Reduce the energy consumption and improving the thermal comfort of commercial buildings by night ventilation

Abstract

climates consume more than 60% of the total building energy to provide the required thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) for the occupants. Even if the MVAC systems of these buildings are operated according to the instructions and the recommendations of the consultants and the MVAC system manufacturers, the occupants of the buildings frequently report that they feel much warmer and thermally discomfort during the early morning hours as a result of thermal inertia of the buildings, slowly releases the absorbed heat to the indoor environment and the outdoor environment overnight. Therefore, indoor air temperature increases with the absence of the air conditioning systems at night and the heat is accumulated in the indoor environment of the building. This thesis covers various passive ventilation approaches that can be utilized to save energy in commercial buildings before recommending an appropriate ventilation system for them. The Road Development Authority building was used to investigate the possibilities of night ventilation. Initially, it was evaluated utilizing a post- occupancy evaluation system. Following that, three loggers were installed in the aforementioned building, and data was collected for three and a half months for experimental purposes. Following data collection, graphs are utilized to obtain the desired outcome. After analyzing the results, it was determined that early fresh air supply saves energy because fresh air supply to the selected building begins about 9.30am. Energy saving hours range from 1am to 7am, with the optimal time period being 5am to 6am.The possibility of night ventilation in buildings in equatorial nations can be tested after modeling the buildings.