Investigation of indoor thermal comfort of heritage buildings in hot summer and cold winter zone of China: A case study

The heritage buildings of a country or region are frequently considered to be of value and significance to the current generation. This study investigates the winter indoor thermal comfort of heritage buildings in hot summer and cold winter zone of China. Field measurements and questionnaire surveys were used to conduct specific studies on the winter indoor thermal comfort of two typical traditional residential buildings (“Yinziwu” and “Diaojiaolou”) in the Yuan River basin heritage building area. The aim is to investigate the current status of building thermal comfort and provide a theoretical basis for promoting their sustainable development. The results show that 1) Indoor air temperatures in both types of buildings are significantly and positively correlated in winter, but both are below the human thermal comfort range. 2) Mean air temperatures measured in ''Yinziwu'' and ''Diaojiaolou'' are 8.8 °C and 9.4 °C, respectively, with neutral air temperatures of 11.1 °C and 13.8 °C. 3) Thermal sensation, thermal preference, and thermal comfort were significantly correlated in the two buildings, with ooccupants experiencing the coldest phase from 7:00–11:00 and the warmest phase from 15:00–19:00 daily. 4) ''Yinziwu'' occupants are more tolerant of the cold climate

Preliminary Study of Passive Cooling Strategy Using a Combination of PCM and Copper Foam to Increase Thermal Heat Storage in Building Facade

The innovation of phase change material (PCM) for thermal heat storage is one sustainable passive strategy that can be integrated into building designs. This research was conducted to study and evaluate the performance of the existing materials integrated with PCM and to propose a design strategy that would improve the system. This research suggested copper foam as a medium to be integrated with microencapsulated PCM. Applications of these combined materials will benefit the industry by improving indoor environments and by delivering sufficient thermal comfort for residents as in the case study of the existing 1.6 million terrace houses in Malaysia

Preliminary Study of Passive Cooling Strategy Using a Combination of PCM and Copper Foam to Increase Thermal Heat Storage in Building Facade

The innovation of phase change material (PCM) for thermal heat storage is one sustainable passive strategy that can be integrated into building designs. This research was conducted to study and evaluate the performance of the existing materials integrated with PCM and to propose a design strategy that would improve the system. This research suggested copper foam as a medium to be integrated with microencapsulated PCM. Applications of these combined materials will benefit the industry by improving indoor environments and by delivering sufficient thermal comfort for residents as in the case study of the existing 1.6 million terrace houses in Malaysia.phase change material; latent heat storage; thermal comfort; sustainable design technology

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) in Southeast Asian Countries: Review of Effects and Challenges

Fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation in the building sector is at an all-time high in line with the country’s economic growth. This scenario will increase the global CO2 emissions and large carbon footprints, thus leading to global warming. In recent years, most of the research related to the building sector has focused on the development of new techniques to reduce buildings’ energy consumption through energy conservation, energy efficiency, and the implementation of renewable energy technologies. The introduction of photovoltaic (PV) technology has become the most prominent renewable energy (RE) that can be integrated into building components. Even though the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) has been available for decades, but its implementation in Southeast Asian countries has not gained widespread acceptance compared to European countries and other parts of Asia. This paper aims to investigate the effects and challenges of BIPV implementation in Southeast Asian Countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines), focusing on climate effects, the initial cost of PV technology, government policies, and initiatives. An in-depth literature review from past research, policies, and reports taken between 2016 to 2021 has been conducted and found that the environmental parameters directly influence the performance of BIPV systems and affect efficiency. This study pointed at Feed-in Tariff (FiT), policies and initiatives offered by the government in Southeast Asian countries are not beneficial and discourage building owners to adopt the BIPV technology or any other RE technology. Governments should revise the current policies to promote and attract more building owners to take part in the efforts to minimize CO2 emissions from the building industry

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) in Southeast Asian Countries: Review of Effects and Challenges

Fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation in the building sector is at an all-time high in line with the country’s economic growth. This scenario will increase the global CO2 emissions and large carbon footprints, thus leading to global warming. In recent years, most of the research related to the building sector has focused on the development of new techniques to reduce buildings’ energy consumption through energy conservation, energy efficiency, and the implementation of renewable energy technologies. The introduction of photovoltaic (PV) technology has become the most prominent renewable energy (RE) that can be integrated into building components. Even though the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) has been available for decades, but its implementation in Southeast Asian countries has not gained widespread acceptance compared to European countries and other parts of Asia. This paper aims to investigate the effects and challenges of BIPV implementation in Southeast Asian Countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines), focusing on climate effects, the initial cost of PV technology, government policies, and initiatives. An in-depth literature review from past research, policies, and reports taken between 2016 to 2021 has been conducted and found that the environmental parameters directly influence the performance of BIPV systems and affect efficiency. This study pointed at Feed-in Tariff (FiT), policies and initiatives offered by the government in Southeast Asian countries are not beneficial and discourage building owners to adopt the BIPV technology or any other RE technology. Governments should revise the current policies to promote and attract more building owners to take part in the efforts to minimize CO2 emissions from the building industry

Thermal Performance and Energy Efficiency of Different Types of Walls for Residential Building

Decrement factor and time lag play an essential role in determining the thermal performance of a building envelope. Building walls, which form a major part of a building, have great influences on the energy consumption and indoor environment of a room. The indoor temperature considerably increases as the outdoor temperature increases. This scenario leads to excessive reliance on the mechanical cooling system, thereby increasing energy consumption. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the thermal performance and energy efficiency of different wall types. A building with a built-up area of 387.85m2 with six different wall materials is modelled and inputted in Energy Plus simulation software as an Intermediate Data Format file. The maximum and minimum surface indoor and outdoor temperatures are then obtained to determine the thermal performance of the wall material in terms of time lag and decrement factor. The energy efficiency of the wall materials is investigated by obtaining the annual cooling energy of the building made up of different wall materials. Results show that with the time lag of 1 hour, decrement factor of 0.86, annual cooling energy load of 9.52 GJ and cost consumption of RM 608.12, aerated lightweight concrete wall is the most suitable material amongst the six wall material

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and Their Optimum Position in Building Walls

More than half of the energy consumption in buildings is utilized for the heating and/or cooling of the indoor environment. The building envelope plays a key role in controlling the effects of external weather and, therefore, is linked with many passive design strategies. Thermal energy storage (TES) and phase change materials (PCMs) are efficient techniques, which can store a high density of thermal energy. The PCMs attract many researchers to implement them in the components of buildings for thermal management. In building walls, they were implemented in different positions and have achieved different results. This paper aims to review the related literature that examines PCMs’ application in different positions within the building walls to locate their optimum position and the influential parameters. It was found that the optimum positions of PCMs are highly dependent on performing a daily complete melting/freezing cycle to be ready for the following day. Many parameters can influence this, including climate and weather conditions and the application target, PCMs’ melting temperature and heat of fusion, PCMs’ amount, the thermal properties of the wall’s materials, a mechanical heating/cooling or free-running indoor environment, and wall orientation. An optimization process using the simulation tools is suggested so that the optimum position of the PCMs can be located

Towards Sustainable Development: Building’s Retrofitting with PCMs to Enhance the Indoor Thermal Comfort in Tropical Climate, Malaysia

Building sector is associated with high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change. Sustainable development emphasizes any actions to reduce climate change and its effect. In Malaysia, half of the energy utilized in buildings goes towards building cooling. Thermal comfort studies and adaptive thermal comfort models reflect the high comfort temperatures for Malaysians in naturally conditioned buildings, which make it possible to tackle the difference between buildings’ indoor temperature and the required comfort temperature by using proper passive measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of building’s retrofitting with phase change materials (PCMs) as a passive cooling technology to improve the indoor thermal environment for more comfortable conditions. PCM sheets were numerically investigated below the internal finishing of the walls. The investigation involved an optimization study for the PCMs transition temperatures and quantities. The results showed significant improvement in the indoor thermal environment, especially when using lower transition temperatures and higher quantities of PCMs. Therefore, the monthly thermal discomfort time has decreased completely, while the thermal comfort time has increased to as high as 98%. The PCM was effective year-round and the optimum performance for the investigated conditions was achieved when using 18mm layer of PCM27-26