Investigation of temperature regulation effects on indoor thermal comfort, air quality, and energy savings toward green residential buildings

• Published in: HVAC&R research Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 309 - 321
• Main Authors: Cao, Shi-Jie, Deng, Hua-Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis 16-03-2019; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Air quality; Air temperature; Airtightness; Carbon dioxide; Clean energy; Energy consumption; Energy efficiency; Green buildings; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Power efficiency; Residential buildings; Residential energy; Thermal comfort; Turbulent diffusion; Ventilation
• ISSN: 2374-4731; 2374-474X
• DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2018.1526016

To create healthy indoor environments, Chinese green building evaluation standards recommend monitoring and control of CO
2
concentration in residential buildings. Regulations of building airtightness levels and indoor temperature will improve thermal comfort and energy efficiency. However, indoor air quality (IAQ; e.g., CO
2
concentration) may suffer, which adversely affects indoor occupants' health and productivity. To counteract these negative effects, this work investigated indoor temperature regulation effects on IAQ and energy consumption considering a well-insulated full-scale room with a top-wall-mounted ventilation heating system. First, a series of experiments were conducted with five indoor temperatures (in winter) and constant CO
2
sources. Next, corresponding simulations were carried out (air changes per hour, ACHs equal to 4 and 12). It was found that the higher the supplied air temperature, the stronger the negative effects of thermal buoyancy, leading to weaker turbulent diffusion and higher levels of indoor CO
2
concentration. A 1 °C increase would cause around 1.2% increase of CO
2
concentration along with 8.3% more energy consumption. Moreover, the influence of indoor temperature on CO
2
dispersion is more significant when ACH is relatively small. Relevant findings will further facilitate the design and regulation of green buildings in the perspectives of indoor heath and energy efficiency.