Editorial

3 pages, 193 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Green Building Technologies Targeting Carbon Neutrality

by Jingyu Cao, Wei Wu, Mingke Hu and Yunfeng Wang

Energies 2023, 16(2), 836; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en16020836 - 11 Jan 2023

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The construction industry is one of the three major worldwide energy consumers, producing nearly 30% of global carbon emissions [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

Research

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23 pages, 25890 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Indoor Air Quality Diagnosis Program for School Multi-Purpose Activity and Office Spaces

by Yeo-Kyung Lee, Young Il Kim and Ga-Hyeon Kim

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8134; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15218134 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1286

Abstract

This study presents a simple indoor air quality diagnosis program for school office spaces, which are occupied for long durations by teachers, and indoor sports facilities, whose utilization has been on the rise in response to high concentrations of pollutants in outdoor air. [...] Read more.

This study presents a simple indoor air quality diagnosis program for school office spaces, which are occupied for long durations by teachers, and indoor sports facilities, whose utilization has been on the rise in response to high concentrations of pollutants in outdoor air. The proposed program was made with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and Microsoft Excel. This program requires inputs which can be easily determined or measured even by nonexperts and can check the current status of indoor air quality such as CO₂ and PM_2.5 concentrations and predict the effect if changes are made. In addition, it is possible to diagnose indoor air quality before and after class and compare it with the initial plan so that if it exceeds the indoor air quality maintenance standard range, it can be improved by using a ventilation system and an air purifier. The development of the program was divided into four stages. First, prior research on the influencing factors was investigated. Second, influencing factors affecting the changes in PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentrations were selected by category to accommodate the various factors, and those selected as input were presented. Third, mass and concentration conservation equations were utilized to derive PM_2.5 and CO₂ concentration prediction equations according to activity and passage of time, and a VBA code was used for constructing the program. For verification of the developed program, the calculation results were compared with the measured data. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 19.47% for PM_2.5 concentration. In order to improve accuracy, Simulation 2, in which the wind speed and indoor/outdoor air pressure difference are corrected, is presented. The MAPE of PM_2.5 concentration by the corrected Simulation 2 was lowered 5.15%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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24 pages, 4696 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Analysis of a NZEB Office Building with Rooftop PV Installation: Exploitation of the Employees’ Electric Vehicles Battery Storage

by George Stamatellos, Olympia Zogou and Anastassios Stamatelos

Energies 2022, 15(17), 6206; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15176206 - 26 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1449

Abstract

Near zero energy buildings are increasing worldwide, exploiting low-carbon technologies in heating and electricity self-production. Commercial buildings are increasingly considered as candidates for the installation of smart micro-grids, which may profit from the added storage capacity of the batteries of employees electric vehicles, [...] Read more.

Near zero energy buildings are increasing worldwide, exploiting low-carbon technologies in heating and electricity self-production. Commercial buildings are increasingly considered as candidates for the installation of smart micro-grids, which may profit from the added storage capacity of the batteries of employees electric vehicles, stationed during daytime in their charging lots. Smart exploitation of the interaction of these electricity sources and sinks may prove essential to address the complex electricity network demand patterns in today’s fast changing energy mixture. The interaction of an efficient office building’s energy system with a big rooftop photovoltaic installation and the aggregate storage capacity of 40 electric cars that are connected in the building’s charging lots is studied by means of transient simulation in TRNSYS environment. The 18-zone building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, the cars’ batteries, and photovoltaic systems’ interactions are analyzed on a monthly, seasonal, and hourly basis, against the respective demand curves of the Greek network. The results suggest that the specific system’s size may profitably support the operation of a smart micro-grid. The total annual electricity consumption of the building is computed to reach 112,000 kWh, or 20 kWh/m²y. The annual electricity needs of the 40 electric cars, amounting to 101,000 kWh, can be fully met with 30% of the photovoltaic electricity production. Thus, the building becomes a net exporter of electricity to the network, with maximum exported electricity occurring daily between 12:00 and 14:00, which is favorable to meeting the demand curve. Thus, the establishment of smart micro-grids in commercial buildings with large rooftop photovoltaic panels’ capacity and a significant number of electric cars in the employees’ car fleet is quite effective in this direction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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24 pages, 8540 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Adaptable Net Zero Model: Energy Analysis of a Monitored Case Study

by Haleh Moghaddasi, Charles Culp, Jorge Vanegas, Saptarshi Das and Mehrdad Ehsani

Energies 2022, 15(11), 4016; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15114016 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2631

Abstract

Increased efforts toward climate change mitigation and achieving net zero (NZ) are occurring globally. This research addresses three challenges to meeting the target NZ goals: (1) quantifying energy use reduction approaches, including energy efficiency and renewable power; (2) obtaining measured data to verify [...] Read more.

