Indoor Environmental Quality Analysis for Optimizing Energy Consumptions Varying Air Ventilation Rates

Francesco Mancini, Fabio Nardecchia, Daniele Groppi, Francesco Ruperto and Carlo Romeo
Additional contact information
Francesco Mancini: Department of Planning, Design and Technology of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Flaminia, 72-00197 Rome, Italy
Fabio Nardecchia: Department of Astronautics, Electrical Energy Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana, 18-00184 Rome, Italy
Daniele Groppi: Department of Astronautics, Electrical Energy Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana, 18-00184 Rome, Italy
Francesco Ruperto: Interdepartmental Centre for Landscape, Building, Conservation, Environment (CITERA), Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Gramsci, 53-00197 Rome, Italy
Carlo Romeo: Energy Efficiency Department (DUEE), Italian National Agency for Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Via Anguillarese, 301-00123 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: The energy refurbishment of the existing building heritage is one of the pillars of Italian energy policy. Aiming for energy efficiency and energy saving in end uses, there are wide and diversified improvement strategies, which include interventions on the building envelope and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, with the introduction of renewable energy sources. The research aims at evaluating the building energy consumptions and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), varying the airflow rates handled by the HVAC system. A Case Study (the Aula Magna of a university building) is analysed; an in-situ monitoring campaign was carried out to evaluate the trend of some environmental parameters that are considered to be significant when varying the external airflow rates handled by the HVAC system. Additionally, dynamic simulations were carried out, with the aim of evaluating the energy savings coming from the airflow rates reduction. The results of this case study highlight the opportunity to achieve significant energy savings, with only slight variations in IEQ; a 50% reduction in airflow rate would decrease energy consumption by up to 45.2%, while increasing the carbon dioxide concentration from 545 ppm to 655 ppm, while the Particulate Matter and Total Volatile Organic Compounds increase is insignificant.

Keywords: Indoor Environmental Quality; Indoor Air Quality; energy savings; dynamic simulation; monitoring campaign (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 (5)

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