A Field Study on Thermal Comfort and Cooling Load Demand Optimization in a Tropical Climate

Masoud Esfandiari, Suzaini Mohamed Zaid, Muhammad Azzam Ismail, Mohammad Reza Hafezi, Iman Asadi and Saleh Mohammadi
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Masoud Esfandiari: Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 19839-69411, Iran
Suzaini Mohamed Zaid: Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Muhammad Azzam Ismail: Faculty of Built Environment, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Mohammad Reza Hafezi: Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 19839-69411, Iran
Iman Asadi: Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Saleh Mohammadi: Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The Netherlands

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: Energy consumption to cool an indoor environment is a substantial part of total energy end-use, particularly in a tropical climate with high energy demand for cooling. To improve energy efficiency, cooling systems can be optimized using a variety of neutral indoor temperatures to maintain a balance between an occupant’s thermal comfort and cooling energy demand. This explanatory study investigated the thermal quality and cooling energy demand of a Platinum-certified office building in the tropical climate of Malaysia. The investigation aimed to suggest a balance between occupant thermal comfort and cooling energy demand. The thermal investigation includes an objective field measurement that implements environmental equipment to monitor thermal quality and a subjective occupant’s thermal feedback using a questionnaire survey. To calculate cooling energy demand, the total equivalent temperature difference method (TETD) is applied. The results suggested an occupant’s cooling sensation of around 24 °C, with no significant difference concerning age and gender. Cooling load calculation indicated a 36% energy reduction by increasing air temperature to 26 °C, for occupants to feel thermally comfortable in a tropical climate. These findings contribute to improving sustainable energy policies, sustainable construction, and thermal comfort improvement for a tropical climate.

Keywords: thermal quality; cooling energy demand; energy-efficient design; tropical climate; green building index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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