Increased efforts toward climate change mitigation and achieving net zero (NZ) are occurring globally. This research addresses three challenges to meeting the target NZ goals: (1) quantifying energy use reduction approaches, including energy efficiency and renewable power; (2) obtaining measured data to verify NZ achievements; and (3) providing NZ definitions to a globally understandable concept. To do so, a reorganized NZ concept (NZX%₍_ORG)) is proposed that is practical, measurable, and adaptable to different regions and requirements. The “X%” presents the fraction of renewable energy to the total energy used, and the “ORG” defines the organization’s NZ definition that a project uses. The objective of this proposal is to create a universally NZ concept and method, using measured utility power data, by (1) determining a baseline NZX%₍_ORG); (2) projecting an optimized NZX%₍_ORG); (3) measuring and reporting the actual NZX%₍_ORG). This application is extendable from a building level to the community, city, and country levels (NZCX%₍_ORG)). The Serenbe community, a monitored case study in Georgia, was analyzed. The baseline NZ rating using metered data was NZC16%_(ASHRAE). The analysis showed that improved energy efficiency measures (lighting, windows glazing, air sealing) along with increased on-site solar power generation (from 10% to 25% of all roof space), provided a projected NZC80%_(ASHRAE). In addition, publicly available documentation of the measured utility power is required for reporting the actual NZCX%_(ORG) in Serenbe. Using NZX%_(ORG) provides recognition of partial success in moving toward 100% renewable power. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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24 pages, 10732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical and Experimental Study on Thermal Comfort of Human Body by Split-Fiber Air Conditioner

by Jie Yang, Zhimeng Dong, Huihan Yang, Yanyan Liu, Yunjie Wang, Fujiang Chen and Haifei Chen

Energies 2022, 15(10), 3755; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15103755 - 19 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1432

Abstract

The thermal comfort of an enclosed room with air conditioner and air-distribution duct coupling can be studied, and the parameters of a split-fiber air conditioner can be optimized on the basis of studying the thermal comfort of various parts of the human body. [...] Read more.

The thermal comfort of an enclosed room with air conditioner and air-distribution duct coupling can be studied, and the parameters of a split-fiber air conditioner can be optimized on the basis of studying the thermal comfort of various parts of the human body. In this paper, a room model with a distributed air conditioner was proposed. First, the rationality of the three thermal comfort characterization models of predict mean vote (PMV), predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD), and percentage of dissatisfied (PD) were verified through experiments and simulations. Then, the temperature and thermal comfort of various parts of the human body were explored when the air-distribution duct had different openings and different positions of the air outlet. The simulation results showed that compared with other situations, when the split-fiber air conditioner had three rows of holes (5-o’clock, 6-o’clock, 7-o’clock) and the air outlet was located in the middle of the right wall of the human body, the PMV, PPD, and PD of the measuring points around the human body fluctuated less, the indoor temperature field distribution fluctuated less, and there was no wind feeling around the human body, which can better meet the needs of human thermal comfort. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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16 pages, 6328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of Wall and Indoor Hygrothermal Properties of Rammed Earth Folk House in Northwest Sichuan

by Qinglong Gao, Tao Wu, Lei Liu, Yong Yao and Bin Jiang

Energies 2022, 15(5), 1936; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051936 - 07 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2032

Abstract

The climate crisis is one of the most important problems today. In the process of human building, the use of cement, steel, and other industrial materials in the process of building construction and recycling has brought a huge burden to the natural environment. [...] Read more.

