Evaluation of Thermal Comfort and Energy Consumption of Water Flow Glazing as a Radiant Heating and Cooling System: A Case Study of an Office Space

Belen Moreno Santamaria, Fernando del Ama Gonzalo, Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria and Juan A. Hernandez Ramos
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Belen Moreno Santamaria: Department of Construction and Architectural Technology, Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Fernando del Ama Gonzalo: Department of Sustainable Product Design and Architecture, Keene State College, Keene, NH 03435, USA
Benito Lauret Aguirregabiria: Department of Construction and Architectural Technology, Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Juan A. Hernandez Ramos: Department of Applied Mathematics, School of Aeronautical and Space Engineering, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-27

Abstract: Large glass areas, even high-performance glazing with Low-E coating, could lead to discomfort if exposed to solar radiation due to radiant asymmetry. In addition, air-to-air cooling systems affect the thermal environment indoors. Water-Flow Glazing (WFG) is a disruptive technology that enables architects and engineers to design transparent and translucent facades with new features, such as energy management. Water modifies the thermal behavior of glass envelopes, the spectral distribution of solar radiation, the non-uniform nature of radiation absorption, and the diffusion of heat by conduction across the glass pane. The main goal of this article was to assess energy consumption and comfort conditions in office spaces with a large glass area by using WFG as a radiant heating and cooling system. This article evaluates the design and operation of an energy management system coupled with WFG throughout a year in an actual office space. Temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation sensors were connected to a control unit that actuated the different devices to keep comfortable conditions with minimum energy consumption. The results in summer conditions revealed that if the mean radiant temperature ranged from 19.3 to 23 °C, it helped reduce the operative temperature to comfortable levels when the indoor air temperature was between 25 and 27.5 °C. The Predicted Mean Vote in summer conditions was between 0 and −0.5 in working hours, within the recommended values of ASHRAE-55 standard.

Keywords: building energy management; Water Flow Glazing; mean radiant temperature; final energy consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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