A Strategy to Maximally Utilize Outdoor Air for Indoor Thermal Environment

Lei Tang, Zhengtao Ai, Chunyan Song, Guoqiang Zhang and Zhengxuan Liu
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Lei Tang: National Center for International Research Collaboration in Building Safety and Environment, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Zhengtao Ai: National Center for International Research Collaboration in Building Safety and Environment, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Chunyan Song: College of Construction Engineering Management, Inner Mongolia Technical College of Construction, Hohhot 010070, China
Guoqiang Zhang: National Center for International Research Collaboration in Building Safety and Environment, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
Zhengxuan Liu: National Center for International Research Collaboration in Building Safety and Environment, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: In order to reduce the energy consumption of HVAC systems in buildings, the use of energy-saving solutions is necessary. One of these solutions is ventilation, which is usually used for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort. As the change in outdoor environment is unpredictable and the occupant control is spontaneous, it is critical to control the windows and HVAC systems to achieve a maximum use of outdoor air for indoor ventilation. A new rule-based control strategy that could change the opening factor of windows is proposed in this study and its effectiveness was tested in five representative climates, ranging from a subtropical region to a severely cold region. A building model was set up and the indoor air temperature and energy consumption were predicted using EnergyPlus. The results show that the proposed control strategy can utilize ventilation to maintain a comfortable indoor environment with an annual uncomfortable percentage in an occupied period lower than 5%, thus leading to an energy-saving rate of 13.5–55.6%. The simulation results indicate that there are periods of ventilation available during the summer in climate zones with hot summers and warm winters, whereas the control strategy has a better energy-saving performance in temperate areas. This study conducted a preliminary exploration for practical applications of the combined operation of controllable natural ventilation and HVAC systems in buildings.

Keywords: ventilation strategy; rule-based control; indoor thermal comfort; building performance simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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