The climate crisis is one of the most important problems today. In the process of human building, the use of cement, steel, and other industrial materials in the process of building construction and recycling has brought a huge burden to the natural environment. Earth is one of the oldest building materials, its availability and insulation make it an excellent constructive solution in human history. Among several existing earth construction techniques, rammed earth is one of the most relevant. In this paper, a numerical model of the rammed earth folk house in Mianyang was established, and an experimental device was built to verify it. With the typical meteorological year data of Mianyang in northwest Sichuan, the heat and moisture transfer in rammed earth wall, as well as the indoor thermal and moisture environment were numerically simulated. The results show that the rammed earth wall weakens the temperature fluctuation of the inner surface of the wall and makes the peak temperature of the inner surface of the wall lag the outer surface. The relative humidity in the center of the rammed earth wall can be maintained at about 60%, both in winter and summer. The moisture absorption and desorption capacity of rammed earth walls without inner decorative materials is about three times that of gypsum board, and the use of a waterproof coating will render the rammed earth wall almost unable to adjust the indoor relative humidity. Additionally, the use of decorative materials will increase the fluctuation range of indoor relative humidity and the risk of mold breeding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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18 pages, 8092 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Granular PCM-Enhanced Plaster for Historical Buildings: Experimental Tests and Numerical Studies

by Eleonora Baccega and Michele Bottarelli

Energies 2022, 15(3), 975; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15030975 - 28 Jan 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1687

Abstract

The construction sector is among the major players responsible for global energy consumption and therefore related emissions, both because of the constantly increasing indoor air quality standard which requires increasingly higher energy demands as well as the great share of historical buildings which [...] Read more.

The construction sector is among the major players responsible for global energy consumption and therefore related emissions, both because of the constantly increasing indoor air quality standard which requires increasingly higher energy demands as well as the great share of historical buildings which are now obsolete and are not up to date with current regulations. Phase change materials (PCMs) applied on the building envelope represent a feasible possibility to improve the performance of existing buildings, also the historical ones, increasing their thermal inertia without violating any legal restriction or causing further alterations to the structure. More specifically, focus of this research was on the addition of a granular paraffin PCM into a lime-based plaster. Experimental tests at lab scale and numerical simulations with COMSOL Multiphysics were carried out to characterize the plasters realized, namely one reference lime-based plaster and one with incorporated 10% by mass of granular PCM (named REFp and PCMp, respectively). The behavior of these plasters applied on the exterior side of a wall was then simulated and compared in terms of temperatures and heat fluxes. However, considering that the estimated thermal conductivity of the reference lime-based plaster was lower than the values found in literature, the simulations were carried out considering an additional plaster, namely a lime-based plaster (renamed LITp), whose properties were found in literature and considered quite representative of a consistent share of existing historical buildings. Great improvements were observed from the application of PCM into the plaster, with reductions of the incoming energy between 9% and 18%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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Review

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24 pages, 1738 KiB

Open AccessReview

Opportunities for Using Analytical Hierarchy Process in Green Building Optimization

by Ghada Elshafei, Dušan Katunský, Martina Zeleňáková and Abdelazim Negm

Energies 2022, 15(12), 4490; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15124490 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3031

Abstract

The adoption of green building technology has become significant for ensuring sustainable development; it has become the main step to a sustainable future. The designs for green buildings include finding a balance between comfortable home construction and a sustainable environment. Moreover, the application [...] Read more.

The adoption of green building technology has become significant for ensuring sustainable development; it has become the main step to a sustainable future. The designs for green buildings include finding a balance between comfortable home construction and a sustainable environment. Moreover, the application of emerging technology is also used to supplement existing methods in the development of greener buildings to preserve a sustainable built environment. The main problem of this research is how to tackle the environmental parameters balance based on new techniques that are being used for green building optimization. To mitigate the cumulative effect of the constructed climate on human wellbeing and the regular ecosystem, the most popular goals for green buildings should be planned. This can be achieved by efficient use of natural resources such as energy, water, and other resources and minimizing waste. This will contribute to the security of occupant health, enhancement of work performance, emissions control, and improvement of the environment. In the construction of green buildings, several criteria that may contradict, interrelated indistinct and of qualitative and/or quantitative environment are broadened to utilize. This paper provides a detailed state of the art analysis on improving existing practices in green architecture/building using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) techniques to tackle the environmental balancing values based on optimal strategies and designs by green solutions to help make the best possible option from numerous options. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Buildings for Carbon Neutral)

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