing’ thereby providing a richer analysis of fiscal crimes. The account has particular relevance for policy prescriptions that involve aspects of ‘shame’

Investigation of adaptive thermal comfort in building transitional spaces

Transitional spaces have been widely applied in building designs nowadays, which are present in the form of atria, lobbies, corridors and covered streets. As they have become common features of buildings, they account for 10- 40% of the total volume in different types of buildings. However, maintaining an acceptable thermal comfort for transitional spaces poses challenges to building designers and engineers as thermal discomfort has been revealed in such spaces of several newly constructed buildings, where there are still no recommended acceptable comfort range and thermal comfort prediction methods for transitional spaces. This paper aims to evaluate the appropriateness of PMV model in thermal sensation prediction in transitional spaces and to investigate the environmental performance and people’s adaptive comfort in transitional spaces. Field studies, which included on-site questionnaire surveys and physical measurements, were carried out during the summer period in three selected case buildings in Cardiff. They were The National Assembly for Wales – Senedd, Hadyn Ellis Building and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The total responses from the questionnaire surveys were 736 for these buildings. This paper first presents the findings from the field studies. Then, comparison between PMV and actual TSV was carried out. Poor correlations between PMV and actual TSV were identified. Besides, in-depth investigations on the human adaptability to thermal environment were conducted. Strong correlations were identified between the clothing value and indoor operative temperature. In addition to the analysis of the open question in the questionnaire about the actions that the people would take to overcome the uncomfortable situations, it is concluded from this research work that fine control of the indoor temperature of transitional spaces is not necessary and people would opt for self-adaptive actions to make themselves feel more comfortable in the transitional spaces